Gearing Up For State Testing

The beginning of spring in MN can only mean one thing other than no more signs of snow and budding trees…state testing.  It's a stressful time for students, staff, and administration.  Perhaps stressful is an underestimation, but I know that everyone has worked hard to make the most of our learning time and opportunities.  Now it's time to let the students shine!

Last week, we went to the Minnesota Speech-Langauge and Hearing Association conference and were so lucky to have an afternoon session with Julia Cook.  She shared so much more than her books, and her comments about "spinning" resonated with us.  Instead of telling students they "have to" take the test, we can tell them, that they "get to" take the test.  They get to show their smarts.  They get to show off everything they've learned.  They get to make everyone proud

We decided to show this short video from Julia to talk a bit about test anxiety.  The kids loved it!



Next we read one of two books, "The Anti-Test Anxiety Society" and "Wilma Jean Worry Machine," depending on our groups and their needs.

We reviewed different calming strategies that we have used throughout the year, Lazy Eight and Six-Sided Breathing from the Zones of Regulation  by Leah Kuypers.  We reviewed other strategies that we have used, too.  We also made sure that the students had their calming apps on their iPads and reviewed how to use them.  While the students have different apps, most of them really like Pocket Pond, Breathe2Relax, Smiling Mind, Sand Magic, and Flow Free. 

And finally, we like to deliver mints to our students with a personalized note.  It seems to make a big difference!