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Making the Most of Standardized Tests

Improving Test Scores

Making the Most of Standardized Tests Odds are your child will have to take at least one standardized test each academic year and, considering the bills in the U.S. Congress, standardized tests will become high-stakes tests. A high-stakes test is a standardized test tied to a major education decision, such as whether a student will advance to the next grade, enter a preferred program, or receive a high school diploma. High-stakes tests could also be tied to district or school funding, and teachers' and administrators' salaries.

Whether or not you find a particular standardized test appropriate, your child still needs to perform at his or her best. Consider the following test-taking suggestions from the U.S. Department of Education's Educational Resources Information Center on Assessment and Evaluation:

• Talk to your child's teacher often to monitor his or her progress and to find out what activities you can do at home that may help your child's test performance.
  
• Be aware of your child's test performance and be sure that you can interpret the results when they become available.
  
• Make sure your child is well-rested and eats a well-rounded diet.
  
• Encourage your child to listen carefully to test-taking directions and ask questions about any instructions that are unclear.
  
• Don't be overly anxious about test scores, but encourage your child to take tests seriously.
  
• Tell your child that the best way to prepare for tests -- whether they're teacher-made or standardized -- is to study and know the subjects.

Questions to Ask the School In his book, Choosing Excellence, John Merrow recommends that parents play a vital role in the testing debate by learning about testing policies and voicing their concerns. Ask your child's school:

• How many machine-scored, multiple-choice tests will my child take each year? Who mandates them? Are these high-stakes? If so, what is at stake?
  
• Do the results have an impact on specific children, or is it the school that is being measured and rated?
  
• How much time is devoted to test preparation and practice? How much money is the district spending on outside testing?
  
• Does the school share the results with students, parents, and the community?
  
• What are the district, the school, and individual teachers not doing because of these tests?
  
• How does a particular test influence the curriculum?
  
• What are academic standards for each grade?
  
• What is the district's policy on high-stakes testing?

In partnership with National PTA. Adapted from "Learning More About Testing" in National PTA's Our Children magazine.