Did you check your calendar recently only to realize that you’re less than three months away from testing season? Us, too.

Let’s warm up our brains - and our planning - with these 10 quick test prep ideas to get you and your students thinking about the upcoming testing season.

Provide students with the opportunity to read independently for 20 minutes every day to increase reading stamina.

Incorporate choice reading into this time to maximize student engagement. PRO TIP: Reading stamina and reading achievement increases even if students are reading books/passages that are "too easy" for them. It's okay for students to read graphic novels or picture books as a part of their 20 minute reading time if it's what they want to read. Provide students with plenty of things they can and want to read.

Expose students to the many different text types they'll see on a test.

Standardized tests include fiction and non-fiction and within those genres students will see many different text types. Give students a leg up by exposing them to biographies, procedural texts like recipes and experiments, poetry, historical fiction, narrative, fairytale, etc. The first time they see a text type should not be on a test.

Challenge students to practice going through the writing process in one sitting.

Students should practice writing a well-crafted piece quickly. We know that students only have a set amount of time to produce a high-quality product. Toward the end of each cycle of study (once students have experience going through the whole writing process within a genre) take a day to incorporate quick writing. I don't only mean writing to a prompt. You can give students choice in their writing and a time limit.

Practice the technology.

If students are expected to type their stories for the test, make sure they are drafting and publishing pieces on a computer. If they take the whole test online on a platform they don't typically use, have them practice. Don't let technology be the barrier to success.

Teach strategy lessons from short texts or passages.

Students will have to read passages on these tests. Give them authentic learning opportunities with passages in a low stakes environment. (If the test is online, make sure to use digital passages, too.)

Teach test-taking behaviors.

For example, if students are starting to feel overwhelmed while testing, teach them to look away, take deep breaths, and close their eyes. If they aren't sure of an answer, flag the question and move on. If you want them to go back and check their answers, model for them on a practice test what that means.

Be a ninja with your test prep.

Slip in practice starting now in subtle ways. Don’t bring attention to everything you’re doing to prepare students for “the test”. At best, students will start to tune out what you’re saying because they’re tired of hearing about the test. At worst? Students who experience testing anxiety will have months of anxiety over this test instead of the week or so they’re taking it.

Celebrate effort over outcomes…starting now.

Not every student will knock the test out of the park - even though you’re an amazing teacher, even though they’re brilliant students. The thing about these tests…they are one snapshot taken on one day. Not everyone will pass, but it is a reasonable expectation that every student tries their best. Everyone’s best will look different and that’s okay. Celebrate hard work over passing grades.

Encourage students to set goals for the test.

I prefer to set effort goals over outcome goals, but really both are fine. The key is for students to have a sense of ownership and control over the test. (An example of an effort goal could sound like this, “I will use all of my reading strategies to read every passage and question and give my full effort and attention to each question. This will look like decoding, annotating, taking notes, and reading closely.” or “My goal on the writing portion is to plan my writing before I start writing. I will include a beginning, middle, and end to my piece. I will remember to write in paragraphs and use my best spelling and grammar to fully respond to the prompt.)

Most importantly…
Don't stop teaching because the test is coming up!

There is no data that supports putting a halt to all instruction to prepare for the test. Continue to give students opportunities to be authentic and joyful readers, writers, and thinkers.