Making the Best Out of Standardized Tests

Over the past several years, there has been a great deal of controversy regarding standardized testing. While some view these tests as necessary benchmarks with which to measure students' (and, in many cases, teachers') performances, others worry that the tests take an inappropriate one-size-fits-all approach to measuring learning — which can be highly problematic for students who do not do their best work in a high-stakes testing environment. Despite the controversy over these tests, they are still widely used. Even if you don't agree with the high-stakes testing process, the results can be used to help your child.

How? By simply helping her change her attitude toward standardized-test results. Help her to view the results not as an indication of areas of "failure", but rather as a tool that can show both of you where her strengths are, and in which areas she might need tutoring.

Once these issues are identified, you can structure tutoring sessions that cultivate your student's areas of strength and improve her areas of weakness.

In areas where she is strong, you can skip past "skill-drill" activities like filling out worksheets and responding to rapid-fire quiz questions. Instead, you can help her satisfy her intellectual curiosity by introducing more advanced concepts and giving her time to work and explore independently (e.g., by reading a self-selected book on the topic, by completing a mini-research project).

For problematic areas where more help is needed, you should create more structured tutoring sessions. Help her to identify exactly where she has problems with the material. Is she struggling with a basic concept, or with the steps that are necessary to arrive at an answer? By pinpointing where her confusion lies, you can create an effective tutoring plan. This plan should include direct instruction, methodical pacing (i.e., slower than the pacing of a lesson on a topic she fully understands), and activities with clear-cut directions and processes.

By utilizing assessment results to help your child succeed, you are using testing for what should be its true purpose: helping students become better learners. If you are interested in hiring a tutor who is an expert in a specific academic area, check out our comprehensive list of pros here.