Testing

Post 147

Testing in the primary grades? Is that even a thing? Yes. It is. Children in Kindergarten are taught how to “bubble”. And how to only bubble in one circle per line. (I have had students who want to fill them all in. They feel sorry for the “ones left out”. Lol.) There’s a joke that Kindergarten children should only have to deal with the kind of bubbles that come in jars. I have to say I agree with that!

There are different kinds of testing in school. Teacher-made tests which are those your child’s teacher and/or those on the grade level have designed to see how student learning is going. There may be evaluations that the district has implemented based on state standards and/or the companies that provide their curriculum. Most teachers use the results to “drive their teaching”. They help show where students are weak or strong. (There’s a saying that when one student does poorly on a test, it’s the student’s fault but when a class does poorly, it’s the teacher’s fault.) Most teachers on the PreK, Kindergarten, and First Grade levels know their students well and base their grading for report cards on classroom evaluations.

Then there is standardized testing. Lots of schools use some variation of it. They need to provide scores to the state for different reasons. Most of these tests are timed. Teachers try to make them as unintimidating as possible for their students but children can tell this is something different than usual.

At this age there are so many factors that can throw off scores…where the test is given, how much time is allowed for each response, if it is a one on one or a whole class situation, time of day, etc. (I had one little girl, a really great student, who kept daydreaming looking out the window because it was Springtime. I’m sure her grade didn’t reflect her abilities!)

The point is if your child gets a grade on his/her report card or on a standardized test printout that you are concerned about, first contact his/her teacher for clarification. If it is the first timed test your little one has taken, there are a lot of factors that are in play besides what your child has learned. Definitely see if there are things you can do to reinforce your son/daughter’s learning but don’t get overly concerned. Most likely as your child gets used to taking those tests his/her scores will improve. And some children are simply not test takers. Their scores on tests are not a reflection of their intelligence or what they have learned. If the testing is teacher-made, again, ask. If there is an educational problem, better to catch it now and correct it rather than let it go until half the school year is over.

Testing is not nor should be the main focus of your child’s school year. Acclimation to school, social skills, and emotional growth are just as important as grades. And the important grades should be the ones that are based on classroom performance.

Take Care. 😀

Testing

Post 69

Somewhere in the last month or coming up shortly, your child’s teacher will probably be doing some baseline testing. That means trying to find out where each student in the class is academically. It’s not a reflection on your child, just a way for the teacher to know where to start with each one and the class as a whole in reading, etc.

But what if your child’s teacher mentions something to you that has come up in the course of the testing? If it’s academic, such as, “Your son/daughter doesn’t know the difference between letters and numbers. Maybe you could reinforce it by….”, follow the suggestion. That’s pretty obvious. But what if it is a little more vague? A comment such as, “I noticed your son/daughter couldn’t sit still long enough to complete the page in one sitting”. That can be upsetting and lead you to start worrying about hyperactivity, focusing problems, etc. What should you do, if anything?

First of all, think about your child at home. Can he/she focus on a project  or story and stay in one place long enough to complete it? Remember, that length of time varies with age. Maybe a 4 year old has only a 10 minute attention span where a Kindergartener should be able to sit for 15 minutes at this time of year. (It increases as the year goes on.)

The other thing I would strongly encourage you to do is to talk to your child’s teacher. So many parents are afraid to be “that parent” and bother the teacher, especially at the beginning of the school year. No teacher ever minds talking to a parent who is concerned about his/her child. That’s what we are here for! Also, remember, as an educator, we are obligated to let parents know anything we may observe in a student that could affect his/her academically. Before you get overly worried, find out if this seemed serious or if it was just something that occurred during the testing situation and is no big deal. That way you can either catch a possible problem early or relax and realize all is well. Either way, find out exactly what was observed before you react.

In the end, you know your child the best. If a comment seems strange, ask! There’s no point in worrying or waiting until conferences to find out what’s going on. Better to straighten it out now.

 For more on this topic, please refer to Post #27 (Fear of Testing). I would also recommend reading Post #6 (Regression). It doesn’t deal with today’s topic but is very applicable to children in Preschool, Kindergarten, and First Grade at this time of year.

Take Care.  🙂

 

Studying 3

Post 32

Let’s finish up this studying theory by looking at content area tests. That includes subjects such as Social Studies, Science, Theology, etc. I realize each has fundamental differences but the approach can be the same.

In most textbooks, definitions of importance (or at least the word) are highlighted by bold type. Have your child go through the chapter the test is on and either highlight or make flash cards (invaluable!) of those definitions. A lot of the test is usually giving the definition or being able to identify the word from the definition. Then have your child go over the chapter review questions. They’re there for a reason. They are the main concepts of the chapter. Somehow most of them will be on the test…either as multiple choice, written answers, etc. Help your child to understand these concepts rather than purely memorize them. Finally, and maybe most importantly so it should be done first, ask your child what the teacher has emphasized in class. Chances are, if it was important enough to spend time on in school, it’ll be on the test. Yes, I know most children will say ,”I don’t remember”. LOL. That’s normal. But it will come out as your child is going over the material. Usually it’s, “Oh yeah. I remember this. I didn’t quite understand what she was talking about.” Something like that!

A couple of test taking hints…… most importantly, usually teachers will go over what is on the test in some form or other the day before . Tell you child to PAY ATTENTION in class that day and to take notes on what is covered if he or she can.                 Encourage your child to give a partial answer to any question on the test he/she isn’t sure of. Believe it or not, teachers are not out to “get” students. We want them to do well! And your child may get some credit for a good guess. (Frequently he/she may know more than he/she thinks he/she does.) No credit can be given to a blank! Also, encourage your child to ask a question if he/she doesn’t understand how to do a part of the test. Obviously, a teacher is not going to give him/her the answer but will certainly guide a student on what is being asked. Next remind your child to check over the test at the end. That’s to find mistakes and also answers to an unknown question may be further on the test worded differently. That happens a lot. Finally, for you,….once a child has taken a test in a subject with a specific teacher, you have an idea of the format of future tests. Some educators like multiple choice, matching tests. Others emphasize essay questions. Most do a combination. But you can get a feel for what type of question will be asked and guide your child to study appropriately. That saves a lot of time when preparing for tests. So keep those back tests that you’ve signed so you can refer to them for how a test will be written.

