3 minute read
Conclusion
from De-Stress the Test
When students have help and support during the learning process, they are less likely to experience a stress event while taking a test. When working to learn new skills and concepts, students who have just the right amount of stress and pressure applied to their unique situation will be able to persevere in the learning process. When learning hasn’t been derailed, students will be more inclined to feel prepared when high-stakes tests are administered.
De-stressing the test demands that teachers examine everyday stressors that students might encounter at school. There are at least six areas that teachers can assess and possibly modify to help reduce student stress in the classroom, including: (1) physical environment; (2) schedules, time pressures, and constraints; (3) chaos and confusion; (4) basic needs; (5) social-emotional culture; and (6) challenging academics. Promoting a brain-friendly classroom environment will help create those critical positive protective factors that can make a huge difference for students during the learning process. This will ultimately help them feel more prepared for high-stakes tests.
Students dread this phrase. Tests, especially those that are high stakes, can create stressful classroom experiences that hinder students’ learning and negatively impact their overall performance. But tests don’t have to. With De-Stress the Test: Brain-Friendly Strategies to Prepare Students for High-Stakes Assessments, K–12 teachers will gain actionable steps to alleviate student anxiety and create classrooms full of focus and learning. Using her deep knowledge of brain research, author Martha Kaufeldt offers an accessible biological breakdown of the brain’s reaction to stress and practical techniques to increase students’ confidence and calm. Students deserve to learn and develop without experiencing needless stress and anxiety, and De-Stress the Test is just the tool to make that a reality.
Readers will:
• Understand the negative effects high-stakes tests (those that have great consequences for students, staff, or schools) can have on students, teachers, and parents • Help students develop agency through self-efficacy, a growth mindset, and perseverance • Use formative assessments to provide immediate, meaningful, and constructive feedback and communicate the power of do-overs • Learn classroom mindfulness practices to teach students self-regulation strategies • Gain short- and long-term test-preparation methods to ensure students’ mental, emotional, and physical readiness for tests
“Martha Kaufeldt offers teachers and parents many brain-friendly and practical suggestions for lowering students’ stress so they can perform better on tests and get greater satisfaction from their accomplishments. I highly recommend this valuable guide.” —David A. Sousa Author and Consultant on Educational Neuroscience
“De-Stress the Test includes practical, compelling, and multifaceted strategies to create body- and brain-friendly classrooms and develop student agency, mindfulness practices to reduce stress, and test prep that includes formative assessments and vocabulary development. A must-have toolbox for teachers!” —Wendy Baron Cofounder and Chief Officer of Social and Emotional Learning, New Teacher Center
“In school, we take tests. In life, we are tested. De-Stress the Test is a wonderful book that helps teachers and students relax, focus, and achieve when it matters most, without getting caught up in what matters least.” —Alex Kajitani Speaker, Author, and California Teacher of the Year
“As a school principal, I look forward to implementing Martha’s strategies to help my students manage their anxiety toward testing and other life situations when they must manage their emotions. Martha has the experience and has completed the work to ‘de-stress’ ourselves and our students as we prepare for testing.”
—Don Parker Principal, Posen Intermediate School, Posen, Illinois; Author, Building Bridges; Educational Consultant and Speaker
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/assessment to download the free reproducibles in this book.
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