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Other Books in the Get Ready! Series: Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Grade 1 by Joseph Harris, Ph.D. Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Grade 2 by Joseph Harris, Ph. D. Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Grade 3 by Karen Mersky, Ph.D. Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Grade 4 by Joseph Harris, Ph.D. Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Grade 5 by Leslie E. Talbott, Ph.D. Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Grade 6 by Shirley Vickery, Ph.D. Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Math, Grade 2 by Kristin Swanson Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Math, Grade 3 by Susan Osborne Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Math, Grade 4 by June Heller Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Reading, Grade 1 by Molly Maack Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Reading, Grade 2 by Louise Ulrich Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Reading, Grade 3 by Joanne Baker Get Ready! for Standardized Tests: Reading, Grade 4 by Kris Callahan
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T E S T P R E P A R A T I O N S E R I E S Get Ready! F O R S TA N DA R D I Z E D T E S T S M AT H , G R A D E O N E1 Sandy McConnell Carol Turkington Series Editor McGraw-Hill New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto
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Copyright © 2001 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distrib- uted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-141531-9 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-137399-3. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in cor- porate training programs. For more information, please contact George Hoare, Special Sales, at george_hoare@mcgraw- hill.com or (212) 904-4069. TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill’s prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms. THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS”. McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WAR- RANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PAR- TICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any dam- ages resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, con- sequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise. DOI: 10.1036/0071415319
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M A T H , G R A D E O N E For more information about this title, click here. Contents Skills Checklist ix Sets 23 Zero Property of Addition 24 Introduction 1 One Plus Rule 24 Types of Standardized Tests 1 Communitive Property of Addition 24 The Major Standardized Tests 2 Grouping Addition Facts 24 How States Use Standardized Tests 2 “Doubles” Addition Facts 24 Valid Uses of Standardized Test Scores 3 “Doubles Plus One” Facts 25 Inappropriate Use of Standardized The Nine Plus Rule 25 Test Scores 3 Counting On 25 Two Basic Assumptions 4 Adding Three Numbers 25 A Word about Coaching 4 Adding a Two-Digit Number to a How to Raise Test Scores 4 Two-Digit Number 25 Test Questions 5 What You and Your Child Can Do 26 What Tests May Ask 27 Chapter 1. Test-Taking Basics 7 Practice Skill: Addition 27 What This Book Can Do 7 Chapter 4. Subtraction 33 How to Use This Book 8 Basic Test-Taking Strategies 8 What First Graders Should Know 33 On to the Second Chapter 10 Subtracting from a Two-Digit Number 33 What You and Your Child Can Do 34 Chapter 2. Understanding What Tests May Ask 36 Numbers and Patterns 11 Practice Skill: Subtraction 36 What First Graders Should Know 11 Chapter 5. Time: Clocks and What You and Your Child Can Do 12 Calendars 39 What Tests May Ask 14 Practice Skill: Understanding Telling Time 39 Numbers and Patterns 14 What First Graders Should Know 39 What You and Your Child Can Do 40 Chapter 3. Addition 23 What Tests May Ask 40 What First Graders Should Know 23 Practice Skill: Telling Time 40 Equal Sign 23 Calendars 42 vii Copyright 2001 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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M A T H , G R A D E O N E : G E T R E A D Y ! What First Graders Should Know 42 What Tests May Ask 63 What You and Your Child Can Do 42 Practice Skill: Measuring 64 What Tests May Ask 42 Practice Skill: Calendars 42 Chapter 10. Solving Word Chapter 6. Money 45 Problems 69 What First Graders Should Know 69 What First Graders Should Know 45 What You and Your Child Can Do 70 Counting Money 45 What Tests May Ask 70 What You and Your Child Can Do 46 Practice Skill: Solving Word Problems 70 What Tests May Ask 46 Practice Skill: Money 46 Appendix A: Web Sites and Resources for More Chapter 7. Geometry 51 Information 75 What First Graders Should Know 51 What You and Your Child Can Do 51 Appendix B: Read More Two-Dimensional Shapes 51 about It 79 Three-Dimensional Shapes 52 Symmetry 53 Appendix C: What Your Child’s Graphs 53 Test Scores Mean 81 What Tests May Ask 54 Practice Skill: Geometry 54 Appendix D: Which States Require Which Tests 89 Chapter 8. Fractions 57 What First Graders Should Know 57 Appendix E: Testing What You and Your Child Can Do 57 Accommodations 99 What Tests May Ask 58 Practice Skill: Fractions 58 Glossary 101 Answer Keys for Practice Skills 103 Chapter 9. Measurement 61 What First Graders Should Know 61 Sample Practice Test 105 What You and Your Child Can Do 62 Answer Key for Sample Measuring Length and Capacity 62 Measuring Mass (Weight) 63 Practice Test 127 viii