Help your child to make up a study sheet that he/she can go over the morning of or right before a test, if possible. This can be as simple as 10 top words from the chapter, an outline of key points, etc. I find it invaluable in getting a student’s mind back into the content being tested. This will help eliminate knowing the material the night before and then blanking on a test. Think of it in the context of an athlete warming up before a competition. Your child is “warming up” his/ her brain for the test!  🙂

Good luck! I hope some of these tips help make study time a little easier and more productive!

Take Care.  🙂

Studying 2

Post 31

This week I’d like to again look at studying for tests. As mentioned last week, the key is to break the test preparation into manageable chunks that can be done over a series of nights. I would also recommend having your child do it first when he/she sits down. Most children feel that their nightly work is over their heads and they want to do that first. The trouble is by the time they get around to studying for a test then, they are so tired that they lose concentration and get frustrated more easily. I find if a child does any kind of studying first on a nightly basis, homework is easier. He/she is able to retain information quicker and then move on to the written work which is usually easier to do independently or with less guidance. Just a tip I’ve found that works for homework success (and less battles!)

OK, so let’s look at Math tests. I’m guessing that the Math your child is learning in school isn’t done the way you  learned it! And with the emphasis on including ELA in Math (word problems and explaining how the answer was gotten), it can seem as if your child is learning a foreign language…one that you’ve never even heard of! But, don’t despair! Even if you don’t do the calculations the way your child does, the actual Math is still the same. At the very least, you can work the problems “your way” and check if your child is getting the right answers. I’ve also found that by taking the time to read the examples in the Math book, you can work backwards from the answer and figure out the way your child is being taught. (I recently had a mom say to me,”You mean you’re not perfect? You don’t remember everything and know how to do everything?” LOL…uh, no. I’ve worked with all different grades in all different subjects. I couldn’t begin to know how to do everything.) Have your child do another part of his/her homework while you look over the Math.  Usually things are explained in 1-2 pages so it’s not that much. I often substitute easy numbers for the problems that are worked out in the examples to make sure I am doing it right. Then go over the type of calculation with your child. Again, change the numbers to easy ones to make sure he/she can do it. Math builds upon itself so if your child misses something, it’s important he/she goes back and understands it or he/she can get really lost.

When studying for a test, make your child up a practice one. Include the different types of calculations that will be on the teacher’s test. Again, make life easy for yourself and use the examples that are explained in the book, changing the numbers. Then have your child “take” it and see how he/she does. This way makes it very easy to see exactly what your child doesn’t understand so you can go over it with him/her. It also gives your child practice in a test taking situation.

I know this may seem like a lot of work on your part. It can take a bit of time. But if you stay on top of your child’s Math on a nightly basis, the night before a test will go much smoother. Also, look at it as an investment in your child’s academic success. And if he/she has younger siblings, think how easy it will be to check their Math if you already know how to do it! 🙂 If your child is a whiz in Math, terrific! Just make up the practice test and watch him/her race through it. Oh, and be sure to tell your child to CHECK his/her work at the end of a Math test if time permits, no matter how good he/she is in Math. We all make careless mistakes!

Good luck! Remember, you are your child’s best supporter. You can do this and so can he/she!

Any thoughts or comments? Please post below.

Fear of Testing

Post 27

Fear of testing….there are two kinds…..the first is your child’s where he/she is afraid of taking tests in school. That doesn’t really happen much in Kindergarten. Most teachers make any tests the children take at this age as non-threatening as possible. And usually they are teacher administered such as reading level checks, math quizzes, etc. But even Kindergarteners have to learn to “bubble” in preparation for standardized testing later on. (Don’t get me started on this! Have you seen the cartoon that says 5 year olds should be playing with bubbles not learning how to fill them in?!?! )

And then there is the other fear of testing….yours when a teacher or psychologist or someone else in the school community suggests that maybe your child should be “tested”. That’s a tough one.To you, deep down, your chid is perfect. You know his/her faults superficially but, really, he/she is perfect. And that’s as it should be. If you don’t believe in your child, who will? So, there is usually a knee-jerk negative response when someone, anyone suggests that maybe there is something “wrong” with your child.

First off, don’t look at it as something being “wrong”. Think of it more as a way to help your child be better in school. No, those two thoughts are not the same. Why is it being suggested to test your child? Probably it’s either for academic or attention concerns or a combination of the two. Think about it. If your child had a physical illness, you would want a doctor to find out what was wrong and treat it. You would expect some sort of medicine. No problem. So, if your child needs help in school, why not diagnose and treat it? Why do we get so concerned about school testing? Because someone is suggesting your child is less than “perfect”. We expect children to get physically ill from time to time but don’t expect them to need “doctoring” for school related problems. Testing is just a way to diagnose what, if anything, is going on with your child, and trying to come up with ways to help him/her reach his/her full potential academically. After all, that’s what schools are there for….to provide academic learning of children!

So, please, if you are approached to allow your child to be tested, go for it! Understand that it is being suggested in your child’s best interest. “They” are just trying to help your child do his/her best. Pay close attention to the results and remember, you are your child’s best advocate. Together, you and your child’s teacher can use the information to make school a fun and intellectually stimulating place for your child to spend the day!

As always, comments are welcome!