As the snow begins to melt and we get closer to spring, baseball season isn’t the only thing that is drawing near. It is also the beginning of standardized testing season, and in the state of Ohio, that means the administration of a variety of tests to students in grades 3-12. As an educator, I see first-hand the stress that standardized testing can put on a child. As a high school teacher, I have seen many students worrying that they would not graduate because they still need to pass one or more sections of the Ohio Graduation Tests. I now see educators and parents worrying about the frequency and difficulty of the new PARCC assessments. As a parent, I worry about how this stress affects students at the elementary level as well. I have seen and heard a lot of discussion about options for opting-out of standardized testing, however the majority of students will still be taking part in testing this year. As an educator and parent, I have come up with a few tips for how we can make standardized testing time a little less stressful for our children.
1. Normal Routines
During standardized testing windows at school, their day will be anything but normal. Try to not let that affect their normal routines at home. It will be nice to home to something they can predict after a day of testing.
2. Focus on Something Fun
Your child may have been seated and testing for hours that day. When then come home, let them burn out that energy in a fun way. Go to the park, play outside, have a dance party…anything that will let them unleash that bottled up energy and forget about testing for awhile. Don’t focus on the testing that occurred that day, or that may be coming the next.
3. Treat Them a Little
Do something a little special for them. Testing is tough, so a little surprise for them when they get home can help them forget about their day. It can be as simple as letting them choose what is for dinner, pick out something from the $1 bins at Target, or decide what the family will watch for movie night.
4. Be Sure They Are Present and Prepared
It is easier to try to help your child forget about testing when they are home with you, but what can you do for them while they are at school? The best thing you can do is try to make sure they are present and prepared. It may seem like a good idea to let them skip a day of testing to stay home and rest, but that day will have to be made up the following week. This becomes more stressful on the child as they are missing out on regular class time, plus it makes the testing continue for them while other students are done. If possible, make sure that they are present during the regular testing window. Also make sure they are prepared with a good breakfast, and pencils if the school doesn’t provide them. This will help your child not have to stress about being prepared, or not having something they think they should have.
5. Encouragement
Do what we parents do best: Encourage your child to do their best. Reassure them that it is OK to not know all of the answers. This is a chance for them to show-off what they know. Focus on that instead of them thinking about focusing on what they think they got wrong. However their day went, focus on the fact that they did their best!
What is the toughest part of testing week for your family?
