👾 The Final Gauntlet:

My SM2 Unit 0 Testing Strategy

After an epic quest through magical realms and high-tech labs, how do we measure our adventurers' success? In this special post, I'm sharing the "final boss battle" for our first unit: my philosophy and strategy for testing that focuses on mastery, student ownership, and continued growth. Welcome to the epilogue of our first Classroom Quest!

📜 Mission Briefing: The Certification Trials

🎯 Mission Objective: To assess student mastery of the unit's core skills in a way that encourages reflection and re-assessment, rather than a one-and-done grade.
📚 Unit: Unit 1 - The Number System, Exponents, and Operations
👻 The Adventure: The testing phase is framed as the "Final Gauntlet," where students complete a series of "Certification Trials." Their goal isn't just to get a good score, but to prove they are "certified" in the essential skills of an adventurer, alchemist, and ghost hunter.

Our Testing Philosophy: Proving Your Skills

In our classroom, a test isn't a finish line; it's a final training simulation. The goal is for every student to prove they have mastered the core skills of the unit, and our grading is structured to reflect this focus on growth.

Essential Skills (60% of Grade): These are the non-negotiable, core concepts of the unit. Students must score above a 70% on these exams to be considered "certified."
Related Skills (30% of Grade): These are important supporting concepts that deepen understanding and add to their toolkit.

The Process: The Adventurer's Log

Student ownership is key. They track their own progress on the back of their Unit Schedule. After taking the practice tests, they record their scores. Any score below 70% on an Essential Skill is a signal that they must go back, review their work, and "level up" their understanding before the final, summative unit test.

(Picture of the back of my schedule that students fill out.)

The Certification Trials (Practice Tests)

All our practice tests are hosted on idocourses.com, which provides immediate feedback. The tests feature randomized variables and shuffled questions, so each attempt is a unique challenge.

(Note for teachers: To get access to this amazing resource, please contact darcistone@alpinedistrict.org!)

Standard	Thematic Trial Name	Standard Type	Practice Test Link
U0E1	The Artificer's Final Exam	Essential	Test Your Skills
U0E2	The Alchemist's Purity Test	Essential	Test Your Skills
U0E3	The Ghost Hunter's Containment Protocol	Essential	Test Your Skills
U0R1	The Cartographer's Final Map	Related	Test Your Skills
U0R2	The Master Rune Conversion Test	Related	Test Your Skills

If by chance the testing doesn't go as amazing as you had hoped, here is my Remediation activity to help them Level UP. Level Up Remediation

💡 The Debrief

My Thoughts: Focusing on mastery and re-assessment has completely changed the conversation around testing in my classroom. Students see it as a challenge to conquer, not a grade to fear...
Student Reactions: Students love the immediate feedback from idocourses, and tracking their own scores has made them much more accountable for their learning, and eager to come in and conquer. a topic.