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M A T H , G R A D E O N E S K I L L S C H E C K L I S T MY CHILD … HAS LEARNED IS WORKING ON NUMBERS AND PATTERNS ADDITION EQUAL SIGN SETS FACT FAMILIES PLACE VALUE SKIP COUNTING SUBTRACTION TELLING TIME CALENDARS NAMES AND VALUE OF COINS COUNTING MONEY CIRCLE SQUARE RECTANGLE TRIANGLE SYMMETRY FRACTIONS: 1/2 FRACTIONS: 1/3 AND 2/3 FRACTIONS: 1/4, 2/4, 3/4 NONSTANDARD UNITS OF MEASUREMENT WEIGHING POUNDS WORD PROBLEMS ix Copyright 2001 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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M A T H , G R A D E O N E Introduction Almost all of us have taken standardized tests While there is a great deal of controversy in school. We spent several days bubbling-in about whether it is appropriate for schools to answers, shifting in our seats. No one ever told use standardized tests to make major decisions us why we took the tests or what they would do about individual students, it appears likely that with the results. We just took them and never standardized tests are here to stay. They will be heard about them again. used to evaluate students, teachers, and the Today many parents aren’t aware they are schools; schools are sure to continue to use stu- entitled to see their children’s permanent dents’ test scores to demonstrate their account- records and, at a reasonable cost, to obtain ability to the community. copies of any information not protected by copy- The purposes of this guide are to acquaint you right, including testing scores. Late in the school with the types of standardized tests your chil- year, most parents receive standardized test dren may take; to help you understand the test results with confusing bar charts and detailed results; and to help you work with your children explanations of scores that few people seem to in skill areas that are measured by standardized understand. tests so they can perform as well as possible. In response to a series of negative reports on the state of education in this country, Americans Types of Standardized Tests have begun to demand that something be done to improve our schools. We have come to expect The two major types of group standardized tests higher levels of accountability as schools face are criterion-referenced tests and norm-refer- the competing pressures of rising educational enced tests. Think back to when you learned to expectations and declining school budgets. tie your shoes. First Mom or Dad showed you High-stakes standardized tests are rapidly how to loosen the laces on your shoe so that you becoming the main tool of accountability for stu- could insert your foot; then they showed you dents, teachers, and school administrators. If how to tighten the laces—but not too tight. They students’ test scores don’t continually rise, showed you how to make bows and how to tie a teachers and principals face the potential loss of knot. All the steps we just described constitute school funding and, ultimately, their jobs. what is called a skills hierarchy: a list of skills Summer school and private after-school tutorial from easiest to most difficult that are related to program enrollments are swelling with students some goal, such as tying a shoelace. who have not met score standards or who, every- Criterion-referenced tests are designed to one agrees, could score higher. determine at what level students are perform- 1 Copyright 2001 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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M A T H , G R A D E O N E : G E T R E A D Y ! ing on various skills hierarchies. These tests and there are far too many of them to go into assume that development of skills follows a detail here about specific tests. However, chil- sequence of steps. For example, if you were dren prepare for them in basically the same way teaching shoelace tying, the skills hierarchy they do for norm-referenced tests. might appear this way: A very small pool of norm-referenced tests is used throughout the country, consisting primar- 1. Loosen laces. ily of the Big Five: 2. Insert foot. • California Achievement Tests (CTB/McGraw- 3. Tighten laces. Hill) 4. Make loops with both lace ends. • Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (Riverside) 5. Tie a square knot. • Metropolitan Achievement Test (Harcourt- Criterion-referenced tests try to identify how Brace & Company) far along the skills hierarchy the student has • Stanford Achievement Test (Psychological progressed. There is no comparison against any- Corporation) one else’s score, only against an expected skill • TerraNova [formerly Comprehensive Test of level. The main question criterion-referenced Basic Skills] (McGraw-Hill) tests ask is: “Where is this child in the develop- ment of this group of skills?” These tests use various terms for the academ- Norm-referenced tests, in contrast, are typi- ic skills areas they assess, but they generally cally constructed to compare children in their test several types of reading, language, and abilities as to different skills areas. Although mathematics skills, along with social studies and the experts who design test items may be aware science. They may include additional assess- of skills