Carbon School District Press Release
Students in Carbon School District will be taking the most important tests of the year in the next month: the Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence.
This is the test that the Utah State Board of Education uses to measure how students are doing in the state and they compare these test scores across Utah. But more importantly, it is the test that tells educators how students, as a group and individually, have progressed in the last year.
“These tests are important because we use the result to determine where students have excelled and where they may need help,” said Carbon School District Superintendent Steve Carlsen. “It’s a measure of what we do.”
Parents may recall their tests in school, at many different levels. They all know how hard they can be and testing can cause a lot of stress for everyone involved. Some tension in taking tests is important because it drives students to think and work toward correct answers. But it can also be harmful because being anxious over a test can affect negatively how a student performs.
Since SAGE tests are a measure of how a student has grown over the past year, it is not a test one can specifically study for. SAGE tests concentrate on three areas: language arts, mathematics and science. Over the school year students have been taking various assessments as their classes progressed and students who haven’t learned concepts in a previous lesson are given interventions, throughout the year to be sure they know the material.
So the concepts for taking the test should be there for all students. But there are a lot of other factors that can affect taking these exams, and Superintendent Carlsen says that those kinds of things can make the difference in students’ scores.
“There are some basic things students should do to get ready,” he said.
Those things include:
- Students should go to bed early the night before the test and rise early as well. They should get a full eight hours sleep, and then get up in the morning refreshed, early enough to be sure they are settled and not hurried to get to school.
- A good breakfast is a great start to test day. Stay away from heavy foods with lots of carbohydrates. Instead eat protein such as eggs and eat fruit. Be well hydrated too. That means milk, juice or water with breakfast. Stay away from soda of any kind.
- For a few days before the test, a student should think about the concepts they have learned over the year. This is not a test that one can study for, but students should make some notes on things they have learned, which will help them to remember those things and clarify the ideas in their mind.
- Wear comfortable clothes. Students should wear the clothes they are the most comfortable in, within reason. Don’t wear new things, such as new shoes that might need some breaking in. Anything that is distracting or unusual can affect performance on a test.
- RELAX!! Taking a test such as the SAGE is not the end of the world, but is instead a step toward the rest of a student’s life. Don’t get stymied by one question and let it distract from the rest of the exam. Making incorrect selections because one is hung up on a concept that is confusing or a person thinks they should know is common when students get rattled.
- Students should pace themselves. Know that the time limit on any test is the same for everyone. Answer methodically, and move on if you don’t know something. You can come back to it if you have time. Do not get “testers block” and let one thing hold up the process of taking the exam.
- Students should be prepared with the proper materials to take a test. Ask a teacher what might be needed.
“We want students to be successful and we will help in any way we can,” said Superintendent Carlsen. “We look forward to seeing how our students do this year.”