Gamify Your Math Assessments: Yes YOU Can!

This year I have been so disappointed with the math assessments I am asked to give students. I let students use any tool but a calculator on the assessment, yet many do not take me up on my offer. I was not sure if it was the student or the test, but firmly believe it is the poorly written test. Students have struggled with the assessments since September. I have given students two weeks to earn more points as I feel the learning stops once a final score is placed on a paper.

I am able to gain an understanding of student math work through the course of the topic, and during topic 8 students really took off. However, their class test score average was in the 40s. I needed to do something fast as I was uncomfortable sending these scores home to parents. What message does this send to parents? I decided to turn our Thursday math block fixing the assessment into a video game. Inspired by speakers at FETC I realized that using gaming strategies encourage and engage students in activities, meeting them where they are at.

When I announced the day before we would be fixing our math assessment like a video game, the excitement to work on an assessment went through the roof. Students were trying to imagine how this would look. They wanted an avatar and avatar names. I asked them things that are in their video games as students quickly realized I was thinking about “old school” games. I wanted students to be part of the learning experience and work towards understanding math concepts, earning more points and having fun.

Googling Legend of Zelda (as the new version has a lot more in it then my original Nintendo version) I made a chart for students about what things could mean in our game. I thought about items (hearts, wands, a clan, etc.) and how many kids could get throughout the activity. Then I realized items should have a cost. I gave each child a budget of $100 and attached a cost to each item available to purchase. This will help children choose wisely about supports they are able to use along their journey. I thought it would also be important for students to reflect on their thinking process throughout the game, so I made a column for students to share why they chose the item and what happened as a result of their choice.

Students were then asked to reflect on their experience, thinking about the game and their process for a Flipgrid. Students all felt successful using the tools they could purchase. I loved hearing their enthusiasm for retaking a math assessment designed as a video game. I am considering allowing students to take assessments in this manner. Feeling successful builds self confidence in math skills. Instead of feeling torn down about original scores, students were going home and showing off their work with pride. Gaming in education has a place, and I am beginning to see a huge value to it!