Pass that Exam! Test Prep Strategies and Resources
“… these tests are unable to measure all of what it is that makes you the valued person who you are.” - Principal Len Christie
Get your copy of Hacking Digital Learning or The 30 Goals Challenge. Ask me about training your teachers, [email protected]!
Exam time is stressful for students and teachers. Teachers want to help students pass exams due to the high stakes, but also would like the curriculum to focus on meaningful learning. Research has shown standardized test scores do not reflect many students true knowledge and skills. Students who understand the format, take test prep courses, and understand the strategy needed to pass these tests will often outperform their peers. This kind of system is unfair to many students who cannot afford these test prep courses.
In Chapter 17: Re-evaluate Value of the The 30 Goals Challenge for Teachers, I discuss the costs of not passing standardized tests:
In Chapter 17: Re-evaluate Value of the The 30 Goals Challenge for Teachers, I discuss the costs of not passing standardized tests:
Below is a slide presentation full of test prep ideas to help teachers support learners to pass exams in more effective ways. Scroll down to access the bookmarks.
Tips
- Write students and parents a letter letting them know students are worth more than their scores, such as this inspiring letter written by Principal Len Christie.
- Provide families with information on accommodations and how they can apply for accommodations.
- Families should be given this information early, because some students, especially in the primary years, haven’t identified learning disabilities.
- How familiar are learners with … ?
✍🏽 Format
✍🏽 Procedures
✍🏽 Scoring
✍🏽 Question Types
✍🏽 Environment - How familiar are learners with … ?
✍🏽 Format
✍🏽 Procedures
✍🏽 Scoring
✍🏽 Question Types
✍🏽 Environment
✍🏽 Accommodations
✍🏽 Instructions
✍🏽 Data
✍🏽 Online Help Tools
✍🏽 Schedule - Students Need to Know the Accessibility Tools
- Students should analyze their data and set goals
- Here's a chart to download and edit! Student Data Tracking and Goals Chart
- Students should develop an action plan for the following:
✍🏽 What do I do when I …
✍🏽 Don’t know the answers?
✍🏽 Don’t understand the question/instructions?
✍🏽 Run out of time?
✍🏽 Get tired?
✍🏽 Lose focus? - How do I aggregate the data quickly? Check your state’s educator assessment page.
- How do students get the data?
- Practice tests are vital to student success!
- Practice and Test Day Motivation 🙌🏽
✍🏽 Pep rallies
✍🏽 Treats
✍🏽 Pep talks
✍🏽 Fill the halls with motivation
✍🏽 Morning greetings
✍🏽 Meaningful announcements - Recognize more than scores
✍🏽 Students who do the strategies
✍🏽 Students who use the scratch paper and help tools
✍🏽 Students who use their time well and don’t rush
✍🏽 Students who improve their scores
- Practice and Test Day Motivation 🙌🏽
- Make test prep fun and memorable
- Pinterest full of test prep games and activities by One Extra Degree
- Test Prep Stations
- Testing Strategies Presentation PDF with Slash the Trash and Jail the Detail
- RELAX and LEARN strategy posters
- Recommended formative assessment test prep tools- Quizizz, Kahoot, and Kami
- Assess similar testing tasks with the same scoring rubric.
- The Khan Academy website and iOS/Android app has excellent resources for prepping for the SATs, GMAT, MCAT, CAHSEE, IIT JEE, and NCLEX-RN.
- I especially like the Khan Academy SAT prep resources which include practice tests, identifying problem areas in conjunction with College Board, and specific feedback on written essays.
- Find many different practice tests and test prep help with the following web tools and apps- Shmoop, Accuplacer by the College Board, Prep Factory (get help with SATs, ACTs, PARCC, and SABC exams), and Exam Elf (free website and mobile app to help with STAAR, PARCC, and Test Taking Strategies for Adolescents).
- ExamTime has practice tests and also has created this free student study guide.
- Get students to develop and jot down strategies for addressing any confusion, sections that trouble them, and dealing with stressors in a personalized and colorful test prep playbook. Find examples of test prep playbooks here.
- Include ideas, such as get a good night’s sleep, eat a good breakfast, and believing in themselves.
- Help students come up with strategies for when they don’t know the answers, don’t understand the question or instructions, are running out of time, get tired, lose focus, or are unmotivated to continue. Strategies in their playbooks might include doodling, stretching, breathing exercises, or give themselves pep talks.
- Familiarize them with Growth Mindset Strategies. Class Dojo has excellent short animated videos to help students develop confidence with Growth Mindset.
- Help them deal with the stress with humor! Create memes.
- Testing in a native language can often help students get higher scores in English. They should of course practice in both languages. Practice tests in different languages can be found at Shmoop.
- Try test prep stations where students take turns completing different tasks. Find this activity here.
- Make it interesting! Take a look at this amazing Pinterest board with fun ways to prepare for tests.
- Assess with the same scoring guide as the tests so students are familiar with the scoring system.
- Quizlet (iOS/Android/Web) is a great study tool for learning vocabulary with digital flashcards and games to help learners with vocabulary common in various types of exams.
- Also check out Scholastic’s Standardized Test Prep Lesson Plans full of ideas.
Bookmarks
Find the tools listed above and many more resources in the bookmarks below.