DEALING WITH TEST ANXIETY Presenters: Sandra Waller, School Psychologist Reid Griffin, School Counselor Charlene Wolford, School Counselor

What is Test Anxiety? Test anxiety - a type of performance anxiety Performance anxiety - a stressed out of anxious feeling someone might have in a situation where performance really counts or when the pressure's on to do well (could be singing in a school play, taking a test or being one of the key players in a football game)

The Positive Side to Test Anxiety ● normal to feel a little nervous and stressed before a test ● a touch of nervous anticipation has been found to help you get revved and to keep you at peak performance

HOW CAN TEST ANXIETY MANIFEST ITSELF? ●Physical symptoms ●Emotional symptoms ●Behavioral/Cognitive symptoms ●Withdrawal

WHAT CAUSES TEST ANXIETY? ● Fear of failure ● Lack of preparation ● Poor test history ● Strong desire to please adults (Stress from Expectations)

HOW CAN PARENTS/GUARDIANS HELP? ● P rovide a quiet place to study ● Assist students in completing study guides ● Encourage, do not add stress with unrealistic expectations ● Make sure the student eats a healthy, well balanced breakfast (too many carbs will cause lethargy, too little a lack of energy-add some protein) ● Teach your student breathing exercises to use right before a test

MORE TIPS FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS ●Be at school on time for testing days ●Be positive about tests and test taking ●Be sure the student gets plenty of sleep the night before a test ●Some students are so anxious they may want to study until bedtime. It is a good idea to ensure these students have a few hours to relax before bedtime the night before a test

Final tips …. ●Allow your student to talk about their anxiety regarding the test - Keep it positive ●Use relaxation tapes before bedtime to help students learn how to relax their bodies ●Encourage your student to see the School Counselor or School Psychologist if Test Anxiety persists

PARENTS ARE HUMAN TOO With the high stakes of student performance on tests these days, many parents are also feeling extremely anxious at test time. While it is OK for you to be anxious, if you are one of the parents experiencing this stress, please give yourself permission to take care of you too. For this reason, researchers suggest that parents have some “you” time during a testing window. It is suggested that as parents, we also need to use relaxation techniques, talk about our anxiety with another adult, get enough rest, eat well and get plenty of exercise. Our children will model how we cope with the stress of test taking.