“Learn from your mistakes,” are wise words my mother said to me.

    But how am I supposed to do that if my teacher doesn’t give back tests?

    In high school we study for tests. We start weeks, or the night before an exam to fill our heads with information that we will be tested on. Then after the test, students gather in the hallway, comparing answers. Nothing is certain, and students who guessed “C” cry out in despair when they find out three of their friends chose “A”.  

    When the grade is posted on schoolloop, we see an 88% and smile. Success.

    But what happens when that 12% we missed comes back on the final?
    I’ve had plenty of times when I’ve seen a test question, picked an answer that I felt fairly confident with, and then moved on. But then I see the same question on the final. What answer did I put? …A…And What did I get on that test?… 88%? What is the likelihood that this was one of the questions I missed? I guess A again. Maybe it was right, maybe it was wrong.

    Then I get another non perfect score on my final, and will never know for sure if A was the correct answer.

    Yes, of course I could always ask my teacher, but this situation is very specific. Most times, students don’t remember all of the questions they’ve guessed on. And who knows if those questions were even remotely right?

    I am not speaking for all of Monte Vista faculty. Plenty of teachers give back tests to students, or at least let them view the test before taking it back and locking it away (ahem, Math Department). But there are many teachers who think a number on Schoolloop is all we want back.

    However, one of the strongest arguments among teachers is, “All that matters is what you learn, not the grade posted on Schoolloop.” These same teachers need to prove they value learning over grades by allowing students a chance to learn from their mistakes.

    Another small reason I want to get my test back is scantrons suck. If I erase an answer, the lead smears everywhere. I start getting anxious that the smeared lead is going to make my answers marked wrong, so I erase more, resulting in more smears and then more tears. If I get a test back, then at least I have a chance to notice when a simple sheet of paper was not able to accurately grade my test. Humans make mistakes, and so do scantrons.