Your child will be taking the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) tomorrow.
You should:
a) Tell her that standardized tests are a waste of time.
b) Stay up late studying all of his textbooks.
c) Skip breakfast in favor of sharpening #2 pencils.
d) None of the above.

Many parents and teachers have strong opinions about the value of testing students. While the debate continues, children today are becoming part of a tested generation. The federal No Child Left Behind Act testing schedule now requires yearly testing for all children in grades three through eight, and again in grade eleven. Maine's new diploma system is currently moving through the legislature, and will soon require students to meet Maine's Learning Results standards in order to receive a high school diploma. With the current pressure on students to show what they know, many parents are concerned about their children's ability to perform well on tests. What can parents do to help prepare children for testing?

First, know why the test is being given and what it will cover. Students need to prepare differently for classroom assessments than for standardized tests. If the test is designed by the classroom teacher, many of the good study habits that parents learned in school will help children today. Planning study time over a longer period, identifying chapters and notes that will be covered, and using index cards for notes are still valuable tools for students to use. Knowing your child's learning style can also be important when helping your child develop successful study habits.

Preparing your child to take standardized tests requires a different approach. The MEA's are designed to measure student knowledge in broad areas, spanning an entire school year. Parents can help children prepare for tests like this by teaching children how to use what they already know. Coach your child on test-taking "tricks":
-Read all questions and directions carefully.
-Beware of True and False questions. If any part of the statement is false, the whole thing is false. Pay close attention to words like always and never which can help decide the answer.
-Multiple choice questions should be read all the way through before choosing an answer. If you aren't sure of the answer, make a guess, unless your teacher tells you otherwise.

Maine PIRC (Parent Information and Resource Center)
PO Box 2067 Augusta, ME 04338
1-800-870-7746 or (207) 623-2144
Website: www.mpf.org Email: parentconnect@mpf.org