By Sally Squires
Why All the Tests Now?
The letter arrived without warning from our son's
school. Inside were scores from an achievement test that neither
my husband nor I knew Colin, a third-grader at the time, had taken.
Fortunately, his results were good, but it upset us that our child
had been given a major test without our knowledge and that the marks
would go on his school record. Even more maddening, when we requested
a conference with the head of the school to discuss his scores, she
sheepishly admitted that she didn't fully understand them herself.
Welcome to the brave new world of educational
tests. Whether your child goes to public or private school, these
exams are now part of life.
Of course, this is not the first generation
of Americans to undergo this type of testing. The difference these
days is that the scores carry so much more weight. In 1994, Congress
reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which ties
federal funding to testing. So school budgets and teachers' salaries
are becoming more dependent on standardized-test results in a growing
number of school districts. This puts students under tremendous pressure
to perform well in the core subjects: math, science, language skills,
and social studies. Poor scores can mean summer school, being held
back a grade, or even not graduating — leading to anxious
kids, overwrought parents, and overburdened teachers.
On the positive
side, testing is supposed to measure how well schools, teachers,
and, by comparison, school districts are doing. In short, it's a
system-wide report card. Standardized tests can also serve as a reality
check — and a motivator — prompting
students who might otherwise goof off to spend more time on studies. "These
days, a lot of kids rush through homework so they can send instant
messages, call friends, and watch TV," says Mel Levine, M.D.,
a pediatrician and author of Keeping a Head in School.
"Over the years, these tests have provided good quantitative information
about students," notes Patti Harrison, Ph.D., professor of school psychology
at the University of Alabama. That said, the biggest beef many educators, parents,
and politicians have is the amount of class time allocated to test preparation,
and the resulting pressure-cooker atmosphere. In Fairfax County, VA, one elementary
school devoted an entire quarter to teaching only social studies to fourth-graders
to get them ready for the state achievement test. That left the last four weeks
of the school year to catch up on the other subjects.
In Washington, DC, an elementary school sent packets of practice
tests home before spring break, so parents and kids could prepare
for the exams. And a Baton Rouge, LA, school posted a "countdown
to test day" notice board.
Not surprisingly, some parents are
drawing the line. In a Scarsdale, NY, school, nearly 70 percent of
290 eighth-graders — encouraged
by their parents — refused to take a standardized test,
a protest against what their moms and dads called a test-prep culture
that fosters rigid instruction.
Many educators bristle at the trend
as well. In Harwich, MA, eighth-grade teacher James Bougas has been
reprimanded once and suspended twice without pay for refusing to
give the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test for the
past three years. "I'm not opposed
to standardized testing," says Bougas, who has taught middle-school
history for 29 years. "But when they attach such high stakes,
it is punitive to students. It forces you to teach to the test and
trivializes teaching."
Sally Squires is a staff writer for The
Washington Post and
covers family issues for national magazines.
Should You Share a Test Score?
Do let your kid know how he did, says Ruth Peters, Ph.D., author
of Overcoming Underachieving. Whether he excels or misses
the mark, use this advice from Peters.
· Keep your disappointment — or elation — in
check. A student with a low score will feel worse if you're
glum; one with a high score may feel he has too much to live up to
if you're over-the-top excited.
· Avoid focusing on numbers. Give
your child the ranges in which his scores fall: above average, average,
needs work. For a struggling kid, find a positive focus. Say, "You're weak in math now,
but stronger in word comprehension — probably because you did a
lot of reading recently." For a student who did well, don't rave that
he's "a genius." Instead, you might note how the extra time he put
into the practice test paid off: "Your commitment to your studies shows." The
trick is to praise the effort.
· Nix negative words. If
a kid says he's "an
idiot," be adamant that such terms are unacceptable.
· Empathize. If
his scores are low, say, "It's
okay to be upset. Some of your classmates probably feel the same way."
— Kathleen Jacobs
How to Calm a Nervous Test Taker
Does your child feel stomach butterflies long before exam day? And
does anxiety cause him to test below his abilities? Douglas Reeves,
Ph.D., author of The 20-Minute Learning Connection and president
of the Center for Performance Assessment in Denver, offers these
tips to put a jittery kid at ease.
