It is that time of year again! Common Assessments are rapidly approaching and although we might not want to complete them, they are necessities in school life. So why must we take common assessments? Common assessments allow your teachers to see how well you understand the topics covered in each quarter and what they might need to review moving forward. Although we know common assessments are to help the students and not to hurt them we still find ourselves stressing about them nonetheless. Ayden Gomez, a junior at Morris Hills High School gives his opinion on common assessments, “I think they are necessary. I do think they put a lot of stress on students, but are very helpful for teachers to see what students retain each quarter. Overall, I think they are very helpful.”
So, how should you prepare for a common assessment? Mrs. McGrath, a teacher at Morris Hills for 18 years, shares her thoughts on how to prepare for a common assessment. “Another important note when preparing for a common assessment is to let the review guide guide you on what to spend time studying (for example, if it’s in the review guide, it is likely going to be important to know for the test… let the guide help you focus your efforts). I also encourage students to complete the assigned homework review packet and when you go over the answers in class, use a different colored pen to correct your answers so when you are studying, you can more easily see what you got wrong/need to study.” This advice is shared throughout the entire school and put into the following steps. First, complete any study guide your teacher provides you with and if you have any questions meet with your teacher prior to the common assessment. Next, you can look over previous quizzes, tests, and notes to review the material and identify any topics you might need assistance with. Lastly, you can use other resources such as Khan Academy, Tutor.com, or an online textbook for additional practice/help.
Common assessments are held during quarters 1,2 and 4, and are worth 6% or 8% respectively of the final grade for each class. Students will only be required to take up to two common assessments per day on specific days set out for common assessments. Common assessments will be given during class time and will be one block in time. You cannot be excused from common assessments. Students must take the common assessments or will be given a 0% for that specific assessment which will majorly affect your grade. If you have an emergency excused absence you must provide a letter explaining why you were absent within three days from the original common assessment date to be issued a makeup common assessment.
Overall, common assessments are something that help teachers understand what students need additional help with and improve learning for each individual student. But, you still need to prepare for each assessment so you can do your best and provide accuracy results.