Have you considered offering open-note tests? Are you worried that the students won't learn the information if you allow it? I explore those issues and more in this post!
First, I'd like to say that I DO offer open-note tests, but not ALL of the time. There are definitely pros and cons with open-note testing, and I'm going to dig in to both here.
Pros
What are the situations that work best with open-note tests for me?
For differentiation: When most of my students are ready for the test but a handful still need extra support. It helps for those who struggle with memory/recall and need the clues to help.
To practice answering higher-level questions: Specifically when we are practicing for the state tests that require a decent synthesis of the information and are not simple to answer just by reading the text or skimming.
To practice a much-needed skill: This works best with nonfiction texts that allow students to practice skills like using picture/context clues or using the glossary/index.
Cons
What are the situations that don't work well with open-note tests for me?
When a student's notes are extremely disorganized or missing: Then it takes them an extra long time to find what they are looking for and they can't/don't focus on the test questions. As a side note: I am using Google Slides and Docs exclusively for notes this year, so there is no such thing as "losing notes".
Students lack the skills necessary to find what they are looking for in the textbook: There are a couple of work-arounds for this. First, use the textbook for formative assessments when you are able to guide small groups and remediate the skills after the assessment. Alternatively, use student notes exclusively, rather than the textbook.
When a student is skilled at finding information in their notes, but they do not recall information on their own: Once again, there is a possible solution: Alternate between open-note tests and closed-note tests. If the students doesn't do well on the closed-note tests, you can have them correct the test or complete a retake.
As you can see, there are an equal number of pros and cons from my perspective. The bottom line is that we have to know what's best for our students. We have to meet them where they are in their abilities. Personally, I have seen some positive results from using open-note tests as long as I don't use them all of the time.
Have you used open-notes testing? What were your experiences with them? I'd love to hear all about it!
