Asked the Grandkids if they still have the pop quiz. All quiz's are given toward the end of the week. Usually on Wednesday. If the class does poorly, they cover the quiz in detail on Thursday and retake it of Friday. No one left behind

Former teacher here.

Pop quizzes really aren’t meant to be used as a grade. They’re usually used by the teacher to gauge where the students are at with the material.

I’d sometimes use a pop quiz to “prove” to my students that they weren’t quite ready for the test yet, but also to give them a taste as to what to expect when the real deal comes.

Pop quizzes are really just practice.

Tests are not all intended to accomplish the same purposes.

A pop quiz can be used to terrorize students into paying attention in class and otherwise keeping current on their studies. The “pop” part emphasizes that test’s unannounced character and the fact that students must be ready at all times to take one. Such quizzes usually cover only a small part of the material presented, such as naming 20 bones out of all the bones in the human body.

Other tests, however, are intended to ensure that the students fully understand the material, and to identify and correct any misunderstandings or gaps in their knowledge.

During one year in high school in the early 1960s, my English teacher required learning to spell a list of new words every week. We were given the list on Monday and first tested on Wednesday. There was a remedial requirement for any words missed on Wednesday and another test was given on Friday that established our grades. The purpose of the process and the test we knew was coming on Wednesday was to ensure we knew how to spell the words, not to “catch” anyone. That process, BTW, was an excellent teaching method that taught me to learn how to spell new words for the rest of my life, not to give me a participation trophy or let me get over on the education system.

Such are the tests I give for the firearms and other classes I present today. There are a limited number of critical points I want students to understand, and so during the instruction I say, “This is on the test; remember it,” and the final review discusses every question on the final. The exam covers the important information, and pointing out the important information ensures that the students learn it.

Such tests can also serve as a record of what information was presented in class for future reference if necessary:
“You never told me not to holster a cocked pistol; that why I shot myself.”
“Yes, I did, and you answered that question correctly on the final exam: see here?”