For five days, starting this Friday, Tyler will take his first standardized test– the CRT’s. I’ve never been a big fan of standardized testing. Especially when I’ve heard kids say they were tested on things they had not been taught yet. I was actually surprised to find out that the kindergarteners are tested. I’m told it’s an oral multiple choice test with two possible answers.
The school has been reminding the parents about the test for the past two weeks. I have talked with Tyler about it but I have tried not to make it a big deal (although it counts for 20% of your grade) because I don’t want to stress him out about it. He’s doing so well in school I feel he will do well on the test. Still I wondered if there was anything I could do to prepare him. The answer came this morning in my e-mail inbox in a newsletter from Family Education. In it they offer 11 tips for preparing your child to take tests (this includes teacher-made tests and standardized tests).
1. To best prepare for a test, study, know the work, and take the right courses.
2. If you find that your child is nervous at test time talk to his/her teacher about tips on how to help your child relax.
3. Make sure that your child is in school and on time during the testing sessions.
4. Make sure you know how your child performs and that you know how to explain the results of the test to them once they become available.
5. Know how the test results will be used and how they will affect your child’s placement in school.
6. If you notice a major difference between standardized test scores and your child’s school grades, investigate the reason why.
7. Have your child study over a period of time rather than cramming the night before the test.
8. Remind your child to listen carefully to all test-taking directions given by the teacher and to ask questions about any directions that are unclear.
9. Make sure your child gets enough sleep the night before the test.
10. Have your child eat breakfast the day of the test because hunger can interfere with test performance.
11. Most importantly, encourage your child to do his/her best.