Standardized testing has been at the center of great controversy for years. While some believe it is necessary as a checks and balances on our educational system, others believe it takes away precious classroom teaching time, does not focus on critical thinking, and creates a culture of stress for our students. The national conversation on standardized testing has been criticized, praised, and even renamed.
But, what has been missing from the conversation is how to help our students through the process.
School districts have placed undo pressure on students and teachers to increase achievement in standardized scores. District officials pass their stress onto school administrators who then lean heavily on teachers to increase achievement. Chants, special snacks, letters to parents, and overemphasis on “test preparation time” create an atmosphere of pressure.
So what can we do to help students manage their stress for standardized tests?
With no end in sight to standardized testing, educational leaders require effective, scientifically-based interventions to ensure broad scale success. This all starts by first providing leadership training and information on well-evaluated programs and scientifically-based interventions for identified problems to decision-makers in education. Higher levels of administration, and all school staff, need to be educated on the importance of proven non-cognitive programs to help teachers and students manage their emotions.
When learning to regulate emotions, teachers are sometimes trained in simple techniques to immediately control their stress. Relaxation techniques including deep breathing and exercise programs may be employed to deal with the stress and anxiety. Time management, curriculum enhancement, and discussion are sample techniques that teachers sometimes use. But, that is often not enough. Rigorous school-wide programs are needed to better prepare teachers for the demands and stress of the profession. Teachers need outstanding professional development so they can implement the programs with high fidelity. Once routine, teachers can then model and help students implement these strategies to manage their own stress.
Of course, implementing social and emotional learning programs that have been rigorously evaluated in high-quality experiments may be the best way to profoundly affect teachers’ daily practices to managing stress and simultaneously improve student achievement.