Google Forms and teachers have a love-hate relationship. For every five teachers you meet who absolutely love using the feature in their classroom, there are five more who can't stand it (and it's not just that they hate the new format). I'm someone who tends to use Forms for the majority of my language arts assessments (with the exception of full length essays and papers). No matter how much we hate it, the shift is moving toward computer-based assessments. And I'm not just talking about PARCC. In college, most of my tests were taken on the computer, including all my PRAXIS certifications. While sitting in the testing center, I came to realize just how many digital tests there were: MCATs, business and and accounting tests, and even mechanic tests. There's even talk of the SATs being held on the computer (Would've loved that 6 years ago. I'm looking at you, writing section.) No matter how you slice it, computer tests are becoming increasingly more popular. Although Forms seems pretty plain, I always try to "dress it up" with different fonts, colors, and themes to make it a little more interesting for the students, which is still way more intriguing than a white-papered multiple choice test. Here's an example of one of my GIF headers on an assessment for 7th grade: Besides the fancy fonts and pictures, Forms actually has strong potential for being vital in assessment differentiation. Even within my resource room I have huge differences in the levels of my students. I wanted a way to give them each exactly what they needed on a test without the obvious "here's-your-modified-test". And that's when I found "Go to Section Based on Answer."
This feature is basically an "if this then that" scenario. In a multiple choice assignment, teachers can link the students to different sections of an assessment based on their answer choice. For example, a student who selects the correct answer moves on to the second question. Then there's the student who chooses the answer that is so far off from the real answer that you're kind of wondering what test they're even taking. That's where this feature comes in handy. For that student, submitting that answer would bring them to a completely different page, whether it's a helpful tip, video reference, or picture/diagram. Students who responded with other answer choices would never see this page. It would only be for students who choose a particular answer. Many people wonder how this is actually "fair." I have students who will select the wrong answer, even if I tell them the answer is D. This modification is for those students. Based on informal assessments, I know what students are severely struggling. For them, I provide the extra reinforcement. It's like me kneeling next to their desk and helping me talk through the problem. Does it always work? No. Sometimes you have your savvy students who realize they'll just click any answer until they move on to the next question. That's why I suggest only linking answers that are so far off that they'll need the extra assistance to even get into the same ballpark as anyone else. I'm thinking about students who select the choice 10,000 when the answer is really 4. Another option would be to assign tests A and B (not totally different than the paper anti-cheating strategies). Post both on Google Classroom (or share to their Gmail) and tell them which letter they are to take. Sure, they always have the temptation to look at the other test, but I always make the first page of the Form the "Last Name, First Name" question so it doesn't look any different. Plus, I always tell my students that I'll "know" when they are in the wrong test and I consider it cheating. Then some students get the standard assessment while the others get the modifications they need. Other than that, there are other differentiation capabilities with Google Forms that fall beyond the realm of assessment. I use the "Go to Section Based on Answer" for projects. I'm a choice-board advocate and love giving my students the chance to feel like they have a say in their learning. So, I upload the choice board to the front page of the assessment, then have the students select what project they want from the multiple choice list. Submitting that answer will send them to a page with different directions, requirements, and resources for that project only, so they will not have to see everyone else's. I also use it for selecting which open-ended question the students would like to answer, that way they're directed to a page with just their question. It just makes it a little easier to focus on the question. I feel like there are so many different possibilities with using the "Go to Section Based on Answer" function on Forms and it adds a whole new level to student assessment. If you have any ways that you use/think would be good to use in the classroom, tell us below! Here's the link to the step-by-step presentation I did for the staff at my school to help them create their own assessments using "Go to Section". I generalized it, but the process is the same. If you have any questions, ask away!
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December 2017
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