Test Stress #Slice2013

Why do we do this to our kids?

I am doing test prep exercises to help my students gain confidence and lessen their levels of test anxiety. I want them to be comfortable with timed tests and negotiating their time, thoughts and strategies.

I am trying to de-stress the process.

1. We time passages – so that they know what it feels like to read and respond in 10, 9, 8, and then 7 minutes.
2. We work through sections together in groups – they know how to bubble in circles but can you use your learning community to correctly answer questions.
3. We provide text evidence as support for some answers – I want them to show me how they arrived at their answers.

Am I helping or harming? I don’t know but I know that I am not comfortable with the look of accepted failure in the first face and the horrible panic happening on the second face.

My slice 7/31