PARENT TEST-SUPPORT STRATEGIES
Preparing
for Testing
• Note test dates on
your home calendar; schedule appointments on non-testing days.
• Encourage your child to take responsibility for homework and
class study.
• Help your child learn how to find information independently.
• Praise your child for work done well.
• Encourage your child to ask questions at home and in class.
• Get to know your child’s teachers.
• Attend parent-teacher conferences.
• Confer with teachers on a regular basis for progress reports.
• Gather available test preparation materials.
• Assure that your child
knows you value a good education.
Testing
Day
• See that your child
is rested and eats breakfast.
• See that your child arrives at school on time and is relaxed.
• Encourage your child to do the best work possible.
• Do not send your child to school if illness is apparent.
• Do not remove your
child from school on test days for appointments.
After
Testing
• Examine all test
reports sent home.
• Determine areas of strengths and weaknesses.
• Praise your child’s testing strengths and make a plan to address
identified weaknesses.
• See your child’s principal, counselor or teacher if additional
information is required.
Test
Anxiety
Students may
experience anxiety about tests and may experience heightened
anxiety before a testing situation. A certain degree of test
anxiety is normal and may help students prepare more effectively,
work more efficiently, and remain focused during testing. Too much
anxiety, however, can negatively affect performance. The following
strategies may assist students, parent and teachers in reducing
test anxiety.
Parent
Strategies for Reducing Test Anxiety
• Discuss the test
openly and in a positive way.
• Have realistic expectations of your child’s performance while
encouraging his/her best efforts.
• Emphasize that the test is only one measure of academic
performance.
• Emphasize that test
scores do not determine a person’s worth.
