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Articles for Teachers

These articles are written especially for teachers by our Buddy Project staff.

Test Scores: One Piece of the Puzzle

A huge puzzle has just been dumped into your lap. One with what seems like a thousand pieces. Lifting up the lid of the puzzle box, you find yourself looking at the faces of all your students. Throughout the year of educating a student, a myriad of information is dumped in your lap: health, personality traits, interests, abilities, classroom grades, motivation, and test scores. Like a huge puzzle, it’s hard to figure out which pieces need to be worked with first and which way you should turn them to see how they fit.

Standardized tests are one piece of the puzzle that some might call an all-important corner piece. Others might say it’s from a different puzzle and just rather throw it out. No matter what your opinion of these tests, they’re here, and probably here to stay. In order to take advantage of this piece of the puzzle, you need to keep it in perspective and be able to communicate this perspective to parents.

Parents need guidance in understanding the significance of test scores. Try to use everyday language in explaining the real purpose of the test. The following links may help in your explanations:

• Norm-Referenced Tests VS. Criterion-Referenced Tests
• Understanding Test Scores

It’s also crucial to compare your own classroom assessments with test scores. If there is a discrepancy, parents need to understand why. Outline what skills were measured. Convey to parents what the test tells as well as what it does not tell. Children have many qualities to be treasured that can’t be measured. Check out the following link for some tips to talking to parents: Talking to your Child's Teacher about Standardized Tests.

If test scores were lower than hoped, try to educate parents about some elements that are conducive to good test scores: a good night’s rest, a hearty breakfast, testing confidence, test taking skills, knowledge of content, skills, and motivation to perform well. Obstacles include learning disabilities, English as a second language, and stress.

Communicating test scores to students is a balancing act. Explain that test scores are one assessment that, in addition to your own classroom assessments, can help determine their academic strengths and weaknesses. Make it clear, though, that many factors can affect scores on these tests and that scores can vary from day to day. Together, set specific, realistic goals for improvement.

Remember that you, your students, and their parents have different pieces of the puzzle to add to the total picture of their educational journeys. Work cooperatively to start piecing them together, to better understand each student’s strengths and weaknesses.

Resources and Related Links:

• National Survey Gauges Parent Perceptions of State-Mandated, Standardized Tests
• What Parents Can Do