Parents Face Test Anxiety New State Assessments Mean Kids Need Help At Home To Do Their Best

They grimaced. Rolled their eyes. Shook their heads.

Barbara Wahl, mother of three, remembers her friends’ expressions after they tackled sample versions of the new Washington state assessments their children now face.

Whitman Elementary School, like many others across the state, had invited parents in for a taste of the notoriously tough tests taken by students in grades four, seven and 10.

If the educators were aiming for empathy, they got it. Parents admitted to feeling sorry for their kids, while others felt a vague dread: How in the world would they help their children prepare?

“I see their homework coming home,” Wahl said.

“It’s over my head, and I have some college.”

Wahl, who volunteers at Garry Middle School and brushes shoulders with plenty of teachers, figures she’s absorbed more information about the tests than most parents.

She knows the tests, collectively called the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, represent a dramatic shift in teaching and learning. She knows they’re far more demanding than the traditional multiple-choice tests, where a student could at least hazard a guess.

And she knows the stakes are incredibly high. By the time her 8-year-old daughter, Katie, reaches high school, she won’t be able to graduate without passing the 10th-grade assessment.

Parents who haven’t paid much attention in the past are getting a reality check this month, as schools begin releasing students’ most recent test scores.

The good news: Students did better overall than last year.

The bad news: That still leaves just 37 percent of Washington’s fourth-graders and 24 percent of seventh-graders meeting the math standards. Only a third of 10th-graders, tested for the first time last year, met the standards for math.

While students did somewhat better in reading and listening - the writing results are delayed because of scoring errors - educators agree students and teachers have a long way to go to adapt to the new tests.

And parents have some catching up to do, too, if they hope to steer their children toward winning scores.

They don’t have to worry yet about new science assessments, which will be phased in over the next five years. And tests for social studies, history, fine arts and health and fitness won’t be mandatory for seven years.

But this year’s fourth-graders are in the limelight.

They’re likely the first class who will have to pass the high-school test or pass on a diploma, said Cheryl Mayo, deputy superintendent of learning and teaching at the state office of the superintendent of public instruction. “Unless of course the Legislature changes the time line,” she added.

State legislators laid the foundation for these assessments in 1993 when they passed a comprehensive education reform law.

The tests - which educators say measure not just knowledge but its application - count for a lot. Legislators say they’ll track schools where children fail in large numbers and hold them accountable, although exactly how or when that will happen hasn’t been decided.

While a state committee grapples with those details, parents can help by understanding where children have struggled on the tests, Mayo said. The most recent results, for instance, show kids have problems staying on task and following directions.

“It appears that they kind of glance at questions and right away jump to conclusions on what they’re supposed to do,” she said. “In math, they’re computing OK, but they’re having trouble explaining how they got their answers - going to that next level.”

State schools Superintendent Terry Bergeson suggests parents go straight to teachers for specifics about how individual children are doing. “I’d be in the schools saying, `What are you doing to prepare?’ Ask specifically, `What can my child do?”’ And while some parents feel overwhelmed themselves, educators say they can help a lot between now and spring, when the tests are given over a three-week period.

They’ll have plenty of opportunity to help with homework. Many educators believe that homework is most effective for children in early grades when it takes 20 minutes or less a day, said Nancy Paulu, who studies homework for the U.S. Department of Education.

But that increases to 20 to 40 minutes a day for most students in grades four through six, and up to 2 hours a day for students in grades seven through nine, Paulu said.

Educators have plenty of advice on where to start. Stories in today’s newspaper provide specific tips for helping children with math, reading and writing.

When test time arrives, Bergeson said, parents should let children know the assessments are important without panicking or pressuring them too much.

“A lot of grown-ups are worried, and we’re going to make the kids worry if we aren’t careful,” she said.

Talk through any test anxiety children may have. Make sure students get a good night’s sleep before test days. Prepare a solid breakfast.

Then, said Bergeson, “Let them know you love them no matter how they do. All you can expect them to do is their best.”

This sidebar appeared with the story: GUIDELINES HOMEWORK: A FEW WAYS YOU CAN HELP YOUR CHILD WITH SCHOOL Here’s how you can help your child with homework: set a regular homework time. Pick a quiet place with a lot of light. Remove distractions, including the telephone. Provide supplies and resources, from a dictionary to maps. Set a good example by routinely reading and writing at home. Show an interest in your child’s schoolwork. For instance, take your child to the library to check out material needed for homework. At the start of the year, ask about the school’s homework policy. How long should children spend each day? What kinds of assignments will they get? How can you be involved? When possible, be around when children are doing homework so they can ask for help. Look over completed assignments, but don’t do the work yourself. Figure out how your child learns best. Alone or with someone else? By seeing, hearing or handling things? Help your child structure time to complete assignments and avoid last-minute cramming. Help your child get started when assigned research reports or other big projects. Give practice tests. Talk with your child about assignments. Ask questions such as: Do you understand what you’re supposed to do? Does your answer make sense to you? Praise good work and improvement. Source: U.S. Department of Education