Meeting Testing Standards

For Parents Meeting Testing Standards (NAPSA)—With standardized testing raising the bar on what’s expected of children in school, parents are doing their part to help their children succeed. To excel, children need to understand and be able to apply what they are being taught. ok ‘ The answerin scoring well on standardized testing may be to build a child’s confidence. Here are sometips from Douglas B. Reeves, Ph.D., of the Center for Performance Assessment and author of 20-Minute Learning Connection: A Practical Guide for Parents Who Want to Help Their Children Succeed in School: *Understand that a child’s biggest test anxiety is that he may disappoint his parents. Reassure him that you'll always love him. Encourage your child to verbalize his worst-case scenario. Doing so may help him gain a morerealistic outlook. *Build confidence through practice by taking advantage of affordable high-tech learning tools such as Newton’s Quest, new com- puter software designed to help children understand basic math and reading skills covered on standardized exams. This series offers extensive practice in a fun, interactive environment to help sharpen a child’s test-taking skills and extend his knowledge beyond the classroom. *Teach optimism. Your child needs to know he can bounce back—even during an exam. For more tips on how you can help your children enjoy school and feel successful there, visit www.education.com.