Instructional Playbook

Best Practices for Retakes OVERVIEW

Retakes are opportunities provided over time for students to solidify their learning. They involve students receiving feedback, undergoing reteaching, and demonstrating their understanding of the material by attempting an assessment again. Retakes can be applied to any type of student work that is included in the student’s academic grade, including, but not limited to practice work and assessments. RATIONALE The purpose of retakes is to provide additional opportunities for students to demonstrate proficiency of content standards and skills.

Accommodations for Special Populations (ML, SPED, 504)

Expected Best Practice

Outdated Practice

Students have multiple opportunities to demonstrate proficiency.

Students are given only one opportunity to demonstrate proficiency and therefore penalized for their level of language proficiency rather than on the content standards.

Students have multiple opportunities to show mastery or practice work and assessments in various forms.

Students go through an established retake process that is established by the teacher, team, or school prior to retakes. The process includes feedback, additional support, opportunities to improve learning and/or reteach when needed. Students receive opportunities to reflect on their mistakes and learn from feedback, with reteaching sessions incorporated to address gaps in understanding before a retake.

There is no meaningful process in place to provide support and opportunities for the student to learn and demonstrate the skills within the content standards.

Students go through the retake process with appropriate language scaffolds in place prior to and during retakes.

Students retake assessments without any form of reflection or additional instruction, often leading to repeated mistakes and a lack of real improvement.

Students engage in reflection activities with language supports or adapted formats, and receive targeted reteaching sessions tailored to their specific needs and learning styles before attempting a retake.