hierarchies, they are more concerned ments, such as of study and reference skills. with how much of some skill the child has mas- tered, rather than at what level on the skills How States Use Standardized Tests hierarchy the child is. Ideally, the questions on these tests range Despite widespread belief and practice to the from very easy items to those that are impossi- contrary, group standardized tests are designed bly difficult. The essential feature of norm-ref- to assess and compare the achievement of erenced tests is that scores on these measures groups. They are not designed to provide can be compared to scores of children in similar detailed diagnostic assessments of individual groups. They answer this question: “How does students. (For detailed individual assessments, the child compare with other children of the children should be given individual diagnostic same age or grade placement in the develop- tests by properly qualified professionals, includ- ment of this skill?” ing trained guidance counselors, speech and This book provides strategies for increasing language therapists, and school psychologists.) your child’s scores on both standardized norm- Here are examples of the types of questions referenced and criterion-referenced tests. group standardized tests are designed to answer: The Major Standardized Tests • How did the reading achievement of students at Valley Elementary School this year com- Many criterion-referenced tests currently in use pare with their reading achievement last are created locally or (at best) on a state level, year? 2
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I N T R O D U C T I O N • How did math scores at Wonderland Middle Valid Uses of Standardized Test School compare with those of students at Scores Parkside Middle School this year? Here are examples of appropriate uses of test • As a group, how did Hilltop High School stu- scores for individual students: dents compare with the national averages in the achievement areas tested? • Mr. Cone thinks that Samantha, a third grad- • How did the district’s first graders’ math er, is struggling in math. He reviews her file scores compare with the district’s fifth and finds that her first- and second-grade graders’ math scores? standardized test math scores were very low. Her first- and second-grade teachers recall The fact that these tests are designed primar- episodes in which Samantha cried because ily to test and compare groups doesn’t mean she couldn’t understand certain math con- that test data on individual students isn’t use- cepts, and mention that she was teased by ful. It does mean that when we use these tests other children, who called her “Dummy.” Mr. to diagnose individual students, we are using Cone decides to refer Samantha to the school them for a purpose for which they were not assistance team to determine whether she designed. should be referred for individual testing for a Think of group standardized tests as being learning disability related to math. similar to health fairs at the local mall. Rather • The local college wants to set up a tutoring than check into your local hospital and spend program for elementary school children who thousands of dollars on full, individual tests for are struggling academically. In deciding a wide range of conditions, you can go from sta- which youngsters to nominate for the pro- tion to station and take part in different health gram, the teachers consider the students’ screenings. Of course, one would never diagnose averages in different subjects, the degree to heart disease or cancer on the basis of the which students seem to be struggling, par- screening done at the mall. At most, suspicious ents’ reports, and standardized test scores. results on the screening would suggest that you need to visit a doctor for a more complete exam- • For the second year in a row, Gene has per- ination. formed poorly on the latest round of stan- In the same way, group standardized tests dardized tests. His teachers all agree that provide a way of screening the achievement of Gene seems to have some serious learning many students quickly. Although you shouldn’t problems. They had hoped that Gene was diagnose learning problems solely based on the immature for his class and that he would do results of these tests, the results can tell you better this year; but his dismal grades contin- that you should think about referring a child for ue. Gene is referred to the school assistance a more definitive, individual assessment. team to determine whether he should be sent An individual student’s group test data to the school psychologist for assessment of a should be considered only a point of informa- possible learning handicap. tion. Teachers and school administrators may use standardized test results to support or ques- Inappropriate Use of Standardized tion hypotheses they have made about students; Test Scores but these scores must be used alongside other information, such as teacher comments, daily Here are examples of how schools have some- work, homework, class test grades, parent times used standardized test results inappropri- observations, medical needs, and social history. ately: 3
