High Stakes Testing in the Classroom Sound assessment practices and policies encourage individual academic gains and overall academic improvement in schools. While classroom assessment typically involves a myriad of factors that represent the progress or achievement of a student in a variety of ways, a new kind of assessment has permeated education, high stakes testing. Once reserved for students gaining admission to competitive colleges or graduate programs, high stakes testing now reaches all students. Among other things, it often determines grade promotion and high school graduation for students, as well as performance status for schools under the No Child Left Behind Act. Educators must prepare students to perform satisfactorily on high stakes tests. The following tips may help you incorporate high stakes testing preparation into your classroom. Preparing Your Class for High Stakes Tests Help students become familiar with the content and format of the test. If there are specific objectives or standards that are tested, be certain students understand the facts or skills specified by each standard. Sharing this information with students can help ease anxiety about what they think is the "unknown." Infuse your instruction with test question practice. Incorporate the various types of questions students will encounter on their test—multiple choice, short response, and/or essays—into daily instruction and model strategies for dealing with all types of questions. Share with students your knowledge about how the tests are scored. If available, share the rubrics used to score writing tests and share the cut scores for other core area tests. Students who understand cut scores and scoring practices create a goal and work toward that goal. Teach "test" vocabulary. Review released tests, if available, and search for key test words that students may not know. Words like "elicit" and "infer" are words that may show up in a question and confuse a student. Familiarization with words may help a student choose a correct answer. Review the correct and incorrect answers to practice tests. Discussing incorrect responses can correct misunderstandings. Teach your students test-taking strategies. Teach students how and when to use test-taking strategies. Test Strategy How or When to Use It Process of elimination When you know at least one answer that is incorrect, cross it off the list. Eliminate the answers that are least likely to be true. Pacing Wear a watch to the test or sit near the clock. Marking in the test booklet Circle key task words such as "opposite" or "not." Underline key phrases. Check that this is permissible. Highlighting Highlight key facts in written texts, task words, and skipped questions. Skipping questions Skip questions that are very difficult or time consuming, mark them on the test booklet, and return when all other questions are complete. Use with caution. Guessing Make a best guess as a last resort. Use process of elimination first. Helping Struggling Students Succeed Regardless of grouping practices, in every classroom there will be students of various abilities and skill levels. High stakes tests create a unique obstacle to struggling students, and teachers should plan special activities to help struggling students prepare. Pair struggling students with a student who has solid content knowledge. Students who are struggling can benefit and learn from students with a greater mastery of the skill or better grasp of the subject matter. Pair struggling students with a student who has already performed satisfactorily on the high stakes test. One-on-one is usually non-threatening and the successful student may share ideas or tips that will help the struggling student. Promote confidence in the struggling student. Knowledge that the teacher believes in a struggling student's ability transfers to increased self-confidence. Emphasize breaking down tasks and completing one thing at a time. Coach struggling students through appropriate test-taking methodology, emphasizing strategies they can implement when they do not understand or know the answer to a question. Teachers must be a support network for all students as they work to perform satisfactorily on high stakes tests. This article was contributed by Janice Christy, M.Ed., English Department Chair at Louisa County High School in Louisa, Virginia.