As a teacher this is a crucial time of year for us as well as for students. I teach 7th and 8th grade math and am currently reviewing for the CST's. As a teacher i hate the fact that we have to put so much energy into this one test, yet it is a necessary evil. (they will be changing testing in a few years and we will be back to square one) Anyway, since we can't avoid testing, a few pointers to help your student through it.
Get good rest, eat a good breakfast and make sure your child is at school and doing all they can to study and cooperate with the teacher. Each teacher is trying to all they can to make their students successful, and we need the help of other teachers, the students and you as parents. We all have to buy into being successful and doing their best even if we might not agree with testing.
The most important thing is to stay positive and strive to do your very best, not your best friends best. A students goal should be to get 5 points higher then they did last year, and generally with that goal in mind they do more than 5 points. it will be great satisfaction when in the fall they recieve their scores and they have gone up.
So during this time of year, promote positivity and success and help your child do their very best.
Michele
