Standardized Testing Strategies

Below are some testing strategies to help ease your child’s test anxiety and encourage successful testing.
• Encourage your child to have a positive attitude during testing. Engage in positive talk.

• Make sure your child arrives to school on time each morning. Students who arrive after the testing has begun will have to remain in the library and participate in the make –up session on another day. Attendance is crucial. This can determine if we make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) or not. Please, please……..have your child at school on time.

• Make sure your child dresses comfortably. Some testing days will be longer than others. Dress your child in layers in case the testing room is too hot or too cold. I will do everything within my control to make sure the room is comfortable for all of the boys and girls.

• Make sure your child eats a good, balanced breakfast, if you can. PTA will provide a snack for every student.

• Adequate sleep is also necessary for good health. Normal nights of sleep are important while preparing for a test as well as the night before the exam.

• Exercise helps to maintain good health and to release tension. Take your child for a walk the night before the exam.

• Help your child see the test in context. A test is one “snapshot” of the student’s performance on a certain day. Knowing this might help students feel less stress about the test.

• Remember to remind your child to make sure his/her cell phone is turned off and placed in the locker, if applicable. If a cell phone rings during testing, this will be coded as an irregularity. We do not want to jeopardize our AYP status in any way.