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M A T H , G R A D E O N E : G E T R E A D Y ! • Mr. Johnson groups his students into reading to learn what skill areas the tests measure, groups solely on the basis of their standard- what general skills your child is being taught in ized test scores. a particular grade, how to prepare your child to • Ms. Henry recommends that Susie be held take the tests, and what to do with the results. back a year because she performed poorly on In the appendices you will find information to the standardized tests, despite strong grades help you decipher test interpretations; a listing on daily assignments, homework, and class of which states currently require what tests; tests. and additional resources to help you help your child to do better in school and to prepare for the • Gerald’s teacher refers him for consideration tests. in the district’s gifted program, which accepts students using a combination of intelligence test scores, achievement test scores, and A Word about Coaching teacher recommendations. Gerald’s intelli- This guide is not about coaching your child. gence test scores were very high. When we use the term coaching in referring to Unfortunately, he had a bad cold during the standardized testing, we mean trying to give week of the standardized group achievement someone an unfair advantage, either by reveal- tests and was taking powerful antihista- ing beforehand what exact items will be on the mines, which made him feel sleepy. As a test or by teaching “tricks” that will supposedly result, he scored too low on the achievement allow a student to take advantage of some detail tests to qualify. in how the tests are constructed. The public has come to demand increasingly Some people try to coach students in shrewd high levels of accountability for public schools. test-taking strategies that take advantage of We demand that schools test so that we have how the tests are supposedly constructed rather hard data with which to hold the schools than strengthening the students’ skills in the accountable. But too often, politicians and the areas tested. Over the years, for example, many public place more faith in the test results than rumors have been floated about “secret formu- is justified. Regardless of whether it’s appropri- las” that test companies use. ate to do so and regardless of the reasons This type of coaching emphasizes ways to help schools use standardized test results as they do, students obtain scores they didn’t earn—to get many schools base crucial programming and eli- something for nothing. Stories have appeared in gibility decisions on scores from group stan- the press about teachers who have coached their dardized tests. It’s to your child’s advantage, students on specific questions, parents who then, to perform as well as possible on these have tried to obtain advance copies of tests, and tests. students who have written down test questions after taking standardized tests and sold them to Two Basic Assumptions others. Because of the importance of test securi- ty, test companies and states aggressively pros- The strategies we present in this book come ecute those who attempt to violate test securi- from two basic assumptions: ty—and they should do so. 1. Most students can raise their standardized test scores. How to Raise Test Scores 2. Parents can help their children become Factors that are unrelated to how strong stu- stronger in the skills the tests assess. dents are but that might artificially lower test This book provides the information you need scores include anything that prevents students 4
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I N T R O D U C T I O N from making scores that accurately describe • providing lots of fun ways for parents to help their actual abilities. Some of those factors are: their children work on the skill areas that will be tested. • giving the tests in uncomfortably cold or hot rooms; • allowing outside noises to interfere with test Test Questions taking; and The favorite type of question for standardized • reproducing test booklets in such small print tests is the multiple-choice question. For exam- or with such faint ink that students can’t read ple: the questions. 1. The first President of the United States Such problems require administrative atten- was: tion from both the test publishers, who must A Abraham Lincoln make sure that they obtain their norms for the tests under the same conditions students face B Martin Luther King, Jr. when they take the tests; and school adminis- C George Washington trators, who must ensure that conditions under D Thomas Jefferson which their students take the tests are as close as possible to those specified by the test pub- The main advantage of multiple-choice ques- lishers. tions is that it is easy to score them quickly and Individual students also face problems that accurately. They lend themselves to optical can artificially lower their test scores, and par- scanning test forms, on which students fill in ents can do something about many of these bubbles or squares and the forms are scored by problems. Stomach aches, headaches, sleep machine. Increasingly, companies are moving deprivation, colds and flu, and emotional upsets from paper-based testing to computer-based due to a recent tragedy are problems that might testing, using multiple-choice questions. call for the student to take the tests during The main disadvantage of multiple-choice make-up sessions. Some students have physical questions is that they restrict test items to those conditions such as muscle-control problems, that