When our students hear the word "test" they cringe and you can see the fear on their face. When we start to talk about the standardized test, that fear turns to panic and sheer horror. Thoughts flood their minds,  "I'm going to have to repeat 5th grade! My parents are going to ground me forever if I don't pass this test. Maybe I can pretend I'm sick and get out of the whole test. I wonder if I broke my writing arm if I would have to do it?" After 40 years of combined teaching at grade levels where standardized tests are administered, we have developed a TOP 10 LIST that we think will help not only your students, but yourself cope with the "stress of the test." #1: Treats! What student, or teacher for that matter, doesn't love treats? About a week before the test begins we read a letter to our students about how their parents can bring in healthy snacks and healthy drinks on the days of the test. This gets the students excited.......

With the rise of technology, standardized testing is not the same today as it used to be. The biggest hurdle is familiarizing students with the tools that they need to be able to use within the test itself.   After reviewing and dissecting test questions and scores from last year, my teaching partner and I came to the conclusion that our largest pitfall was our students' ability to manipulate the technology enhanced questions.   So, how do we overcome this hurdle?  Provide opportunity for practice and expose students to the type of questions that they may encounter.   Five of the most common type of questions I have found to occur on the computerized standardized tests are the follow: Drag and Drop Students are required to drag an item from one part of the screen to another.   Multiple Select These types of questions are similar to multiple choice with one major exception, students select more than one answer.   Text Sel......