Here is a re-post of my blog from last year on standardized testing. It begins next week at Sts. Peter & Paul School. The Department of Catholic Schools uses the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (IOWAs), a norm referenced battery of standardized tests, every fall in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. 
According to IOWA test publishers Riverside Publishers, fall testing is more desirable than spring testing.
Two important uses of test scores are to check year-to-year progress and to determine areas of relative strength and weakness. To accomplish these purposes most effectively, test results must be available early enough in the school year so that teachers and administrators have a chance to incorporate this diagnostic information into their instructional decisions.
Diagnostic information . . . and remediation strategies can be developed based on the information from fall testing. Used properly, these results offer a predictable glimpse of which students are most at risk of not meeting academic performance goals. . . (and) allows districts to effectively use test results in a collaborative way.
Longitudinal patterns can be used to focus professional development strategies or determine instructional areas that need additional resources.
So what can you do to achieve top performance? In my 2009 blog,
Standardized Testing on the Horizon! (9/16/2009), these tips were shared:
- Stay positive
- Relax
- Pace yourself
- Review your answers
- Enjoy a healthy snack and maintain a balanced diet
- Get a good night’s sleep
- Get some exercise
Good luck!
Graphic from open source images englishtutors.languagespirit.com