can be put in that form. Many educators palsies, or difficulty paying attention that and civil rights advocates have noted that the require work over many months or even years multiple-choice format only reveals a superficial before students can obtain accurate test scores understanding of the subject. It’s not possible on standardized tests. And, of course, some stu- with multiple-choice questions to test a stu- dents just don’t take the testing seriously or dent’s ability to construct a detailed, logical may even intentionally perform poorly. Parents argument on some issue or to explain a detailed can help their children overcome many of these process. Although some of the major tests are obstacles to obtaining accurate scores. beginning to incorporate more subjectively Finally, with this book parents are able to scored items, such as short answer or essay help their children raise their scores by: questions, the vast majority of test items con- tinue to be in multiple-choice format. • increasing their familiarity (and their comfort In the past, some people believed there were level) with the types of questions on stan- special formulas or tricks to help test-takers dardized tests; determine which multiple-choice answer was • drills and practice exercises to increase their the correct one. There may have been some skill in handling the kinds of questions they truth to some claims for past tests. Computer will meet; and analyses of some past tests revealed certain 5
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M A T H , G R A D E O N E : G E T R E A D Y ! biases in how tests were constructed. For exam- In Chapter 1, we provide information about ple, the old advice to pick D when in doubt general test-taking considerations, with advice appears to have been valid for some past tests. on how parents can help students overcome However, test publishers have become so testing obstacles. The rest of the book provides sophisticated in their ability to detect patterns information to help parents help their children of bias in the formulation of test questions and strengthen skills in the tested areas. answers that they now guard against it aggres- sively. Joseph Harris, Ph.D. 6
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C H A P T E R 1 Test-Taking Basics At some point during the 12 years that your book. “Guiding” is the key here—if your child children spend in school, they’ll face a stan- understands the basic concepts, she will be suc- dardized testing situation. Some schools test cessful regardless of the format. every year, some test every other year—but eventually your child will be assessed. How well What This Book Can Do your child does on such a test can be related to many things—Did he get plenty of rest the night This book is not designed to help your child arti- before? Is she anxious in testing situations? Did ficially inflate scores on a standardized test. he get confused when filling in the answer Instead, it’s intended to help you understand the sheets and make a mechanical mistake? That’s typical kinds of skills taught in a first-grade why educators emphasize that a child’s score on class and what a typical first grader can be a standardized test shouldn’t be used as the sole expected to know by the end of the first year. It judge of how that child is learning and develop- also presents lots of fun activities that you can ing. Instead, the scores should be evaluated as use at home to work with your child in particu- only one part of the educational picture, togeth- lar skill areas that may be a bit weak. er with the child’s classroom performance and Of course, this book should not be used to overall areas of strength and weakness. Your replace your child’s teacher. It should be used as child won’t pass or fail a standardized test, but a guide to help you work together with the often you can see a general pattern of strengths school as a team to help your child succeed. and weaknesses. Keep in mind, however, that endless drilling is Although most states don’t require standard- not the best way to help your child improve. ized testing in first grade, it is important for While most children want to do well and please children to become familiar with the testing sit- their teachers and parents, they already spend uation as early as possible in order to build con- about 7 hours a day in school. Extracurricular fidence for required testing in later grades. activities, homework, music, and play take up Keep in mind, however, that the format for more time. Try to use the activities in this book standardized tests may differ slightly from one to stimulate and support your children’s work at test to another. While this book offers your child school, not to overwhelm them. exposure to typical sample questions that may Most children entering the first grade are appear on the tests, it’s difficult to provide sam- eager to learn. One of the most serious mistakes ples common to all. Keep this in mind, and don’t that many parents of children this age make is make your children practice too much—or they to try to get their children to master skills for may become alarmed when the “real test” is not which they aren’t developmentally ready. For exactly like the questions they have seen in this example, while most children this age are ready 7 Copyright 2001 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.
