Supporting Standardized Testing
Articles for teachers:
- Seven Ways to Survive Testing Season
- How to Stay Sane During Standardized Testing Time - six tips to manage your own emotions and support students.
- Step One: Build community.
- Step Two: Get informed.
- Step Three: Take action.
- Step Four: Take care of your students.
- Step Five: Tell your own story.
- The Final Step: Celebrate!
Articles for supporting students:
2. Helping Students Understand Standardized Tests
Excerpt below...
- Discuss with the class why the tests are called ‘standardized’ (it’s similar to standardized measurement units—everyone uses the same tools so it’s easy to make fair comparisons).
- Practice assessing anonymous work samples as a class.
- When you do give test-prep work, approach the whole thing nonchalantly and build up students’ confidence.
- The importance of pep talks (especially individual ones).
2. Helping Students Understand Standardized Tests
Excerpt below...
- I use a simple explanation of the triune brain theory: I explain to students that the brain has three parts -- knowledge, regulations, and emotions. We want our brains to stay in the knowledge part, so we can learn more or so we can access information for a test. However, if we are hungry, thirsty, sleepy, or have to go to the bathroom, our brains "downshift" and we can think only about being hungry, thirsty, tired, and so on. If we are angry, frustrated, excited, or sad, our brains "downshift" and we can think only about how angry, sad, or frustrated we are. Our brains are not able to think clearly, because the focus is somewhere else. Then we talk about different ways we can overcome those problems in the classroom -- especially what to do before a test to help our brains get ready for it.