Submitted by Patricia Oeste, Conway, Arkansas
Idea posted October 9, 2002
Question: What happens when you have a student that is not able to play a song and can't earn a belt?
Answer: I now do testing individually. I used to do it in whole group, but I was worried about that, too. The kids really always understood that some kids could "pass" at a slightly lower level. That wasn't a problem, I think they all thought it was the right thing. However, when I began testing on an individual basis, I developed a rubric, the kid got a score, and they had to have a certain amount of points to pass. The rubric allowed me some playing room so that those that were really trying could still JUST squeak by. The higher kids got higher scores and were proud of it, but the lower kids still passed. With some really low kids, I would meet with them whenever I could, work with them until they "got it" more or less, and test them there, pass them, and move on. BUT, if the students were not trying (RARE) or just generally didn't care one bit and showed it in their playing, they didn't pass until they could come and play it with conviction. Believe me, nobody wanted to stay behind for long. My tests are also not utterly difficult. That is, I test them on the things we have been doing in class. It is a win-win situation.