I could go on about how much I hate the attention teachers are forced to pay to high-stakes, standardized tests, but I’ve already covered that in other posts. So I’ll save everyone time and just jump right in! High-stakes, standardized testing isn’t going away, so I’ve decided to create a pretty comprehensive blog series to help middle school teachers prepare their students for those tests. The series will be broken down by skills, but I’ve decided to start with a few general test prep strategies for middle school ELA and reading.
Pay attention to reading stamina.
Reading stamina is the ability to focus on a text for a sustained amount of time, and it is a problem for many middle school students. This issue is especially problematic when it comes to reading tests. I’ve personally witnessed students completely checking out on the first few passages of an hours-long test. I’ve addressed the issue in a few different ways with my students. Reading stamina is a concept that I made sure my students were aware of. It is a difficult task even for adults to read a long passage that they aren’t particularly interested in, so I made sure that the day of the test wasn’t the first day my students were tasked with that. I always like to include a variety of styles when it comes to reading in class, including whole-class reading and opportunities to read aloud with a partner, but as the year goes on, I prioritize shifting to independent reading of texts that I selected. I start with shorter texts and move up to longer ones. It is also important to mention the reason and intent behind the shift, so I make sure to inform my students that we are focusing on increasing their reading stamina when they are reading assigned texts independently.
Get parents on board.
Having parents buy-in is always a good idea, especially when it comes to test prep. As you begin test prep in class, consider sending a message, email, or letter to let them know how important fully participating in class is. Since test prep isn’t always the most engaging thing in the world, this should also help with any behavior issues that might crop up. Many parents would also love to know what they can do at home to help their students prepare for the test. I would suggest mentioning that building time in the day to both read and discuss what they’re reading is the most valuable thing they can do!
Check in regularly with students.
It is very helpful to touch base with students individually as you review for end-of-year tests. It is a good idea at the start so you can let them know which skills in particular they really need to focus on. My favorite thing to do, though, is to take time to sit down with them individually right before the test to give them personalized tips and support. Of course, I tell every student to make sure they read every word of every passage. A teacher on my team used to always type individual notes to give to her students on the morning of the test, and they always really loved that!
Spending time preparing your students to take end-of-year tests isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, but it can benefit your students. These strategies have helped me make the most of test prep and really prepare my students! This is the first blog post in a series about test prep strategies for middle school ELA & reading, so click here to join my mailing list if you want to be the first to know when I have new blog posts!
