October 16, 2013
8:30 a.m.
Bethune Cafeteria
Tenika Booth
Parent Liaison
Sponsored by Title I
Getting Ready
For The ITBS:
A Parent’s
Guide To
Testing
Test Taking
 Types
of Test
 How Are Test Scored?
 What Test DON’T Measure
 Ask Your Child’s Teacher…….
 How You Can Help at Home…..
Types of Test
 Aptitude


Test
Measure general
knowledge rather
than knowledge in
a specific subject
SAT and ACT
 Achievement


Test
Measure specific
knowledge and
skills in a particular
content area such
as science, math,
English, and social
studies.
Iowa Test of Basic
Skills
How Test Are Scored
All tests are scored in two ways:

Norm-referencing

The technique shows a students results to a “norm”
group of students at the same grade level.



Example: if your child scored in the 38th percentile on her
reading test, she would be ranked 38th out of a national
norm of 100 students.
The ITBS is a norm referencing test
Criterion-Referencing

This technique shows a students results in comparison to
a benchmark or set standard of acceptable
performance.
What Standardized Test DON’T
Measure



It is important to remember that there are
other indicators of a child’s knowledge and
skill level.
Tests do not measure school quality, these test
are successful at differentiation—giving
parents accurate information about how their
child is performing in comparison to his or her
peers.
Overall Student Performance

Standardized test are NOT designed to be the
single determinant of a student’s achievement
and knowledge.
Ask Your Child’s Teacher….









How does the school use the data from the test?
What other forms of assessment are used in the classroom?
How does the test content relate to the curriculum being
taught?
What do you do to prepare children for the test?
How much time is given to topics not on standardized
tests?
What can I do at home to help my child prepare?
Ask if the test is short-answer, multiple choice, essay or a
combination of the three.
Will the student be penalized for incorrect answers or
should they guess randomly when a question is
challenging?
If my child performs poorly, can he take the test again?
How You Can Help at
Home…..




Teachers tell us that successful test takers are
students with good attendance, completed
homework, and study habits.
Your daily assistance with homework and attitude
toward school have the biggest impact on your
child’s performance.
Teachers tell us that students who struggle the
most on testing days are the ones who didn’t have
enough sleep or a good breakfast the day of the
test.
Student mentally and physically unprepared often
encounter problems.
How You Can Help at
Home….
 Set
a study schedule
 Designate a study space
 Ask your child what she thinks is on the
test?
 Remember test taking basics


Read the question all the way through
Answer the questions she knows well, then
return to the questions she’s unsure of later.
Let’s Review…..
 Types
of Test
 How tests are scored
 What Standardized Tests DON’T Measure
 Ask Your Child’s Teacher……
 How You Can Help at Home….