Followup on Test Reflection

In my last post I mentioned the test reflection sheet that I would give to my World Civ students. Yesterday I actually did so, and today I looked at all of their responses. Here is what I learned:
1. Most of them did not complete all of the study guide questions, while there were some who either merely looked at them or did not use them at all. They seem to be more aware of the value of answering the questions than they were before.
2. Most of them used the study guide the last few days before the test, rather than filling it out throughout the unit. This is not a surprise, but again, I think they are more aware of the value of the latter approach.
3. Many of them admitted that their answers to the study guide questions did not have enough detail.
4. Most admitted they did not prepare adequately for the essay, whether or not they actually used the essay preparation worksheet.
5. Of the students who did well (A's or B's), most of them studied the way I suggested, though there were a few who apparently did not need to study this way (to me, this means they learned as they went along without the study guide - certainly a good thing!).
There were some students who either gave conflicting answers or skipped some sections; I plan on giving these back for them to fix.
The students did a great job of focusing on what THEY needed to do, rather than blaming me. There was one student, however, who said she would do nothing different in preparing for the essay, since I graded hers unfairly (hers was longer than some others that got slightly higher grades). I hope she decides that she would be better off changing things than blaming me.
Again, while much of what I learned from this was predictable, I think the process was very valuable for my students. I am confident that many of them will change their study habits because of this.

Test Reflection for Students

Yesterday I gave my first test of the year in World Civilizations. While some students performed well, many did not. In the past, I would have lectured them about actually following the study suggestions I have been giving them all along, but this semester I am going to try something different. I will give each student a sheet they need to fill out that looks like the following:

My grade on the multiple choice for this test was _____/50.
I am (check one):
_____pleased with how I did.
_____disappointed with how I did.
How did I prepare for this test? (check all that apply)
_____I wrote down every answer to the study guide questions.
_____I wrote down some of the answers to the study guide questions.
_____I looked at the study guide questions.
_____I did not use the study guide questions.
_____I asked for help when I could not find answers to questions.
_____I reviewed my answers frequently.
_____I attempted to answer the study guide questions throughout the unit, rather than all at the end.
_____I attempted to answer the study guide questions the last few days before the test.
_____My answers to the study guide questions contained lots of details.
_____My answers to the study guide questions usually contained one detail at most.
What will I do differently next time? (be specific, using ideas from above)

My grade on the essay for this test was _____/30.
I am (check one):
_____pleased with how I did.
_____disappointed with how I did.
How did I prepare for this essay? (check all that apply)
_____I filled out the essay preparation worksheet.
_____I wrote a rough draft of my essay.
_____I discussed my essay with Mr. Hess.
_____I did not use the essay preparation worksheet.
What will I do differently next time? (be specific, using ideas from above)

I tried to avoid giving students the opportunity to place the blame on me ("the test was too hard," etc.). I will collect this, but I am mostly concerned with the process of filling it out, which I hope will make students re-examine what they did (if anything) to prepare.