Test Prep

Still to this day, the words #2 pencil, scantron, standardized testing, multiple choice, short answer questions make me cringe and recall those torturous days of testing during my adolescent years. Day in and day out, teachers were and still are devoted in preparing their students to succeed by improving their test taking skills. Standardized tests are used to measure students’ academic performance indicating where students would be placed in the upcoming school year and which students would need additional help outside the classroom. Nowadays due to the budget cuts, our children’s test scores decide which schools are sufficient enough to stay open. Unfortunately, standardized testing is not the most effective way to test today’s students. It does not actually reveal the child’s understanding of a topic, it just establishes how well he/she does on a generic test. Students become frustrated and nervous upon taking these exams and do not perform on their optimal level.

Although a nuisance to teachers, parents and students, these standardized tests are here to stay. Let’s make the best of it and help our children do the best they can.

Test day is as stressful to parents as it is for students. Parents can prepare themselves and help guide their child in the right direction using Kaplan’s Parent’s Guide to the New York State 4th Grade Tests, Second Edition. Using the tools provided in this book can benefit your child’s test score. It is proven when the parent sits down with the student and explains what will be on the test, the student experiences a confidence boost.

There is only so much a child can learn through test prepping such as test taking skills and time management skills. Their knowledge of a subject should be learned on a day to day basis. “Test prepping gives student confidence in acing their exams,” says a New York City Public School 4th Grade teacher. “I encourage test prep inside and outside the classroom. I highly recommend Spectrum Test Prep. It is a practice and review book for Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science providing students with practice tests, answer keys and important skills needed to do well on an exam. Each topic is divided into section allowing students to focus on a certain area.” There are multiple choice questions, short answers as well as charts to see how one had progressed.

Another test prep book I came across was Flash Forward Test Prep Grade 4. It is a very colorful book with multiple choice answer questions, which captured my eye and can help students stay engaged. Unit 1 is the English Language focusing on reading and written and oral language conventions to develop comprehension skills. Unit 2 focuses on Math reviewing number sense, algebra and functions, measurement and geometry, mathematical reasoning etc. to excel in problem solving. After each section is a test reiterating what students learned in previous sections.

Children who need more help outside the classroom, I extremely recommend Kaplan’s Test Prep and Admission courses. They can be quite pricey but money worth spending. They offer private tutoring as well as high school admissions test prep, regent reviews, SAT prep classes and so much more. (http://www.kaptest.com/)

Prepare your child for all tests, even if it is a spelling test. They will fill more confident and ace the exam.