Summer 2020 my son will be doing his 1st year of state testing for 5thgrade. I’m nervous I’m not doing enough to prepare him. I’ve printed all the state test information and what to expect but the way its explained is confusing (especially ELA)
We have been doing lifepac math and LA but are finding that it jumps around too much and doesnt really spend enough time on specific concepts for them to be mastered.
We are switching to lessons for a living education for math and language lesson for today for LA, story of the world, science is Daily Science, spelling is with the Webster dictionary (defining and spelling practice), bible time and read aloud Harry Potter and Narnia and rush revere series.
With all that said I’d love to hear if anyone has input of what I should add to our curriculum to better prepare us for standardized testing.
Thanks
My main advice would be teach test etiquette. Make sure he’s familiar with Scantrons and multiple choice quizzes.
Since in Oregon the county determines how tests are used, if you are in a county that doesn’t require tests sent in I wouldn’t change anything. That way the test will accurately show how he’s learning. If you find he tests lower in one area you can always add it the next year.
Has your son ever done a Standardized Test before? You could always do one this year that you administer, just for “practice” basically, to get him used to some of the questions, filling out bubbles etc… If you can use a test by the same maker as the one he’ll be required to take, that would help too–but if not, another version can still give you both a feel for testing. I really wouldn’t worry about it too much though!
This is the first year for testing. I havent tried practice tests either not sure where to acquire similar tests to the state tests.
I think my biggest fear is he will blank out or over think questions and make silly mistakes that I know he knows
I’d encourage you not to give Standardized Tests more weight than they deserve. They are one data point–not at all a complete picture of how well your student is doing. Lots of kids do forget things or over-think questions–he won’t be alone if he does that! Here’s a link that does a nice, clear job of explaining what test percentile ranks mean (which I find many people misunderstand) and also what happens if your son scores in the 15th percentile rank or lower: http://www.ohen.org/homeschooling-in-oregon/summary-of-testing-requirements-for-homeschoolers/
Hopefully that will set your mind at ease a bit!