Our first day of MCAS testing went relatively smoothly for 6th grade today. Last year's MCAS were completely different with hybrid schedules in place and about 1/3 of our students testing remotely, and the year before (in 2020) the MCAS were cancelled entirely, so this feels like the first return to "regular testing." Of course, a ton has changed since 2019 in terms of technology use in the middle school, so nothing feels "regular" at all! But, in a way, it was a relief to take the training wheels off this morning and complete a full session on our journey through this spring's mandated tests.
We have been stressing to students (and teachers!) that these MCAS exams will be used for information only. Every town, state, and country struggled through the pandemic and with reopening this year, so it's reasonable to expect that some of the expected curriculum for each grade may not be fully in place at this time. The MCAS will be a helpful tool to identify (a.) what units of the grade-appropriate curriculum have not been mastered and will need to be taught in the coming years before kids graduate; and (b.) what units have been mastered, so teachers in upper grades can maintain the "status quo" with their curriculum. Within this second part, there will be students who have struggled with topics even though most of their peers understood it. We use MCAS results every year to identify those areas for students so teachers can close those gaps in the future. Remind your child they've been prepared for the tests like everyone else, and this is not a cause for stress. All they have to do is put in their best effort.
For students who struggle with test anxiety, a study* I read years ago found one strategy that helped reduce anxiety. They tried multiple approaches and only one strategy reliably reduced students' anxiety: writing about it. Our tendency is often to ignore anxiety or try not to call it out, but one of the devilish things about anxiety is that it feeds off itself. If I get nervous before a test, I might get butterflies in my stomach. Then, because my stomach is upset, I start to feel more anxious, which makes my nerves even worse. Suddenly, I'm worrying about the test but my nervousness is way bigger than it started. The best way to tackle this downward spiral is to write about your fears. What makes you nervous about testing? What could happen if your worst fears come true?
By identifying your fears, you gain a little control over them. They don't get bigger and more generalized; in fact, they often seem small and can feel like not such a big deal.
If you don't have time to have your child write a quick journal entry before school--ha!--you can talk about their anxiety in the car on the drive in or at home before they leave for the bus. Keep the conversation relatively light, and reflect what they say back to them: It sounds like you're nervous you might not know everything on the test. Is that right? Well, if you get stumped on a question, what should you do? In this way, you're helping your child identify good strategies, which further minimizes their fears and gives them some control. And, if you don't get everything right, who cares? It's not going to change what anyone thinks of you. Your teachers already know all that from teaching you all year! Positive affirmations that don't come off as fake, trite, or brushing off their concerns will help change an anxious child's script.
All of this is true for all the things that make us anxious, not just tests. Going to school in the morning is stressful for a lot of kids on a daily basis and asking them to give a specific example of what they're worried about can help them get their arms around a bigger problem. (Be careful not to minimize their problems, though. What's just "kid stuff" to us is their whole world!) Let them realize that it's manageable by asking how they would handle it if the worst thing happened.
OK, so you're worried there's going to be more drama with your friends today. Worst case, you don't want to sit with them at lunch, what would you do? Is there someone else you could sit with?
Another approach is to ask them what's one thing they're really looking forward to (even if it comes after school). This will help them envision something beyond the anxiety. Don't dwell on the book talk, think about working with So-and-So in Science! Avoiding anxiety is the worst approach, because it allows that fear to fester and grow. As adults, we can accidentally confirm kids' worst fears by keeping them away from it, reinforcing their negative beliefs that a problem is huge or that they can't handle it. Help them name the fear, plan strategies to deal with it, and focus on the positive.
If your child is struggling with anxiety:
- Contact their guidance counselor for advice.
- You can also contact their pediatrician to see if an appointment is needed. Sometimes bloodwork will reveal their levels are off on something easily readjusted.
- You can seek a referral through the INTERFACE system as a Braintree resident: https://interface.williamjames.edu/community/braintree. This works for adults too! If your kids' caregivers aren't OK, how can we expect them to be OK? Teach them how to take care of themselves by modeling getting help when you need it.
- The INTERFACE website also has some very useful information, and your health insurance company's website may, too.
* The study, for anyone interested, was: Ramirez, G. & Beilock, S. "Writing About Testing Worries Boosts Exam Performance in the Classroom." Science 331, pp.211-213 (2011).
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