How Can Parents Help Preteens Do Their Best on Standardized Tests

Standardized tests are a fact of life for the public school student. Each state administers a test to its students to access their knowledge of the school curriculum. The results of a state’s assessments of its students are of great interest to parents, teachers, and school administrators.

Each state administers its own version of the test to its students. The results are used to quantiify what students know and how well teachers are teaching. Data from the tests are used to determine which schools are performing up to standard and which schools are lagging behind.

In my state, students as young as 2nd grade take a standardized test each year. In most states students in grades 3 through 8 take standardized tests. Tests are often given on multiple days with Math assessment tests given one week and Language assessment tests given the following week. Many high schools require students to take high school assessment tests prior to graduation. Go here for a list of assessment tests listed by state.

How Can Parents Help Preteens to Do Their Best on Standardized Tests

As a parent, the state assessment tests let me know how well my children are doing in school. I know that some children perform well on tests while some children might exhibit test anxiety. I cannot take the tests for my children, but I can help them to do their best by:

• Ensuring that preteens get a good night’s sleep on the night before the test.
• Making a healthy and nutritious breakfast for preteens. Preteens might like to eat bagel and cream cheese, cereal and milk, or eggs, fruit with orange juice or milk.
• Having preteens dress in comfortable clothes. Preteens love wearing fashionable clothes, but wearing too tight jeans, or new shoes might distract the student from dooing their best.
• Sending a snack with your preteen. My children’s elementary school provides each student with goldfish crackers or pretzels and a bottle of water, while the middle school does not. I send a snack and water to school with my preteen on test days.
• Downplaying the test. Preteens will have practiced for the test for weeks. Teachers may have told the students numerous times to do their best. Some preteens may be overwhelmed by test day. Let your preteen know that she needs to do her best, but don’t make a big deal of it.
• Letting yourr preteen know that her/his scores on the test are private. Preteens may need to be assured that scores and test data will not be shared with friends, or parents of other students. I tell my preteen that the standardized test scores are for our family only.

Preteens with diagnosed disabilities are eligible for accomodations. Accomodations for each student are outlined in each child’s IEP or 504 Plan. Some students may need to have extra time for testing while other may need the test questions read to them. Check here for a listing of resources for preteens with disabilities by state.

Jill blogs about living to write about raising a kid, a preteen, and a teen here. Are you a mom of a tween or teen whom is losing it? Check out Momster.com, a site for moms of tweens and teens to meet and discuss issues involving their tweens and teens?

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3. Middle School Back-to-School Night for Parents of Preteens
4. Bedtime Routine for Preteens
5. Preteens and Texting