Regardless of your own personal feelings on the matter, high-stake test scores are a reality for most of us in the teaching profession. Here is a list of ways that I prepare my students that have yielded some very positive results.

1) Be Honest

There is a lot of misinformation that surrounds these tests. Allow your students to share some of the rumors that they have heard. I’ve had students ask if I get paid more for their success (no), if they will receive days off if they pass (no), if they will not be allowed to graduate if they fail (yes) and many others.  If you are honest with your students they tend to take the tests more seriously and help to dispel rumors.

2) Review the Test

The key word here is review, not teach to. Most educators want to have their students succeed to prove their own worth. It is tempting to teach to the test and many school districts are making it increasingly difficult to protect the validity of what the test is supposed to determine: student learning (not teaching ability, which is, of course, not able to be measured by a standardized test).  This temptation can be thwarted and the validity can still remain intact when an educator “reviews”.  Show your students copies of last year’s test, they will benefit in knowing what to expect in regards to formatting, question style, and time constraints.

3) Incorporate Test Taking Strategies

There are so many different strategies to cover you could spend a year teaching a course on just that. With these test weeks away you have to consider which are going to be most effective for your students. Reading the answers first, cancellation on multiple-choice questions, note making while reading, are universal and should be taught to all of your students before the tests. There are thousands of websites and articles dedicated to this topic.  Below you will find a two that I found to be helpful. There’s also Part 1 of a great Vimeo series by Laura Sample designed for Pennsylvania Teachers.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/no-pain-high-gain

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/boost-your-skills/10296.html

4) Replace Workloads

If your curriculum allows you to reduce workloads do so.  Do not abandon their goals completely; replace them with activities designed to help better prepare your students for the upcoming tests. Utilize this time to incorporate some of the test taking skills that you have uncovered.

5) Collaborate with Colleagues

This is probably the most important of any of the tips. It is critical to collaborate with your colleagues because it shows the students that there is a unified front of teachers that are invested in their success. Teachers covering the same prep strategies in class will only reinforce these sentiments. When students see that their teachers have bought in to the importance of the tests, they will follow suit.

Teachers willing to incorporate these tips should see an improvement in their students’ test scores as well as better communication between themselves and their peers.