Standardized Test Scores

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Permalink Reply by Michelle TeGrootenhuis on August 5, 2010 at 3:15pm

Liza,
I feel your pain! I think most of us have had similar results at least once in our careers! If not for the whole class, at least for a few kiddos. It's so hard not to take those scores personally. Try turning any emotion over it into a determination to help your kids improve next year.

Because of the need to increase scores from year to year, I now implement a "test prep" unit for the 2-3 weeks before our testing. We practice filling in bubbles, talk about tips and tricks to taking tests, and discuss how to have a happy "medium" between knowing the tests are important & doing our best, but not letting them stress us out. I open the unit with a pretty silly powerpoint where I pull out my cell phone, tell the kids that I made some phone calls the night before, and then show them slides of tips & tricks from all of the famous people I "called" the night before including the President, Jonas Bros, Gary Paulsen, etc. Each slide has a photo of the famous person and a tip for taking the tests. I also have including some silly slides like a picture of the "Bachelor" asking for roses and Miley Cyrus asking for a ride to her concert. My 5th graders love it and ask to see it several times throughout the unit.

I'll be interested to see what other replies you get on this topic. Hopefully you'll get some good advice! :-)

-MIchelle TG

Permalink Reply by Katie Muhtaris on January 22, 2011 at 8:30am

I agree with Liza about teaching it as a genre.  My students are so amazing at so many skills.  I literally have to go back and teach them the "basic" stuff so that they can succeed on the test.  There is also something to be said for being familiar with the test.  Little things like a vocabulary word can throw them off.  See if you can find a list of commonly used vocabulary on your state test and infuse it into your daily instruction.  If I say "big idea" and the test says "main idea" several students won't instinctively know it's the same thing.