| A huge puzzle has just been
dumped into your lap. One with what seems like a thousand
pieces.  Lifting
up the lid of the puzzle box, you find yourself looking at
the face of your child. Throughout the years of educating
your child, a myriad of information is dumped in your lap:
health, personality traits, interests, abilities, grades,
and now, test scores. And just like a huge puzzle, it’s
hard to figure out which pieces need to be worked with first
and which way you should turn them to see how they fit.
Standardized tests are one piece of the puzzle that some
would call an all-important corner piece. Others would say
it’s from a different puzzle and just rather throw it
out. No matter what your opinion of these tests, they’re
here, and probably here to stay. In order to take advantage
of this piece of the puzzle, you need to keep it in perspective.
So, before you panic or celebrate your child’s test
scores, try to keep in mind that these scores only represent
a snapshot of your child’s academic achievement. They
are a reflection of a single day in the life of your child.
They are only one piece of the puzzle.
Maybe, it was an amazingly great day. Your Susie went to
bed a half-hour earlier the night before and dined on waffles,
bacon and orange juice for breakfast. She sat by her best
friend on the bus and didn’t fight with anyone on the
playground. She wasn’t at all nervous about taking the
test and could read all the questions.
Or, perhaps, your Susie’s grandpa had a stroke the
night before and she was up very late at the hospital. You
both had a fight about what she was going to wear and consequently,
she missed breakfast and the bus. Just as she sat down to
take her test, her best “enemy” commented on how
ugly her outfit was. Maybe, it was an amazingly awful day.
Many other elements will influence those scores. Did your
child guess? Were directions given clearly and also followed
carefully? Did your child take the test too seriously, or
not seriously enough?
Okay, now that you understand some of the factors that may
influence your child’s scores, take a closer look at
those scores. Do you really understand what the numbers mean?
Do you understand the skills that were measured? Look how
close your child’s score was to the Pass line. If it
was close, remember it could go either way next time.
Take the time to really discuss your concerns and questions
with your child’s teacher. Remember that both you and
her teacher have different pieces of the puzzle to add to
the total picture of your child. Work cooperatively to start
piecing them together, to better understand your child’s
strengths and weaknesses.
Don’t forget to include your child in on putting together
this puzzle. He or she may hold several pieces you’ve
never seen before. Stay positive and relaxed about testing
and test results and help your child keep a balanced perspective.
Topics of discussion with your child’s teacher:
- How much time was devoted to test preparation and practice?
- How does this test influence your curriculum?
- Could my child read the questions?
- Did he or she understand the directions?
- Do these test scores seem to be in line with my child’s
classroom achievement? If they are different, why?
- Do the results have an impact on my child’s educational
program?
- What goals would you like to set for my child?
- What can I do at home to help my child strengthen weaker
skills?
Topics of discussion with your child:
- Were you nervous taking this test?
- Could you read the questions?
- Did you understand the directions?
- What seemed the easiest on the test? The hardest?
- How do you feel about these test scores?
- What are you the most proud of?
- What goal would you like to set?
Your child is like a puzzle and if one piece is missing,
you'll never see the whole picture. |
