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• A 504 Plan may be an option if a diagnosis or a disability is present. A 504 Plan spells out the modifications and accommodations that will be needed for the student to have an opportunity to perform at the same level as their peers. Testing modifications can be made if it is severely impacting the student educationally. These modifications can include tests taken in a small group, oral directions given, taking a test in a separate space away from distractions, or allowing more time to complete a test.

• Seek professional help if the anxiety is interfering with normal activities; eating sleeping, physical health, friendships, it can progress to panic attacks, OCD, and phobias if coping strategies are not put in place.

Teacher Help

Teachers went into teaching because they want to help students and they want their students to be successful. There are also things teachers can do to ease test anxiety:

• Start the test/quiz with an easy one!

• Listen to your students and get their feedback [verbal/ written] before the test to determine what is still unclear or what they are nervous about.

• Survey after the test, review or re-teach what was not understood.

• Have students write what they were thinking about during the test, collect the statements and go through how many of them were positive thoughts or negative and then brainstorm how to change all the thoughts to positive ones so the next time anxiety can be reduce.

School counselors can also assist in making a plan to help students prepare and learn techniques to take control of anxiety. One of the most memorable teachers I had gave out the test questions before hand and we were in control of our fate. If you studied and found the answers you did well, if you did not, knowing the questions didn’t help you one bit—I always appreciated that Ms Barbie!

I find it interesting that in the working world [which is the ultimate destination and reason for preparing and educating students] we aren’t tested weekly on what we know. We have tasks and projects to be completed daily that we are continually evaluated on. In the school setting, if daily work carried more weight than tests, it could greatly relieve test anxiety conditions for many, which coincidently would help test scores go up. But, as long as there are tests, there will be test anxiety. We can all do our part to help limit that anxiety and give our students the best opportunity to succeed.

Celebrating her 28th year as a local business woman, Bridget Swenson has worked much of her adult life in retail. Before graduating from college she started working in a women’s clothing store in the alteration department. With an eye for style and desirable management skills she soon moved into management, merchandising and buying. It wasn’t long before Bridget decided if she was going to continue working retail hours it might as well be for herself. She contacted the Small Business Administration, met with people like Ed Stern from Straus and the Small Business Development Center at MSUM to help put a business plan together. Before she knew it Bridget’s on the Mall opened in 1982.