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M A T H , G R A D E O N E : G E T R E A D Y ! to read, some aren’t, and no amount of drill will what your child might expect to see on a typical make them ready to read. test. There’s certainly nothing wrong with working We’ve included sample questions at the end of with your child, but if you’re trying to teach the each section that are designed to help familiar- same skill over and over and your child just isn’t ize your child with the types of questions found “getting it,” you may be trying to teach some- on a typical standardized test. These questions thing that your child just isn’t ready for. do not measure your child’s proficiency in any You may notice that your child still seems a given content area—but if you notice that your bit clumsy and still has problems coloring with- child is having trouble with a particular ques- in the lines. Symbolic reasoning begins to tion, you can use the information to figure out appear in first grade, as children start to learn what skills you need to focus on. that printed numbers stand for numerals—that 5 means five. As the year progresses, your first Basic Test-Taking Strategies grader will become more and more able to rec- ognize abstract qualities and to consider more Sometimes children score lower on standardized than one characteristic at one time. tests because they approach testing in an ineffi- Remember, however, that not all children cient way. There are things you can do before the learn things at the same rate. What may be typ- test—and that your child can do during the ical for one first grader is certainly not typical test—to make sure that he does as well as he for another. You should use the information pre- can. There are a few things you might want to sented in this book in conjunction with school remember about standardized tests. One is that work to help develop your child’s essential skills they can only ask a limited number of questions in mathematics and number skills. dealing with each skill before they run out of paper. On most tests, the total math component How to Use This Book is made up of about 60 items and takes about 90 minutes. In some cases, your child may There are many different ways to use this book. encounter only one exercise evaluating a partic- Some children are quite strong in certain math ular skill. An important practice area that is areas but need a bit of help in other areas. often overlooked is the listening element of the Perhaps your child is a whiz at adding but has tests. Most of the math questions are done as a more trouble with telling time. Focus your group and are read to the students by the proc- attention on those skills which need some work, tor of the test, who is almost always the class- and spend more time on those areas. You’ll see room teacher. in each chapter an introductory explanation of You can practice listening skills by reading the material in the chapter, followed by a sum- the directions to each question to your child. mary of what a typical child in first grade Sometimes the instructions are so brief and to should be expected to know about that skill by the point that they are almost too simple. In the end of the year. This is followed in each some cases, teachers are not permitted to chapter by an extensive section featuring inter- reword or explain; they may read only what is esting, fun, or unusual activities you can do with written in the test manual. Usually, questions your child to reinforce the skills presented in and directions or instructions may be repeated the chapter. Most use only inexpensive items only one time. Read the directions as they have found around the home, and many are suitable been given on the practice pages and then have for car trips, waiting rooms, and restaurants. your child explain to you what they mean. Then Next, you’ll find an explanation of how typical you’ll both be clear about what the tests actual- standardized tests may assess that skill and ly require. 8
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T E S T - T A K I N G B A S I C S Before the Test ference on the final results. It pays to give your Perhaps the most effective thing you can do to child some practice on filling in answer sheets. prepare your child for standardized tests is to be Watch how neatly your child can fill in the bub- patient and positive. Remember that no matter bles, squares, and rectangles below. If he over- how much pressure you put on your children, laps the lines, makes a lot of erase marks, or they won’t learn certain skills until they are presses the pencil too hard, try having him prac- physically, mentally, and emotionally ready to tice with pages of bubbles. You can easily create do so. You’ve got to walk a delicate line between sheets of capital O’s, squares, and rectangles challenging and pressuring your children. If that your child can practice filling in. If he gets children view testing as a “big, bad wolf,” then bored doing that, have him color in detailed pic- they may develop negative attitudes that could tures in coloring books or complete connect-the- affect their performance. If you see that your dots pages. child isn’t making progress or is getting frus- trated, it may be time to lighten up. During the Test Don’t Change the Routine. Many experts offer There are some approaches to standardized test- mistaken advice about how to prepare children ing that have been shown to make some degree for a test, such as recommending that children of improvement in a score. Discuss the following go to bed early the night before or eat a high- strategies with your child from time to time. protein breakfast on the morning of the test. It’s Bring Extra Pencils. You don’t want your child a better idea not to alter your child’s routine at all right before the test. spending valuable testing time jumping up to If your child isn’t used to going to bed early, sharpen a pencil. Send along plenty of extra, then sending him off at 7:30 p.m. the night well-sharpened pencils, and your child will have before a test will only make it harder for him to more time to work on test questions. get to sleep by the normal time. If he is used to Listen Carefully. You wouldn’t believe how eating an orange or a piece of toast for breakfast, many errors kids make by not listening to forcing him to down a platter of fried eggs and instructions or not paying attention to demon- bacon will only make him feel sleepy or uncom- strations. Some children mark the wrong form, fortable. fill in the bubbles incorrectly, or skip to the Neatness. There is an incorrect way to fill in an wrong section. Others simply forget to include answer sheet on a standardized test, and if this their names. Many make a mark without realiz- happens to your child, it can really make a dif- ing whether they are marking the right bubble. ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ 9
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