Standardized tests are here for the next foreseeable future. Their redeeming qualities include: objective assessments and the information on how students grow in their learning. Their downsides include their taking so much timer away from classroom leaning and their stressful properties while taking the tests.
There are ways to level out those concerns and use the positives of testing throughout the year. So how can we out fox the stress and the suspected “teaching to the test”? Here are activities and games to engage students and get you started rethinking test prep time to use throughout the school year.
For younger students encourage them to (1) read the questions before reading the text. If allowed, suggest they underline key words as they read or enter key words on a notebook saved for evaluating their reading of any materials. (2) Suggest they reread the text before answering the questions and ask themselves: What is the main idea of what I read?
For older students, turn this activity in to a class game. Include opportunities for them to write challenges to each other in the form of True-False and multiple choice questions. Encourage them to include faulty or wrong choices which will encourage students to use careful reading as well as time analyzing the words used. Discuss strategies to select their best guess but base that choice on clues found in rereading the text and scrutinizing the possible answers for keywords. Expect the person who wrote the questions to provide evidence (specific source, page, and paragraph) for their
correct answer(s).
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