Inside Four Walls: Copying answers from a test

Funny Friday story for everyone.

So I was giving my Geometry classes a test on Wednesday covering the first 5 chapters of the book for review for the Standards test next week. The first 41 questions were multiple choice and the last 18 were problems that you had to work out, but I only checked the answers.

I gave the test to my 5th period the day before (thanks block scheduling) and then gave it to my 6th period on Wednesday. So they are working and this one student I had from the year before turns in his test and then asks to go to the bathroom. I say sure. He is gone for about 10 minutes and comes back in, looking a little somber.

He comes up and says "I have a confession, the test I had had the short answer (last 18) questions worked out with the answers." I said let me see the test. He brings it over and you could see the markings and that someone tried to erase them. He told me that even though they tried to erase it he could still make out the answers.

Now I couldn't see the answers, but I didn't look hard. I just put the test down and said, "Ok, thanks for telling me. Do you want to go back and redo them?" Of course he said no. I said "Well they might be wrong you know." He says he is fine with the answers. I could tell he was shocked I didn't really do anything about it.

So as I am grading his test, I don't look at the names until the end, and I realize that I marked a bunch wrong on the last column (14 questions). I then count it up and he missed 12 of the 18 short answer. In fact, he missed the last 8 in a row.

The next day when I am giving back the scores I tell him, "You should have re-done the short answers because you missed almost all of them." His facial expression was classic. At first he didn't believe me, but then he saw it and was pissed.

I don't think I will have to worry about him copying anything off a test again. Great teachable moment.