Part of my role as an Exam Services Specialist is to proctor the exams for the veterinary students. There are three different classes (first year, second year, and third year). I’m responsible for previewing, editing, revising, and scoring the exams for the first year students. But, when it comes to proctoring exams, all three Exam Specialists help each other out.
On Monday, I helped my co-worker proctor a second-year exam.
I don’t know her students as well because I primarily communicate with the first years (and I’m still new), but I don’t really need to know them because I’m simply watching to see whether they 1) are cheating or 2) have technical issues and need some support.
The procedure of an exam goes a little something like this:
1) Students are let into the exam room at 7:45AM. They are still technically allowed to use their computers and/or old-school notebooks to study the material.
2) At around 7:57, we make an announcement to close all computer programs and put away all notes. During this time, the students open up the program that they take the exam on.
3) At 8:00AM, I display the password on the screen that the students will use to log-on to the exam. Once they log on to the exam, all background programs are no longer accessible.
4) After I display the password, we pass out scratch paper for the students to use. Each student gets a single piece of paper that they must turn in – even if it goes unused. That’s our way of ensuring that no information leaves the exam and that we’ve accounted for each student.
5) Students take and complete the exam.
Now, again, I’m still new around here but I’ve been taught to follow certain procedures and guidelines and to never stray from the 5 steps listed above. But I may have been a little too “by the books” on Monday.
What happened Monday?
At 8:01am, after all scratch paper had been passed out to the students, I walked around the room to ensure everyone was logged in to the exam. One of the students – I noticed – had kept two pieces of the scratch paper. She was using one of them as scratch paper and the other one was sitting next to her laptop – folded in half.
I reached over to pick it up because I had been told – over and over again – that students were only given one sheet of scratch paper. She turned in her seat to stare at me, gave me a confused look, and said, “That’s mine, I need it.”
I didn’t really want to engage in conversation about it while other students were testing so I handed back the paper and then grabbed my phone to text my co-worker. She was the one in charge of this particular cohort and I wanted her to be aware of the situation but she was on the other end of the lecture hall and couldn’t see what was happening.
I texted her, “The girl in the last row with glasses on took an extra sheet of scratch paper. Is that allowed?”
She quickly texted back and said, “She uses it as a screen cover. Stand behind her and watch.”
So I did.
I walked toward the back of the room to watch her as she clicked to display the next question. She picked up the folded sheet of paper, lifted it up to her computer screen, and covered up the answer choices as she read the question to herself.
After she had independently solved the answer, she uncovered the choices and confidently selected the right one.
Later, after the exam was over and all students had left the room, I had a really great chat with my co-worker. I asked her how, out of 150 students in the second-year class, she knew that that particular student needed an extra piece of paper.
She said, “It’s all about relationships.”
It’s all about knowing your students. That student, in particular, had a tendency to get distracted by all the text in front of her. All she needed was a simple piece of paper to “mask” the answer choices until she was ready for them.
You can’t always be a stickler for the rules. You can’t expect to impose your rules and regulations without seeking feedback from the receiving end.
My co-worker welcomed students’ input and advice about the testing environment. She made sure to check in with students who looked like they needed a little extra lovin’.
She was – essentially – providing accommodations to the students who needed it. In a way that didn’t jeopardize the compliance or security of the test.
We forget that when we grow out of the K-12 system, we must advocate for ourselves. And we forget that, as “adults,” it’s OK to ask for what we need. Simple accommodations can help us perform better at our jobs, our grad school examinations, our LIFE.
I learned a pretty valuable lesson on Monday.
Grown-ups need accommodations too.
Questions of the Day:
- What accommodations or supports do you need to help you perform most effectively?
YESSSS.
I adore this as my brain has been all CHILD ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STANDARDIZED TESTING ALL THE TIME for the past few weeks.
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Nice to see someone addressing this topic. I know many older adults who have a hard time enough time going back to school and sometimes all the computer stuff is over whelming.
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Very insightful post! We are all individuals who learn, express and operate uniquely.
Great post! It’s easy to forget that grown-ups need accommodations sometimes too. I have a friend in college and she always takes her test in disability services, instead of the classroom, because she’s given a little extra time, etc.
-Lauren
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This is a very good and insightful post. I know several friends who would benefit from these ideas.
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I love this. Teachers are expected to accommodate student needs all day; and the meetings about accomodations for students are always long and tedious with no accommodations for those grown ups with the same needs. The irony is lost on so many. Great article!!
Such a great post and valuable insight! I never really think about that but it’s obviously true! Thanks for sharing!
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A great Post Ms. Divya B Mathur.
The teacher in you is always on the lookout to share such valuable information.
I am sure many teachers and students could benefit from this.
Just curious, did you go back and talk to that student……
This is a really great and insightful post. You can’t be expected to know about each individual’s needs stepping into a classroom for the first time but you did the right thing by monitoring, questioning, and learning. I’m a stickler for rules too so I forget that sometimes we just need special accommodations here and there to help us along <3
I have issues with numbers. I see them mixed up so I always had accommodations for tests.
I left school ages ago, so I haven’t a clue what challenges one might face when entering the halls of learning. Teachers are day time parents in so many ways, I never really considered how they might be coping with accommodating their students too. It’s really a selfless profession!
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This is so true! Sometimes we forget, especially in testing situations, we need accommodations! I have severe test taking anxiety, for example. I proctored the state tests last week for kids grades 3-12 and there were a lot of varied needs. As your fellow teacher said, it is all about developing relationships.
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I love this topic as I am a mom of a child with ADD. He gets distracted quickly so I gave him a stress ball to use in class. It helps him focus and he is able to apply himself better in class.
Great topic for a post! Somehow there’s this expectation that once we’re out of school, we no longer need accommodations, which makes no sense.
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My grandson just went through this testing how stressful is this for the kids and for the families. Great topic thanks for sharing.
Great post once more. Years and years ago, I took on a job as a teacher for a summer program for high school kids lagging behind in their science subjects. I was doing everything by the book and I guess I was just overwhelmed by the fact that every student had different needs. I never went back for the regular program. It was too much for me. This is exactly why I admire your patience! What a great teacher you are.
YES YES YES! I love that your coworker knew this about that single one student! I have a sister who has a learning disability(actually I have four siblings with them) and she has been so blessed to have our mom help her advocate as an adult. But for so many that is not the case! It’s so important we recognize kids don’t graduate high school and graduate from these challenges
What a great lesson, Divya. I find this with my editorial clients–some need a lot more hand-holding than others, and I know that by getting to know them early on. And, of course, through their words on the pages.
Yes! I think we forget that just because an adult is taking a class, it doesn’t mean they should be ignored accommodation wise. Sometimes that could be an adults first time in a classroom. We don’t know the situation
Very interesting. I can see how that would help. We never had exams on the computer when I was in school, but I could see how it could be just slightly more distracting – if it were on paper, she’d just put her hand over the answers.
Good reminder that we can all choose to let others know what we need, and we shouldn’t be so quick to judge with others.
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Yes everyone needs to be accommodated every so often. And your coworker is definitely right that it is all about relationships. With that being said I am so happy that we moved to Norway and our kids don’t really do standardized testing.
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I don’t miss having to take tests and I definitely don’t envy teachers nowadays. Things have changed so much and not for the better.
I think it’s great that there are accommodations like that! But I wonder if, sometimes it’s not that we FORGET to ask for accommodations … sometimes I think it’s more that we’re taught NOT to ask. We’re supposed all conform and comply, right? And no one should NEED accommodations – we still live largely in a society where people with “special needs” of any kind are looked down on.
I could admire that student for her courage in asking to be accommodated so that she could better perform.
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