April (more likely late March through May) is also an important month for many school districts: state testing! Critics and experts are always divided when it comes to state testing; do we test our children for their growth or for other reasons, such as teacher evaluation, funding, etc.? Regardless of the actual reasons behind state and/or high-stakes testing, this is the reality and children respond and handle the pressure differently. How can we better prepare our children to do and handle the stress better?

We can break this down into long-term and short-term plans. If your child is months or years away from high-stakes testing, we can focus on building a solid foundation by studying for school tests and doing a lot of repetitive practice. Although acing tests should not be the ultimate goal of learning and studying, the test outcome could be a good indication of all the hours spent studying and practicing. 

While studying hard to master fundamental concepts, it is just as important to practice taking tests. Many children unaccustomed to taking tests can get anxious and not perform their best: some panic and cannot think while some just run out of time. Do you remember how terrifying it was to interview for your first job? Were you less nervous the second or third time? By creating a testing environment and practicing, your child could also get better at it. Only through practice can your child get rid of their nerves and fully perform.

For state and high-stakes testing, it is important that your child practices sitting and focusing for 2-3 hours. Sitting and focusing for a long time is a skill in itself; practice so your child can gradually lengthen the time. It is also crucial to take some practice tests. Many state and standardized tests from previous years are available online to download. If your child is afraid of running out of time, time the child while they are taking the practice test. Have your child practice better time-management by skipping questions that are too difficult. Also remind your child to go back and try the difficult problems again and double-check the answers if there is any time left. By taking practice tests, your child can also figure out which topics they need to review and focus on.

If your child is only weeks (or even days!) away from state or high-stakes testing, work with your child on test-taking strategies instead. There are some techniques that your child can apply right away. For instance, for multiple-choice questions, if you whittle down the answer choices by eliminating some of the unreasonable choices, there is a much higher chance of you guessing correctly. If you can also eliminate some choices by working backwards from the answer choices, that would also work. For short and long response questions, make sure to show all your work even if you know the final answer is not correct. There are always partial points; you never know where you will earn those points. 

Recently, it was announced that the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) exam is going all digital. Much of state testing currently also takes place digitally. How does this change how we prepare our children? In terms of the fundamentals, nothing; children still need to master the foundational skills and practice. However, we can help them practice taking tests on the computer; e.g. solve a complicated math problem on scrap paper then write the solution out on the computer. Have your child practice not being able to cross out, highlight, or write all over the problem. Children are amazing at adapting to new situations; yet, only with practice will they be able to demonstrate their full potential.