Do you have to administer state testing to anxious students? Whether you know so or not, you are more than likely going to have at least one anxious student in your class. Below are my go to tips for helping those students and students who struggle to focus make it through high stakes testing. Disclaimer: ALWAYS follow your state testing guidelines on what is allowable.

Tip #1 Don’t Make it a Big Deal!

My first tip is to not put unneeded pressure on your students. I always tell my kiddos that this test is to show me what we need to work on next year. While we might feel the pressure based on our district’s policies, stressing our students out doesn’t help matters. Our state moved away from a Pass/Fail model to an Above/At/Below Proficiency model. It then breaks it down into the standards students struggled with. This is so much more informative than previous state tests. Thankfully for me, my raise and job are not tied to student scores. For those of you that it is, may all the prayers and good thoughts be with you!! Just remember, students can sense your stress. (As someone who is ALWAYS stressed, I use all of these tips myself so I stay calm!)

Tip #2 Make Your Room a Calm Space

I test small groups of students so I can change my room set up as needed. For general education rooms, some planning might be necessary. I have one group of students that always want the lights off. Now that all tests are on the computer, the light from the screens and the bright lights in my room give them headaches. This is a super simple way to make them more comfortable. I have flexible seating always available, and prior to testing, students choose where they want to sit. As long as they aren’t sitting side by side, they use whatever seating is available. For a resource room or small classes, this is simple if you have the space and the seating options. Large gen ed classes need to be a little more creative. We have enough options that our gen ed teachers borrowed some seating options from the resource room.

Another part of creating a calm environment is to be calm yourself. Easier said than done right? Before students begin, practice some deep breathing, a prayer, meditation, a moment of reflection, mindful thinking, or whatever is appropriate for your school setting. Some of our teachers take students for a walk before testing to get the body moving and to enjoy some fresh air. Remind your students that during testing, if they need to stand and stretch, that’s ok! As long as they do it quietly, there is nothing wrong with stretching during testing. I know I can’t sit still for that long, imagine how they feel.

Tip #3 Know Your Students and Prepare for Their Needs

Being prepared limits the amount of disruptions during testing. If headphones are required for Text to Speech, test out the headphones before hand. If a student needs noise cancelling headphones, make sure they are out and ready to go. If a student usually has a stomach ache during testing because of anxiety, have those mints ready and on their desk. If you know your students and anticipate their needs, you reduce the amount of stress that could occur during testing. Same goes for accommodations. Make sure all accommodations are accurate for each student prior to testing. Nothing is more stressful than having a student begin testing and their text to speech accommodation isn’t set up! Mistakes happen, but double and triple checking will help ease your anxiety too.

Tip #3 Provide Gum or Mints

Did you know that our brains work better when we are chewing gum or sucking on a mint? Use that to your advantage! My students know that testing time means they get gum. They come in ready and excited for the special treat and it helps eliminate test anxiety. The gum gives their brains something else to focus on. You’d be amazed at how much this helps! I chew gum too because lets face it, I need a distraction too.

Tip #4 Keep Instruction Time Light

Most state testing, at least for us, comes toward the end of the year. Don’t dive into a ton of new concepts and expect huge effort from your students. High stakes testing take a toll on our students and on us. We all need a brain break! Play some review games, do a fun read aloud, let them be the teacher to review concepts. Make it fun and easy planning on your end. Or if the weather is nice, go outside for awhile. Even our junior high classes go outside and take a break when they are done testing.

When my small groups come to me, by the time they’ve tested, had in class instruction, and gone through the rest of their day, they are exhausted! There are so many ways we can still work on their goals without doing a paper/pencil activity or heavy instruction. Kahoot is our go-to when they need a break. We can review virtually any skill and have fun at the same time.

Tip #5 All the Quiet Fidgets!! (If allowed of course)

My students who fidget all day, still fidget during testing. They need access to their tools to stay focused. While I use a lot of popper tools during instruction and de-escalation, they are NOT quiet fidgets. Aaron’s Thinking Putty, a stress ball, Velcro on or in the desk, and spinning rings are all great options. Be sure to check with your Test Coordinator to see if use of quiet fidgets during testing is allowed. In some states, it needs to be included in the student’s learning plan as an accommodation. It’s also ok for YOU to have a quiet fidget if allowed. For us, we aren’t allowed to do anything except monitor our students. No grading, no reading, nothing. It is extremely boring, but having my mini stress ball in my hand makes it doable. I’m not distracting my students and I’m keeping myself busy while still monitoring testing.

Tip #6 Prepare Prepare Prepare

Don’t wait until the last minute to talk to your students about the tests. Work it into your daily schedule! Include it in your daily morning work. Teach test taking skills all year round. Review how to take a test and how to answer questions. Model everything! Find ways to mimic the test layout. Do you know how your state tests are laid out? Look at the formatting and find ways to incorporate it into your assessments. Does it have multiple choice only or does it have multiple answer questions? Do the multiple choice questions have circle choice boxes and the multiple answer questions have square choice boxes? Most states have a released items site where you and your students can look at questions and practice test taking skills. Model the difference between a short answer and an essay question. Explicitly teach how to answer short answer questions and essays. If your test is on a computer, make sure your students use computers throughout the year so they are comfortable typing responses. These are life long skills your students will need, so making it a part of your daily routine will help eliminate stress and better prepare them with proper test taking skills.

Note: This is VERY different from teaching to the test. This isn’t teaching what questions will be on the test. This is teaching HOW to take a test. You’re incorporating this into your daily curriculum, not changing the curriculum to match the test.

My final tip is for you. When those results come in and they aren’t exactly what you were hoping for, take a deep breath. Print those scores out and analyze where their strengths and weaknesses were. If there is a trend on one skill, make a note to maybe tweak or add to how you teach that skill next year. Look at your scores as how you can grow, not how you failed! You didn’t fail your students. You were the best teacher for them and don’t ever forget that. Here’s to finishing state testing strong! You can do it!