Preparing Students to Read Standardized Exams

Academic Skills Kids Need for Required Tests

Mar 19, 2009

Preparing students for standardized tests requires not only knowledge of facts but also a basic understanding of the language used and tasks being requested.

The test taking experience can be stressful for many students. It can also be stressful for teachers to prepare students for the standardized exams. Beyond basic physiological and neurological needs, students need to know academic skills that support the subject being taught. These include reading, writing, following directions, specific vocabulary and task comprehension.

Students in elementary grades need direct instruction and practice to learn the basics of reading and writing, but as they advance, these skills can be honed through less direct methods. Nell Duke emphasizes the need for students to read with a purpose and be aware of when they are reading for pleasure verses reading for information. Teachers of different subjects can provide students with strategies for successfully finding important information while reading.

Writing is similar. Once students have basic writing skills, they need to practice writing both for pleasure as well at to explain specific information. Building in this practice as class assignments increases students’ exposure to writing answers for standardized tests.

Understanding Directions and Vocabulary

Standardized tests require students to know how to follow directions. Though each test is different, teachers can familiarize students with the types of questions and directions to expect. This can be accomplished by directly teaching test taking skills. Duke and Ritchhart also recommend including standardized test style directions in regular class work so students become familiar with them in less stressful situations.

Vocabulary also should be used as a common part of classroom instruction. Teachers need to be aware of the vocabulary used in standardized exams and make common use of them, both in written directions and spoken word. For example, if the math section of an exam expects fourth graders to know terms such as percentage or dividend, then teachers should use these terms in class so students do not come across them in a stressful testing situation and panic.

Task Comprehension and Testing

English and math sections of exams assess subject understanding, but success in both is related to students comprehending the given task. Duke suggests preparing students by providing a variety of questions about their reading assignments and requiring them to explain with details. Ritchhart explains that successful math taking skills involve teachers including word problems as part of each new skill and not being taught as an isolated unit. Other math skills Ritchhart highlights as helping students be successful on standardized math exams are estimation, understanding reasonable answers to a problem and mental math strategies.

Reading and writing skills directly support understanding test directions and help build a student’s vocabulary. These skills all work together to help students comprehend the task provided in the test.

The copyright of the article Preparing Students to Read Standardized Exams in Teaching Strategies/Mentorship is owned by Tammy Andrew. Permission to republish Preparing Students to Read Standardized Exams in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Mar 20, 2009 5:32 AM

Guest :

One thing we must stress in teaching math in high school and college is the stress on basic principles, not how-to rote, as is often done. See "Teaching and Helping Students Think and Do Better" on amazon.