You’ve already begun preparing for your school’s standardized tests: reviewing student data, obtaining testing materials, discerning any changes, and communicating with consistency. Now, though, that concept that was “looming in the future” is now just weeks away.
The reality of what can be a stressful yet successful time is nearing, so you need to prepare accordingly these last weeks. Let’s look at what you can do now to prepare for the impending exams.
Practice the test material.
It’s obvious and boring, but there’s nothing that prepares students more than practicing the types of test questions they will encounter on the exam. Even though it’s a rare student who gets excited about standardized test practice — especially older students who have been through the process many times — the love that you possess for your subject matter will show your students that the process can be exciting (and at least one person in the room will be raring to go!).
Have students make summaries, flash cards, and “cheat sheets” (calling study guides “cheat sheets” appeals to the rule-breakers in the room) to guide them as they work through test problems. Additionally, don’t view this time as “teaching to the test.” Are you doing that? Yes, but you’re also preparing them for the next level, armed with the knowledge and skills they need for continued success. This is a time when you can really dig into the material, making sense of the cumulative learning they have grasped all year.
By all means, make the learning fun! I have made Kahoots, Jeopardy, and Jenga games with the testing material, and students always love a competition! To lower the stakes, especially for younger students, put them in pairs or small groups to play the games. I have two caveats here:
1. Don’t spend too much time on making the game; use what others have done and tweak. (I don’t know how many times I thought to myself, “I spent hours making this fun for you, and you’re ruining it!” Thought it — didn’t say it out loud.) 2. Make sure the game questions are in the same format — e.g., similar question phrasing, number of answers, types of distractors — as the test itself, if possible.
Prioritize test-taking strategies.
Again, this isn’t novel advice, but it’s important. Familiarize students with the format — even if they think they already know it. Practice pacing and time management, especially for those students who agonize to the point of immobilization. If students who struggle with running out of time have repeatedly practiced in a timed setting, it will make it much easier for them to follow through with time management on testing day.
Go over those “tricks” of test taking: underlining key information, not leaving questions blank, and eliminating obviously wrong answers. A great P.O.E. (process of elimination) strategy is to look for patterns of answers that are similar, asking yourself why the different one is the outlier (usually because it’s the correct answer!). For example, if three sentences are types of run-ons and one isn’t, you have your answer.
Plan for new instruction.
Even after teaching for many years, I was always appalled to realize just how few days I would have to teach new material after standardized testing. Depending on the exam schedule, I might have a couple of weeks. However, for some tests, such as Advanced Placement exams that always take place for two weeks in May, I might only have a day or two.
Be realistic: You don’t want students to think that “school is over” after testing finishes, but it’s probably not the best time to start a unit on beginning algebra or to tackle Hamlet.
Stress the test’s importance.
Standardized tests are far from the most important part of learning, but they are important: to you as a teacher, to your school, and to your students.
Find a unique way to stress the importance of testing to your students so that they can take pride and ownership in their efforts. For younger students, this might be the promise of a small celebration or congratulatory time in the classroom.
For older students, present factual information that will motivate them to try their best. For example, I always let my students know that they needed a minimum score on the ACT subject area tests in order to avoid having to take remedial courses in college to “get them up to speed” (and remedial courses don’t count toward college credit). For my AP students, I researched how much credit certain colleges and universities would give for obtaining high scores on the exam. A good score will allow them to “test out” of college classes, saving them hundreds — usually thousands — of dollars in tuition. Money is a great motivator!
Whatever you do to prepare for standardized exams in the coming weeks, planning is crucial for the success of all parties involved. With a solid plan in place, you can plow through to the finish line of the school year with confidence. Soon, standardized testing will be a memory, a past on which to reflect.