STAAR (Practice) Info for Parents
A Ninja Pig News Addendum
Greetings!
I used to be afraid of all tests and quaked in my boots at the thought of having to be involved with this test. I don't feel that way anymore. Here's why:
1. Your children have been working hard and are dedicated to doing their best.
2. We have begun to slowly take apart the genre of STAAR testing. They are beginning to understand this unique way of showing what we know.
3. We haven't taught all of the curricula that will be tested. No grades go in the grade book and we don't expect mastery of third grade TEKS yet. We want to see where everyone is working and let students practice their stamina.
4. We've been using scantrons and testing at the end of reading, science, and math units all year. Your children know what to expect.
Just Remember: These tests are one piece of your child's academic life. They only show us what your child can do on that particular day. You are going to see the results and think, "Well, I already knew that about my child."
Please read over the few things that will make your child relaxed and ready for testing.
What You Can Do At Home:
**Make sure all electronic devices are plugged in away from them on these nights. Take those absorbing books that can't be put down and hide them under your bed. Unplug the TVs...
(Please be at school by 7:30 on testing days. We start at exactly 7:50.)
2. Your children are going to need/want snacks and a water bottle for these two days. If you are an anti-snacker or "kids pack it themselves" type of parent, please change your belief on these two days. Snacks and drinks provide mental breaks from testing. Your child will need to have these.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, DO NOT pack anything that leaves stains!! (Orange chip dust, applesauce, yogurts, etc.)
3. All snacks must be unwrapped and poured/placed into containers or baggies that make no noises. The room will be deathly quiet and those crinkly package sounds seem to be a thousand times louder on testing days. *All snacks and water bottles will be on the floor next to your child at all times.
4. Send in gum or lollipops/hard candy for extra concentration support. Make sure things aren't crinkly sounding and are ready to go in a baggie. (A pack of gum is quiet enough without unwrapping it.)
5. If your child has a runny nose, send in a travel size pack of tissues. If they don't usually have an issue, don't bother. It gets in the way. Please send in tissues only if allergies are really a mess on these two days. *Students can't get up during testing when they want. They have to raise their hand and wait for me to get to them. This helps my drippers!!
6. Talk positively with your child about this test. In our room we call this a "Celebration of Knowledge" or a "show what you know" day. Give them a good breakfast (let them research good brain boosters and help them have that kind of start). Hug that cutie and send them to me.
7. Let your child dress in comfortable layers on these two days. They are sitting/standing for a long time. They'll need a light jacket in case they get cold. They will take their shoes off; so, if they like socks, make sure they've got a pair on. *They do wear shoes to the bathroom.
8. Students have been working on self-monitoring when they need to take a brain break, pacing for getting finished before the four hours are up, and checking work for problems that were tricky the first time through the test.
9. Expect them to act insane when they get home on these two afternoons. They have been giving 110% these two days. They WILL be crazy at sport practices or at home. It's going to happen. Please just hug them and give them a lot of grace on these two days.
10. Please don't come for lunch on these two days. Leave lunches on the carts and let us practice for the real deal.