Dawn,
You have a very good understanding of how you can help students manage class behavior. The rules are their rules so they will have value to them and their expectations will be that everyone will follow them.
The pretest gives you information about your students and the experiences they are bringing to class as well as helping them become familiar with how you construct your tests. This is a win win for everyone. I wish you success using the pretest format. I think you are going to like the results you get.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
