By Ms. Frances Acin

This spring, all California students in grades 3-8 and 11 will take the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) in ELA and Math and the California Science Test (CAST) in grades 5, 8, 11, and 12. Here are some suggestions of things you can do to help your child prepare: 

• Encouragement

Encourage your child to do their best! Some students may be feeling anxious or nervous about the tests. Please reassure your child that they have been practicing and preparing for the entire school year and are ready for this assessment. Remind your child that the test results are only one way to show learning. Please do not attempt to help your child during the test by clarifying instructions or providing answers to questions. Instead, encourage your child to answer all questions by making an educated guess when they are unsure what the correct answer is. Most importantly, encourage your child to try their best on each question. 

• Sleep

Please ensure your child gets a good night’s sleep before the test. This will help them be cheerful and stay alert during the test. 

• Breakfast

Make sure your child eats a healthy breakfast. This will help them to have energy and to stay focused during the test. 

• Schedule 

Also, make sure that you read all emails and help your child be on time for their scheduled test. Create a quiet place where your child can take the test, and stay connected to your child’s teacher to understand expectations. Let’s make this testing experience the best it can be! 

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out”-Robert Collier