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Ready for the Big One? Suggestions for Test Readiness 1. Become familiar with your state’s test You can view sample questions and check out information on student testing in your state in the article "The State of Student Testing". Study the directions of your state test, and help students become familiar with them. The following exercise will train students to read and follow directions. Bring in to class items that require directions, such as board or video games, recipes, and simple models or products requiring assembly. Have students follow the steps and/or explain them orally and in writing. 2. Help parents help Conferences provide good opportunities for teachers to help parents become better coaches. Ask parents about their child’s test experiences and results in recent years. Point out the strengths you’ve observed in the child’s work. Offer ideas to help increase the student’s chances for success. These ideas might include anything from watching educational television programming together to helping the child get adequate rest and nourishment each day (and especially before testing). You may also encourage parents to buy test practice books, logic games and puzzles, or whatever might help with individual needs. Parents of high-school students may need guidance in helping students balance their time between outside activities and homework. Suggest to parents that they read the Family Education Network’s "A Parents' Guide to Standardized Tests" for helpful test-taking strategies. Above all, help parents recognize that their encouragement will do wonders for their child’s self-confidence. 3. When appropriate, teach test-taking techniques Don’t bore students with a lot of test-taking procedures, but when time permits, present them with engaging exercises that develop test skills. For example, you might give lists of word analogy puzzles and reading summary assignments to middle schoolers. Look for trends as students do this work. If particular students have difficulty with logical analysis, provide logic puzzles and worksheets for extra credit homework. Practice does help, but it should not encroach on time spent learning coursework or developing essential critical-thinking skills. 4. Don’t abandon your own standards Keep school, district, state, and national standards in mind, but do your own thing. By providing students with a rich, challenging, well-balanced program, you will help them develop the foundation necessary to succeed at test time. But do it your way by incorporating your personal enthusiasm and creativity so that lessons and learning activities have zest and meaning for both you and your students. 5. Keep cool Lowering the pressure on students and increasing the level of success they experience on a daily basis throughout the year will lead to less anxiety at test time. Calm, well-prepared students should perform better. You can be sure that standardized testing will be a significant part of your teaching life for many years to come. Rather than "sweat" the tests, develop ways to help your students do their best. If you want to improve the testing process, start in your own classroom – the earlier, the better. |
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