Downplay the test. Instead of
referring to it as D day, a problem, or a hurdle, talk about the
test casually, perhaps during dinner or while driving in the car.
Ask how he feels; it can be soothing just to have someone listen
to his fears without judgment.
Understand that a child's biggest test anxiety is usually
that he'll disappoint his parents. So relax your youngster
by reassuring him, "I'll always love you — no
matter how you do."
Play the what-if game. Encourage
him to verbalize a worst-case scenario; doing so will let him put
his fears into words and gain a more realistic outlook. Ask, "What if you
took a test and didn't know anything?"
Monitor your mouth. If you fret
about the exam, so will your child. Stay away from grown-up words
like "stress" and "anxiety," which
can press a youngster's panic button.
Don't dismiss the test. The opposite
extreme — saying, "The
test doesn't mean anything" — won't relieve nervousness
either. A kid will become confused, especially if the school
places a lot of emphasis on doing well. What if you're adamantly
opposed to standardized testing? Say, "I don't think this
exam is perfect, but you must still make the effort."
Build familiarity. Your child
can't do his best if he doesn't know the test's ground rules.
Turn the tables by having your child create a practice
test. After he reads a short story, your kid can dictate
questions about it; you type them up. Seem silly? In fact, this
builds critical-thinking skills, forcing him to work through
the logic behind multiple-choice questions.
Learn relaxation exercises. Read Ready...Set...
R.E.L.A.X., by Jeffrey S. Allen ($24, Inner Coaching), which
shows kids how to use visualization and breathing techniques
to overcome difficult situations.
Teach optimism. Your child needs
to know he can bounce back (even during an exam). Use a mantra, like: "It's
okay not to know every answer. The school just wants to know
how I'm doing."
— Kathleen Jacobs
What Helps Test Scores: 6 Key Steps
If you want your child to perform as well as possible — to
get into a special program or school, for instance — follow
these recommendations from Bruce Bracken, Ph.D., president-elect
of the International Testing Commission.
Don't wait until the last minute
to check your kid's academic progress. And refrain from telling her
to just study more. This will only make her anxious.
Do meet with or phone her teacher
a couple of months before the exam to assess what help your child
needs. Ask: Which subject is most difficult for her? Does she get
nervous taking tests? Does she have trouble finishing timed assignments
in class? How does her work compare with classmates'? What is
the date and time of the test? What is at stake for my youngster?
Also, request the testing company's address, phone number, and
website; most firms will provide parents with more info.
Don't go workbook crazy, which
can turn kids off to learning. Bookstores carry a wide range of study
materials, but just because your child is having a third-grade math-standards
test doesn't mean the appropriate material is available in the
third-grade workbooks at your store.
Do select one CD-ROM or workbook
that specifically ties into the upcoming exam and is recommended
by your school's learning specialist. And use the web as a resource
for practice questions. For example, the Learning Pod (http://familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,2-21889,00.html)
offers test tips, interactive tutorials — which track
your kid's progress over time — and the lowdown on
specific states' standards.
Don't assume that hiring a tutor
is necessarily an overreaction to an upcoming exam. Consider help
if your child is falling behind. Your principal or school learning
specialist should be able to provide individual contacts. Tutoring
centers like Sylvan (www.educate.com) and Score! (www.escore.com)
also can zero in on your kid's academic weaknesses.
Do speak up if your child has
a learning disability, such as dyslexia, or other special need. Request,
in writing, to the teacher and principal that accommodations be made
for her. For example, a kid with a reading difficulty will often
be given extra test time.
— Marli Guzzetta
Learn More About Testing
www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed429987.html lists
common mistakes students make and offers test-taking tips.
http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard compares
test results by state and includes exam questions.
www.fairtest.org is the home
page of an advocacy group working to end the flaws of standardized
testing and to ensure fair evaluations of kids.
Testing! Testing! What Every Parent
Should Know About School Tests, by W. James Popham,
Ed.D. ($19, Allyn & Bacon),
explains what these exams can and can't do.
— Sally
Squires
Family Life Magazine, November 2001 |