Offer test corrections and retakes, diverse performance-based assessment options, and peer-teaching opportunities so students can learn from mistakes and demonstrate understanding¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Students in the focus groups recommended concrete assessment changes: test retakes or corrections with partial credit, more open-ended questions instead of multiple choice, and diverse options such as projects, presentations, and essays. They also suggested having responsibility for teaching their peers as a way to learn and demonstrate knowledge. One student praised a psychology teacher whose test corrections require identifying the topic, explaining why the answer was missed, correcting it, and writing how to remember it.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Teachers must offer structured test corrections or retakes with partial credit, which students report few teachers currently offer.

Constraints¶

• Students recognize tests are an unavoidable aspect of their education; the strategy supplements rather than replaces testing.

Target Learners¶

• high school students in mainstream public high schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• learning from mistakes and improving understanding
• demonstrating knowledge through multiple formats
• developing planning, self-direction, and communication skills

Related Strategies¶

• Offer candidates multiple ways of demonstrating competence, crediting prior teaching experience and using performance-based alternative assessments

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Viki M. Young, Ph.D., Mai Chou Vang, Zareen Kasad, Isabelle Acosta, and Alicia Frausto with Cassie Graves. (2026). Reimagining High School: Student Experiences Today, Hopes for Tomorrow. Digital Promise, Center for Learner Pathway Innovations. https://digitalpromise.dspacedirect.org/items/22bd5fad-ec7b-4ec7-a86f-0bed0800ba30