Just how C is my I?

This past week marks the first time that I have actually given my students a standardized test. It is the first time that I find out “Just how Comprehensible is my Input”.  I made two tests, one for the two high level classes (A & B classes) and one for the two low level classes (C & D classes).  I made two review sheets and I had a review class and a test class this week.  The C & D classes both had an additional class this week, as a makeup class.  This was a short week because of the Wednesday holiday, so I used this makeup class as a poster making project class, focusing on the material that we had learned in class.  In this way, the students are focused on the TLC but in a more relaxed setting.  

For the C & D classes, the 2^nd page of my review sheet was the actual test.  I gave them a 3 column box of Prefixes, Root Words, and Suffixes.  There task was to choose one of each, put them all together to make a new word (it could be a nonsensical word) and then explain its meaning to me in a sentence.  I wanted to test their comprehension of the bound morphemes that I had been teaching them.  The other question on the 2^nd page was to write a sentence telling me about “planaria” or flatworms that they had studied in their Korean Science class. In class they were very verbal and had many things to tell me about planaria and I thought that this would be a great opportunity to practice their writing skills.  This was a somewhat difficult task for some of my D class students (one girl was in tears at her poor result).  I needed to challenge my C students more, for example “Write 3 sentences telling me about planaria”.  I did tell them before the test that I would be testing them on Capital Letters, Periods, Spelling and Grammar. I wrote “C P S G” on the board before the test and asked my students what that meant and they all knew.

From the tests that I have marked so far, their grammar is pretty bad across the board. Even when the students are given the correct grammar form in the question they will change it to the incorrect form in their answer.  

For example:

“Bacteria are found just about everywhere. They can live in foods, on tables and inside our bodies.”   

Question: Where does bacteria live?

Answer: The bacteria can live in foods, on tables and inside our bodies.

So just how C is my I?  One of my D students asked me during the test asked me “What is planaria?”

His test answer was “I think it is a plant.” This was great grammar, but a completely wrong answer.  This student is active in class discussions, and I had given him this exact question on his review sheet. In my defense, his entire class was disgusted at him for not knowing what planaria was.  After chunking and rephrasing and using visuals and checking comprehension, my question is just how responsible is the teacher for the student who does not study? 

My students did well for the most part, but is that a mark of how good my MIC is or is that a measure of how easy I made the tests?  This test was definitely a learning experience for me.  What did I learn:

1: Put one class name on each test, do not combine the names on the test (eg Class A & B) because the students tell each other the answers.

2. Make the C level test more difficult than the D level test.

3. Focus on correcting grammar form in class