Word of the day will help your students become experts at using context clues. While this may seem like a silly strategy to spend time on, it is extremely important. And I can’t tell you the number of standardized tests I’ve proctored where I’ve seen students make mistakes bubbling on their answer sheet. I typically suggest students save 30 minutes at the end to review the test.
Remind your child that she has practiced and prepared all year long, and she’s ready for the test. Most students say that they’re more stressed by schoolwork and tests than by anything else in their lives. 16-20% of students have high test anxiety, and another 18% have moderately high test anxiety. Rayma Griffin, MA, MEd has spent 40 years working with children with learning and thinking differences in the classroom and as an administrator. C. Tell your students that you believe in each one of them!
Make sure to also introduce students to the various types of questions they may encounter on a test and how to approach these questions. Students will need ample opportunities for guided practice. This can be done during minilessons or small group instruction. This example is a great resource to share with students as a handout or you can hang up the poster on the classroom wall.
If students are using traditional paper tests with bubbles, they need to know how to correctly fill in the bubble. They need to know how to erase (keeping in mind tip “E” above) and they need to be careful not to get their numbering off track (eeek!). Helps remind students of previously learned concepts. Predict what the answer is BEFORE you read the choices.
“Imagine if you took the SAT but you never did any SAT prep. That could happen to a kid all the time,” says Dr. Cruger. Just knowing the format will help them feel more prepared and take away the shock they might feel when they are handed the test. And if it is possible to take some practice tests, do it.
Likewise, when a student has a limited amount of time to take a test and knows that he processes things slowly, he’s probably going to start feeling anxious. Finally, encourage kids to remember that it’s okay if they don’t know the answer. Sometimes the best way to manage anxiety is to accept when they don’t know something and move on to the next question. Teachers say the students who struggle the most on testing days are the ones who didn’t haveenough sleepor agood breakfastthe day of the test.
If your child has especially bad test anxiety, they may even qualify for accommodations like extra time or taking a break partway through. You may be able to request sample or practice tests from your child’s school or find them at the library. Be sure to time any practice tests so he’s not surprised by time constraints on test day.
The NYU Child Study Center says that excessive reassurance can cause an anxious child to seek to discredit their parent’s opinion. In other words, your child might give into his self doubts as a way of rebelling against your praise. Also, avoid talking about your own experiences with testing when you were a student. wiffle ball strikezone Saying things like “Tests were easy for me” or “I was a horrible test taker” can affect your child’s anxiety level. As with any kind of test, avoid threatening punishment for poor performance so that you can remove the fear factor. For younger grades, I use a fabulous handout from the amazing Vocab Gal.
Tell your students that it is ok to circle, underline, etc to help them find answers. When reading the question, they should circle any key words or action words. This will help them understand exactly what they need to do. Then remind them about the strategies from Text Evidence lessons. If your state doesn’t allow the use of highlighters during the test, then practice underlining important information for questions with a pencil.