Ah, Testing Season is Upon Us

SOL SEASON IS HERE! I REPEAT, SOL SEASON IS HERE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! *SIRENS*

Ahem, I have gathered my wits. Okay, as you know testing season is upon us. As an intern, I've actually had a fair amount of experience with testing. At Burbank, I had the opportunity to actually administer the CogAt Assessment to a second grade class that was downsized and split among the remaining second grade teachers. At Syms, I've had the pleasure of coordinating and assisting with in-service for CSA's (Critical Skills Assessment, or laymen's terms SOL Pre-Tests), as well as the Writing SOL. Even today I had the honor of proctoring the Literature AP Test for high school students in my area. Tomorrow, I'll be volunteering my time to proctor two AP tests. Eight not-so-delightful slow hours of walking up and down rows of students and chaperoning them to the bathroom. Woohoo, the fun never quits!

I kid, of course. Testing experience is important, and lets be honest- NO place in Virginia is going to hire a School Counselor candidate that hasn't done some testing. In all states, counselors wear many hats. In many districts one of those hats is Testing Coordinator. Know it. Live it. Love it.

Knowing everything I do, I have learned a few tips about how to prepare educators and students for standardized test that I thought I'd share with the class.

Tips to Prepare Educators (including you!)

1. In-Service Testing Meetings are important. Schedule at least 3 to make sure that all testing faculty and staff can attend.

For those who don't know, in-service is a meeting designated to teach educators about a test. How it will run, what it looks like, and how they need to prepare. At the district level, school counselors attend an in-service to learn about upcoming assessments. Once that has happened, we begin to prepare for in-servicing faculty and staff who plan to either administer or proctor the exams. Our district makes the in-service presentation available through Google Docs and from there we edit out the items that do not apply to the rest of the school (i.e. information about pick-up/drop-off of test booklets). Then an in-service is scheduled.

Like you, teachers are extremely busy. Presumably, they have families and other commitments that they must take care of once school is over for the day. So I would suggest scheduling a few in-service meetings throughout the day. Some choose to do it during planning blocks, after school, or even before school. Either way, be accommodating. If a testing irregularity happens because they weren't well-versed on the test- it looks bad on ALL of you.

2. Work with the SPED Coordinator so you make sure those students' needs are met.

Students with IEP's and 504's typically have provisions in their plans that require accommodations for testing. Small group, individual, longer test time, etc. As the coordinator, it will be your job to make sure there are enough people to cover the needs of these students. During testing season, it is not uncommon to have elective, resource, and IA's either administer or proctor exams. Sometimes this particular task can seem like solving a Rubik's cube. But you got this, you can and will do it!

3. As tempting as it is- DO NOT ADMINISTER AN EXAM.

You're probably confused. "Why not, Ms. Intern?," you ask, scratching your head. Here's why: You cannot troubleshoot exam issues if you're giving a test. For example, this past CSA we used an application on students' Chromebooks for the first time. We gave EXPLICIT direction on how to have students log in. Test begins at 9:30 a.m. by 9:32 am our phone boards light up like a Christmas tree. While teachers gave proper directions, students did not follow them and alas, here we are. Mass chaos. I shudder to think what would have happened if Ms. Littleton had been knee deep in small-group testing.

4. Always have extra supplies available: pencils, pens, scratch paper, graphing paper, calculators, and laptops.

It's presumptuous to assume that teachers will have a plethora of items in their classroom. It's the end of the year and they ran out of tissues and hand sanitizer sometime mid-cold season. Somewhere in the budget there is room to purchase these items. Calculators are usually supplied by the Math Department Head of your school. However, just like any other fine piece of technology purchased in 1993, they have and do break. Make sure if you need 75 of them, that at least 85 are brought down to the Testing Headquarters for your disposal.

SHARPENED PENCILS. I, as an intern sharpened over 400 pencils over three days. 400 pencils. Fun fact: did you know you can overheat an industrial pencil sharpener with 21 and 1/4 pencils? Oh, I know alright. Not every classroom has electric sharpeners, and I assure you the Gym teacher doesn't have one either. Make sure you have supplies for them to pick up the day of testing with their booklets. They will thank you.

Tips to Prepare Students

1. A discussion should be had about the importance of testing.

At the elementary school level, SOL's usually happen in June. I would suggest focusing classroom guidance for the month of May on Test Preparations. My previous site supervisor, the wonderful Ms. Lewis supplied me with a fun lesson plan template on "Twas the Night Before Testing." Use your designated monthly time with students to start the discussion. This can help mentally prepare them for the long, boring school days ahead.

For middle school and high school, you rarely do classroom guidance. There just isn't enough room in curriculum. It may still be possible to come in and do a quick conversation with students about the importance of testing and preparations. Good night's sleep, balanced breakfast, etc. You know the drill.

(If interested, contact me directly. I'd be happy to supply the lesson plan to you. We're all in this together after all!)

2. Letters should be sent home to parents notifying them of upcoming test dates and schedule.

Sometimes in the mad scramble of adulthood, getting your kids to school on time doesn't seem that important. It may be necessary to highlight to parents the importance of getting their kids to school on time, well fed, and well rested those particular days. You don't want a third grader spazzing out 30 minutes into testing because she forgot her customary blueberry Poptart.

Also, it may help if parents know that isn't a good time for doctor's appointments or random outings. It's test time people, come on!

3. If you CAN, and your school district allows it- supply them with breakfast!

When I was in high school, my AP U.S. History Teacher bought every student taking the test, McDonald's for breakfast. The school did not pay for it, she did. I still think about this kind gesture annually come test season. I was extremely grateful for my free McGriddle three hours into the test, and hitting the FOURTH reference to the Jacksonian Era (The one section I didn't study, I might add. I got a 2, btw).

When I went to AP testing this morning I was surprised to not see hundreds of students storming the doors to get in. Only TWENTY ONE students took the Literature AP test. Apparently HCS now requires students to pay out of pocket to take the test. While it may seem expensive to supply students with breakfast, we can all afford the whopping 21 smackaroos it would cost to give them all a sausage biscuit or fruit & yogurt parfait (dietary restrictions- I see you!). Be kind, go the extra mile. Do what you can to make their morning hassle free.

4. Have a SOL Pep Rally to get them really excited to do well on the test!

This can happen at any level, though the activities would need to be changed based off the target audience. For elementary school, have a local college or high school band or cheer team get them excited about testing. Come up with a school chant that encourages them!

For middle school and high school, have all the typical things a pep rally has sans football/basketball team and insert a motivational speaker. Locally, there is a motivational speaker named Adolph Brown that ALWAYS incites excitement in students. I heard him once at Honor's Viz at Hampton University and I was ready to do college over again I got so pumped.

Yes, its another thing you'd have to plan. Yes, it could cost the school money. Yes, it can cut out of instructional time. However, you, as an adult know the importance of morale when it comes to success. An hour lost of instructional time for this purpose could boost students to do really well on exams and surpass your expectations.

Remember, your school accreditation can be boosted, or hindered due to testing. Go the extra mile and watch it pan out well for your averages!

Happy testing folks!