It's that time of year again...

The Indiana Statewide Test for Educational Progress, also known as ISTEP+, is back again! All of last week, students in grades 3 through 8 sat down in separated desks with two, sharpened #2 pencils to take test after test. These tests measure students' mastery of basic English language, science, reading, writing, and mathematics skills. The Indiana Department of Education (http://www.doe.in.gov/achievement/assessment/istep-grades-3-8)  summarizes the ISTEPs as:

The purpose of the ISTEP+ program is to measure student achievement in the subject areas of English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science (Grades 4 and 6), and Social Studies (Grades 5 and 7). In particular, ISTEP+ reports student achievement levels according to the Indiana Academic Standards that were adopted in November 2000 by the Indiana State Board of Education. An Applied Skills Assessment and a Multiple-Choice Assessment, which are required components of the ISTEP+ program, are used to measure these standards.

 Since I am observing in an Indiana classroom and will most likely teach in Indiana after graduating, I was think about what  Indiana classroom teachers can do to help students prepare for a test that determines so much for a student, their teacher, and their school. I have come up with a list of appropriate activities that I feel a teacher can do to make these tests less stressful for students. 

1. Teachers need to understand that this is not a test that students can "cram" for. The teachers can find plenty of time in their curriculum to go over specific examples, show questions from past tests, and clear up any questions the students may have.
2. The teachers not only should prepare them for the content of the tests, but should also review some test-taking skills such as reading every question thoroughly and paying attention to any bold, italicized, and underlined words. 
3. The teachers should take the students to a computer lab to practice using computer skills as some schools will be giving part of the exam on a computer.
4. The teachers should explain to students that even though this test is important, it is not supposed to be stressful and it is not the end-all to everything. This test, in part, shows the teachers what they need to work on when teaching in following years, so it's not all on the students.
5. The teachers should not give the students any homework the nights before ISTEPs and should encourage the students to get plenty of sleep and eat a well-balanced, healthy breakfast. If allowed, apples and bananas could be provided for the students to eat as they unpack their bags in the morning.

I hope that all of these ideas can be helpful. I plan on using every one of them when I become a classroom teacher. There are also many helpful tips on the Indiana Department of Education website listed earlier in the blog. Good luck to all of the teachers and students out there who are part of the 2013 ISTEP program!