Article: Test-Enhanced Learning in a Middle School Science Classroom: The Effects of Quiz Frequency and Placement.

This article explores quizzes and how they help students to retain knowledge for summative or end of the year exams. Basic research has proven that students who have been quizzed on material sometime prior to exams, do better on exams than those who have not been quizzed. Quizzes help students to recall information and retain information for later use.

In the article, the quizzes that were administered were low or no stake testing, meaning that it was not worth a big part of the final grade. This allows students to quiz in a comfortable environment without the worry of destroying their overall grade in the classroom. The low stake quizzes would ease the nerves of students and build up their confidence for the future test.

Students who took quizzes with short answer questions were more likely to retain knowledge for the test than those who did not do the quiz or who reviewed the material before the test. Students who have been quizzed had mastered the skill of retaining and retrieving, giving them an advantage for the test. This goes to prove that having quizzes before a test is more beneficial than a test review. Test reviews are a different format than test and quizzes. Although test reviews are beneficial, you are not forced to answer questions or have that clear understanding of what you do and do not know. Quizzes, on the other hand, promote learning because they require a retrieval of knowledge, provide feedback, and it can also improve a students metacognition by helping them determine what they do and do not know, which increases study effectiveness.

Pre-lecture, post lecture and review quizzes increase test performance. A study was done with 139 students that showed those who were being quizzed received an average of 92% and those who had not been quizzed previously received an average test score of 79%. It was also shown that those who took quizzes retained the knowledge for about 9 months after the assessment which is substantially longer than test knowledge retention.

This information is beneficial for those going into the teaching field. Quizzing is a assessment strategy that I will use. It is important for students to be quizzed on materials rather than just review and take the test. I like that the quizzes don’t have to be worth a large chunk of the overall grade to be beneficial. Quizzes promote learning in more ways than one. Not only does it improve test scores but also keeps the knowledge fresh in the mind. I will apply this to my future classroom.

Work Cited:
Henry L. Roediger III, et al. "Test-Enhanced Learning In A Middle School Science Classroom: The Effects Of Quiz Frequency And Placement." Journal Of Educational Psychology 103.2 (2011): 399-414. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Apr. 2013