How Much Information Is Too Much?

We're getting near the end of the term, and there's a characteristic increase in the rate of reassessments. Some of this is just natural: there are more standards in play, and the standards introduced later in the term all must be reassessed in a shorter window than the earlier terms. Also, those standards are assessed fewer times by me, so some students that might've worked it out on another in-class assessment need to do it individually. Of course, there are also students putting things off until later in the term. Some of that, though, is also benign - there are a lot of papers/tests/projects/reports/HW due (with a capital 'D') in other classes, so, if they can still demonstrate that proficiency, but later in the term, that's just a good time-management decision. There will always be some students that procrastinate, too.

Here's a question that I've fielded a good number of times over the past three years that I've been using SBG: "will this standard be on a future assessment this term?" I've never quite known what to think about that. Several possible scenarios come to mind, some troubling and others perfectly reasonable:

• The scariest interpretation: "Can I just ignore this now?"
• "Should I bother to reassess this individually, or will it happen anyway without me scheduling and taking an individual reassessment?"
• Another cynical one: "At what point should I actually try to learn this?" 
• "I'd like to plan my limited number of reassessment days (remember that we're within a couple of weeks of the end of the term, and they can only reassess one std/day, only on M, W, F) - do I need to use those for a different standard, and pick this one up on one of yours?"

Much like Star Trek movies, two and four are good and one and three aren't. I might be overly optimistic, but I think that, for most of the kids that have asked me (thinking of the individual kids that have asked me), it really isn't a diabolical or cynical question, but one about time management.

I'd like to hear your thoughts: how much information should students have about upcoming assessments? I sometimes list the standards that will be the primary focus (no promises about anything else that might come along with those) on the calendar. Is that beneficial for time-strapped students trying to best plan how to demonstrate as many proficiencies as possible or does it support mercenary rating-collectors (points-collectors for a new age)?