Aside from simulating test taking, most test preparation courses stress the importance of following directions, working rapidly, thinking clearly, and learning other elements of test-wiseness. (Author/IRT)

Generally, teachers are good students. Most know how to successfully address a variety of academic tasks demands. Many know how to compensate for any personal weaknesses they have with specific skills. Sometimes teachers are such good students that they forgot what it was like to struggle to learn something. Unfortunately, students with emotional…

Research shows that most students who received test-wiseness training scored much higher than did students of equal ability who had no training. Familiarity with the test format, the test-taking situation, and the conventions of the test contribute to good performance. (MT)

Describes difficulties Lawrence (Massachusetts) Public Schools teachers faced in accommodating the addition of two superintendent-mandated test-preparation programs to the curriculum after school district ranked last on Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) for the third year in a row. (PKP)

Recent special education legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) emphasizes the placement of students with mild disabilities in the general education classroom. Therefore, students with learning, behavior, and communicating disorders will typically be learning science from classroom teachers rather than in separate special…

Outlines a test wiseness program for elementary school students and presents guidelines for its implementation. The program is designed to help children overcome test anxiety and develop study skills to improve performance on standardized tests. Topics include understanding directions and wise use of time. (JAC)

Describes a reading course designed to increase efficiency and concentration on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. (MKM)

Suggests teaching study and test taking skills which many students do not pick up intuitively. Includes a list of study tips and test-taking techniques which may be duplicated and distributed to students. (DH)

After students take their first exam in an accounting course, tax accounting and intermediate accounting in this case, their reactions to their test scores may be varied. This is their first major assessment of how they have performed in the class. The students in the class near the high end of the grading scale are going to be satisfied with…

In this discussion on differences between white and black students in academic achievement, it is pointed out that apparent differences in scholastic ability may actually be differences in ways of thinking and relating to schooling which arise more from cultural background than from innate cognitive ability. It is suggested that disparities that…

Parents and teachers can help relieve student test-taking anxiety by redirecting the student from fear of failure toward productive study skills. (DF)

Presents a musical play designed to orient students to standardized tests by promoting appropriate test-taking skills and attitudes. Suggests effective staging techniques. (ABB)

Describes one Georgia high school's attempt to bridge the gap between quality instruction and standardized assessment. Outlines the school's continuous improvement plan to raise test scores, based on research and including a three-pronged focus on the environment, test-taking skills and knowledge of students and teachers, and the curriculum. Notes…

Teachers can do something to help ensure students will do better on tests. They can actively teach test-taking skills so pupils will be better armed in the battle to acquire knowledge. The author challenges teachers to use the suggestions provided in this article in the classroom, and to share them with their students. Test-taking strategies will…

In this world of increasing competition for jobs and accountability in the workplace, adults are facing many new pressures, one of which is passing tests as part of the application process. This is especially difficult for adults who are academically challenged or did not go far enough with their education to feel comfortable in testing…