Do it Again

Real World and Redos

Good morning everyone,

Today I want to continue to think about the question:

What can we do when students STRUGGLE with assessments?

I have had a number of teachers talk to me about test and assessment retakes and revisions over the past few weeks.

One anecdote sticks out to me:

A teacher and I were discussing a student having a traumatic fall semester. The student had significant home issues that were causing a noticeable distraction for him. And despite being accommodated (the student has ADHD), the student did not follow directions and really earned a very low grade on a recent assessment.

The teacher wanted to be compassionate and give the student a break on the grading. In the grand scheme of everything this kid was going through, piling on a failing assessment grade seemed too much.

But, when we discussed the assessment, it was clear that the student did not meet a lot of very basic skills and expectations. There was a serious problem with letting this work pass.

So we discussed the importance of the student recompleting and improving this assessment, showing a basic competence in the skill, before he moves on. This would remediate his weak grade and also force the student to demonstrate critical skills for the course.

The story, for me, highlights the overall goals of any kind of assessment strategy and why revisions and retakes are a helpful tool for teachers:

• Revisions and retakes actually give you a chance to have a higher standard for all students. As a teacher, you can hold the line knowing that there is a safety valve for students to improve.

  • And weaker students benefit the most from high, unflinching standards. Rather than saying we are going to give kids a pass, we are saying that we value the skill and the student and we are determined to get the student there. We care about you too much to give you a pass.

• Retakes acknowledges the humanity of students because we all have bad days and some of us have bad months. It puts you as a teacher in a place to help the student meet the standard over time, rather than being the executioner.

That said, as a counterargument (which we spend a lot of time talking about in AP Seminar), I have heard many educators give the “real world” explanation when it comes to having students take tests multiple times. In the REAL WORLD you can’t just retake a test.

So just to close out the new years, I asked Chat GPT to list some scenarios where you can retake a test in THE REAL WORLD. Here’s what it spit out:

Tests That Can Be Retaken Until Competent

1. Driver & Vehicle

• Driver’s license written and road tests

• Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) exams

2. Professional Licensure & Certification

• Praxis (teacher certification)

• NCLEX (nursing licensure)

• CPA exam (accounting)

• Bar exam (law)

• EMT / Paramedic certification exams

• Real estate licensing exam

• HVAC certifications

• FAA pilot exams and checkrides

• Medical board specialty exams

3. Academic & College Entrance Exams

• SAT, ACT

• GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT

• CLEP and DSST exams for college credit

4. Technology / IT Certifications

• CompTIA certifications (A+, Network+, Security+)

• Cisco certifications (CCNA, CCNP, etc.)

• Microsoft, Google, or Adobe professional certifications

5. Language & Communication

• TOEFL, IELTS

• Foreign language proficiency exams in schools/universities

6. Health & Safety Skills

• CPR / First Aid / AED certification

• Lifeguard certification

• Workplace safety certifications (OSHA, hazardous materials)

7. Vocational & Trade Skills

• Welding, plumbing, electrical, or construction licensing exams

• Cosmetology / barber licensing exams

• Culinary or food safety certifications

8. Military & Public Service

• ASVAB (military aptitude test)

• Firefighter / police entrance exams with multiple windows

• Certain civil service exams with repeated cycles

Tests That Cannot Be Retaken / One-and-Done

1. Standardized School Exams

• AP Exams – Typically taken once per year; students usually do not retake the same exam within the same school year.

• State summative assessments – End-of-grade or end-of-course standardized tests tied to a specific school year.

• Kindergarten / early-grade readiness assessments – Only administered at specific ages.

2. Specialized Auditions / Tryouts

• Music conservatories, theater auditions, athletic tryouts – One performance per cycle; failing requires waiting until the next cycle.

3. Competitive Scholarships / Selection Exams

• Some national merit, fellowship, or scholarship exams – Only one administration per year; eligibility limits retakes.

All in all, you might argue that there is an important life skill in digging into a hard thing and doing it again. There is a real life value to learning how to retake an assessment–building determination, planning an alternative approach, and refusing to settle for your worst day.

I hope everyone has a great finish to the week and a restful break! Thank you for reading!