COVID – 19 has led schools across the country to quickly revise how they educate students. It has also given school districts and charter schools an opportunity to design innovative solutions for the challenges schools face. As we have modified instruction to support students in a remote setting, so should we modify how we prepare for state testing.
Here are some ideas to consider in assisting your child with an easier test-taking experience:
- Develop a virtual study group with close family friends. These study groups can focus on the practice tests that the state of Nevada has developed to prepare students for success. Additionally, one of the best ways to prepare for standardized assessments is to first understand how the scoring works. There are also state testing tutorials available to give you insight into the types of questions which will be on the exams.
- Create an action plan and set goals. As with anything significant we do, setting goals and putting together an action plan is an essential component of success. Sit with your child and help them plan when they should study and for how long. As your child reaches their goals and follows their action plan, reward them for their efforts.
- Be in the moment. Remind students that it is important to be in the moment during the testing session. Listening to their minds and bodies is just as important as the concentration and focus on the test. Remind students that it is okay to take breaks–get up and stretch. Get a drink of water or take a quick walk down the hall if necessary and with teacher permission. Reminding them that they are in control will give them more control over their mindset and attitude! It can be tough to sit for hours at a time and if their body is telling them to stand and stretch, remind them that it is okay to do that!
- Challenge your child to explain their thinking. The shift in education is not just for your child to be able to memorize and reproduce but to explain their thinking process. When practicing for the test, if your child is stuck or gives you a one word answer quickly, ask them “How do you know that? Why is that? Tell me how you got to that answer.”
- Annotate! When taking the reading exam, students should read the passage with the question in mind and highlight or note key words or details related to the question. Additionally, students should also write down any ideas on the inferences, main idea, theme, and literary features for the passage. To help do this, students can ask themselves, “Who or what is the passage about? What does the author want me to know, think or feel about the subject? What is the moral or lesson of the story? Summarizing the passage is also helpful and could help students think critically about what they read. An easy way to summarize is to have students ask themselves, “If I had to tell someone in one sentence what this passage is about, what would I say?” Students can write a 1-2 sentence summary in their own words, to help them determine answers to these questions and make their annotations more helpful. Remember, these annotations should be not too intensive or overwhelming for time purposes, so keep it simple!
- Identify the Smarty Answer and Prove It! Assessments will generally have three types of options for a student to choose from when taking an assessment. There will always be the Smarty option which is the correct answer. There will be the Trickster option, which is the option that could be correct, but isn’t. The purpose of the Trickster is simply to trick the student. Don’t let that happen! Then, there is the Doofus option which is absolutely the incorrect answer. Have your student work through practice problems, go through each option provided and label each response as the Trickster, Doofus or Smarty. Your student should be able to prove why they labeled each option the way they did. Have them practice stating, “ _________ is correct because _______” or “_______ is incorrect because _________.”
- TRY – Real Success Comes From Doing Your Best! Remind students that trying is the most important thing they can do! Research shows that students who have a growth mindset and are motivated to do well on a test perform better than students who do not care about the test.
If you think you’re beaten,
you are.
If you think you dare not,
You don’t.
If you’d like to win,
But think you can’t,
It’s almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose,
You’ve lost.
For out in the world you’ll find
SUCCESS begins with a person’s will.
It’s all in your state of mind.
-Unknown
- Go Back Through the Text and Reread! When students read a reading passage and try to answer questions regarding the passage, they don’t realize they are able to go back through the passage to find the correct answer. They most definitely are allowed to do this! Please encourage your student to always go back through the text to find the correct answer, even if they are absolutely sure they know the answer. Being able to go back into the text and find the answer is a crucial skill, and is a great way for a student to verify that they are in fact choosing the correct response!
- Encourage testing persistence. The best test-takers are confident. If your child feels overwhelmed about how many questions there are or if they do not know the answer, tell them to keep on trying and moving along. It’s ok to get nervous! Your child can practice a few relaxation techniques such as a deep inhale and exhale, counting to 10, or wiggling their toes or fingers for a second. Then, just keep plugging along!
- Build up reading fluency stamina. Tests can be overwhelming with the amount of content, passages or text students often have to read, even for science and social studies exams. It is important to build reading stamina to help students maintain focus throughout the entire testing session. Practicing fluent reading prior to testing will support your student’s engagement with the passage or text. Ask your child to read a passage or text out loud from beginning to end. You can use a stopwatch to record how long it takes them to read a passage or text without stopping. It’s important to note state tests are usually not timed and students have as much time as necessary. However, having fluency stamina will encourage them to be confident and focused throughout the testing period. You can also practice listening comprehension where you read and your child listens without interruptions, so they can hear someone else.