ISAT Testing: Planning & Prep
Spring 2020
Table of Contents
- Teacher Welcome Videos
- Message from Head of School, Kelly Edginton
- Staying Healthy at Testing
- Grades 6-12: ISAT Support from Your Subject Area Teachers
- Test Taking Anxiety & Strategies
Check out Your Teacher Welcome Videos!
It’s that time of year again!
In April and early May, all Idaho public school students, including Idaho Virtual Academy students, will be participating in state testing!
IDVA teachers and staff are very excited to welcome our students to testing centers across the state. They have prepared videos to introduce their smiling faces and friendly voices to our students.
Click on the links below to see the welcome videos of our teachers in all the regions across the state.
Moscow-Lewiston Welcome Video
Message from Kelly Edginton, Head of School
Dear Students,
We know you have been working towards your school goals this year, and we are excited about your academic growth! Your progress shows in many ways – through your daily assignments, your class assessments, your Map Growth assessments, your participation in class connect, and more. You have another big opportunity to show your growth, and that is the upcoming state test – the ISAT (3rd-10th grade) and/or the IRI (K-3rd grade).
You have been working hard! Have confidence, and you will do well! The test is simply an opportunity to show what you know. Be sure to continue working hard on your lessons and in your live classes, get plenty of rest the night before your test, eat a good breakfast, and arrive ready to show what you know!
We are proud of your hard work and the academic growth you are making!
Sincerely,
Kelly Edginton
IDVA Head of School
Staying Healthy at Testing
Due to heightened awareness of infectious disease, IDVA is taking extra precautions to help keep students and families healthy during testing.
- All students will be asked to wash their hands and use hand-sanitizer upon arrival at testing.
- Computers, keyboards and work spaces will be thoroughly disinfected after each student's use.
- Students are strongly encouraged to bring their own headsets to testing. If the student does not have one to bring, the testing sites have sets available to borrow. Each headset will be thoroughly sanitized between uses.
Healthy Practices to Follow:
- Stay home when sick until at least 24 hours after fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine.
- Cover coughs or sneezes with a bent arm or tissue and wash hands afterwards.
- Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, dry hand with a paper towel, and use the paper towel to turn off the faucet.
- Try to keep hands away from nose, mouth, and eyes.
- Avoid sharing food, drinks, cosmetics or personal care items (lip balm, eye drops, etc.)
Grades 6-12: ISAT Support from Your Subject Area Teachers
Students & Learning Coaches:
Please know that we appreciate your effort at doing your best on your ISAT tests. To support your time and effort, we are doing the following:
ELA
- All days on the Weekly Work Schedule will have assignments, but not all of these will involve new work.
- Some assignments will be called Work Days. Their purpose is to allow you to work ahead when you know your test days are coming up, and to catch up if you have gotten a little behind after missing days for testing.
SCIENCE
- All days on the Weekly Work Schedule will have assignments.
- Teachers have worked to adjust the number and type of assignments to accommodate for testing during the month of April.
- All science teachers are offering extra credit to encourage practice for the *New* Science ISAT.
MATH
- All days on the Weekly Work Schedule will have assignments, but not all of these will involve new work.
- Assignments on Fridays will be called Work Days. Their purpose is to allow you to work ahead when you know your test days are coming up, and to catch up if you have gotten a little behind after missing days for testing.
SOCIAL STUDIES
- All days on the Weekly Work Schedule will have assignments, but your teachers will remove some written assignments where possible.
ELECTIVES
- Please watch your Weekly Work Schedule carefully.
- Some courses will have Work Days so that you can plan ahead for testing and also catch up when you miss days for testing.
- Some courses will have fewer written assignments, and PE specifically will excuse workouts on your testing days—watch for instructions on how to mark this in your course.
ISID
- Watch all recordings for the days you are out testing.
- If you need 1-3 extra days to get your work done during your testing—PLEASE email your teachers the dates you are testing (or did test).
ALL COURSES
- Class Connect recordings will be available for students who miss class because of testing.
- Teachers who miss class because of test proctoring will provide a recording for the entire class.
- Use your time wisely to work ahead, and use the grace period as needed to catch up.
- If you still need extra time beyond the grace period, contact your course teacher as soon as possible before the grace period ends.
Test Taking Anxiety
What Causes Test-Taking Anxiety?
- Fear of failing
- Not being fully prepared
- Not having a good test-taking history
What Can Anxiety Feel Like?
- Bellyache
- Headache
- Shut-down
- Nervous
- Blank
- Fidgety
- Sweaty/hot
- Agitation, grumpy
- Racing heart
- Feeling "off," different than usual
- Foggy
Tips to Address Test-Taking Anxiety
1. Be Prepared for the Test
- Study the information you need, and feel prepared to face the test
2. Work on Test-taking Skills
- Read directions fully and carefully, outline writing assignments, and when possible/needed, revisit and check answers.
3. Stay Positive
- Negative thinking doesn’t do anyone any good, so stay positive.
4. Focus
- Stay focused on test, not things around you
- If/when possible, take a break to get the wiggles out
5. Practice Relaxation
- Take deep, relaxing breaths and relax tense muscles. Yoga movements and breathing is sometimes very helpful.
6. Be Healthy
- Make sure you get a full night’s sleep and eat a wholesome meal prior to the test.
7. Talk to Someone if Your Anxiety is Too Great
- Sometimes talking to a counselor or social worker can help
On the day of the test:
- eat a wholesome breakfast
- drink water
- get oxygen to your brain by stretching and moving
During the test:
- Read the directions thoroughly
- Read each question fully so you don’t miss a key component
- On questions that offer a passage full of information, make sure to completely read the passage (check back to it, too, if needed)
- On multiple-choice test questions, eliminate the answers that are clearly wrong
- Double-check your answers
- Do not skip a question
Helpful Resources:
Bertin, M. (2016, October 12). Body Scan for Kids
Mall, K. (2012, April 25). Teaching the top terrific test-taking tips [Blog post]
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (n.d.). Test Anxiety [Blog post]