While assessments once seemed to be an unpleasant rite of passage for high school students, they are now common forms of assessment for almost every grade level! With the rise of standardized testing in the attempt to make all schools equal, most elementary, middle, and high school students are required to complete an array of final assessments each school year.
While many children and teens manage the stress of assessments through their own strategies and tactics, some students need a bit more support. Assessments can provoke feelings of stress, text anxiety, and can also spike issues with a students’ mood and behavior. If problematic behaviors or signs of anxiety arise, parents can easily intervene to help provide their son or daughter with positive encouragement and test preparation support.
End of the Year Assessments
While many schools often require students to take a final assessment at the end of the school year, the goal is to see the knowledge level the child has obtained throughout the school year. The end of the year assessment should not cause stress or anxiety for a child.
End of the year assessments tend to be assessments that are developed by curriculum experts, that are given in order to assess the student’s progress, the average student performance rate, in addition to providing test result information that can determine whether or not a student will need intervention strategies for the following school year. Teachers clearly explain testing policies, guidelines, and procedures; therefore, the best support parents can offer for their child is to be positive and encouraging.
Ultimately, children should enter into their class for their assessment feeling confident, and they should not exhibit feelings that appear to be overly-anxious or nervous. If these behaviors occur, parents should speak with their child’s teacher as soon as possible to discuss intervention strategies.
While many children like to demonstrate their independence with their studies, parents can still intervene and offer support through various strategies.
Learn what your child’s weakest subjects are. Keep track of your child’s progress reports and report cards, and if you find that they are consistently performing poorly in a specific class, then intervene to help them master the subject material. You may need to spend time each day helping them understand the concepts they learned in class working on that skill a little each day. Use the study guides provided by the school to assist you in studying/reviewing the correct skills.
Make studying rewarding. While end of the year assessments are important, you can make the studying process fun and rewarding for your children. After they have studied for a while, then you can perhaps treat them to a “break” of their choice.
Be pro-active in their studying. Each child’s need for parental involvement may be different, but you can always be pro-active in helping them study. For example, you can give them pop quizzes based upon their study materials. You can also help them organize their studying process, which is certainly very beneficial for younger students. Show them how to highlight important parts of their notes, give them sticky notes to use as placeholders for important textbook material, and encourage them to create study sheets. This involvement will build study habits that will benefit them for years to come.
Take the time to encourage and assist your child in their studies and preparing for their assessments, but don’t put pressure on them and stress them out. The overall goal is to see your child’s knowledge level in each subject to assist in future educational planning for your child. Do your best on the assessments and that is all you can do! Best of luck!
