Get Ready for Testing
Testing time is here in many US schools. When my kids were young, there was much less emphasis on standardized testing and test results. Now schools devote much of February getting kids prepared for standardized testing that happens in March. In some schools preparation is a review of material they have been learning in the classroom. In others it can mean a whole shift to cover material that they haven’t covered, but will be tested on. 
With all that’s weighing on test results; from teacher pay to school funding, there can be a tendency to stress. Parents may be stressed on what it means for their child. How might their child be ‘labeled’. Teachers can be stressed. School and district administrators are stressed – again because there’s a lot riding on those test scores.
As a parent, grandparent and educator I’m here to say STOP WORRYING. While we want our children to perform well on tests and we don’t want school budgets cut…your children ARE NOT their test scores. Some children test well, some children don’t. And most importantly – your child is perfect the way they are. It would be great to lessen the amount and the stress of standardized testing and evaluate instruction and learning in other ways. But until then remember “not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted” – Albert Einstein.
But for now standardized testing is a reality and as involved parents and teachers we must prepare our students. Over the years I’ve discovered ways to prep children for testing and I’ve made it my mission to share those tips and strategies. By using visual study techniques, writing exercises and even extra-curricular activities, you can help your child feel less stressed, more confident and more successful.
Click here to see some helpful activities and strategies I share for preparing for testing.
And tell me what kinds of things you’re doing at your house, or in your classroom!
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Bette FetterFounder and CEO of Young Rembrandts and Author of Being Visual |
