The Who, What, and Why on testing and how to help your child be successful Created by Serena Hill, MA School Counselor

 A parent is a child's first and most important teacher, which is why the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 recognizes parents' vital role in education. — Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings

Not everyone likes tests. But since you have to take them, make sure you are prepared. Take prep classes offered in your school and community. Come to school on test day rested and prepared. And do your best! You may think these tests are not important, but some determine:  Classes you can take in high school  Readiness for Advanced Placement (AP) classesAP  Subjects you are strong in and others where you need improvement

8th9th10th11th12th Explore * Plan * PSAE + PSAT +Plan *PSAT +ACT *ACT + PSAT + PSAE *SAT + PSAT + SAT + * All Kenwood Academy students take these tests + Students elect to take these tests

EXPLORE is a test taken by all 8th graders and freshmen. It has three purposes:  It evaluates how ready you are for high school courses.  It helps you look at a range of career options.  It assists you and your counselor in developing a high school coursework plan.

PLAN is a test you take in your sophomore and junior year. It assesses your academic strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of PLAN is to:  Let you and your counselor know how you may perform on ACT.  Help you explore career/training options.  Assist you and your counselor to plan courses that will challenge you and that are in line with what you want to do after high school

The PSAT is a test you can take as a junior to become familiar with the format of the SAT. You can also take the PSAT as a sophomore for practice. The PSAT results show if have the potential to succeed in Advanced Placement (AP) and college courses. Your high school may require that all students take the PSAT and may use the scores to place students in AP courses.AP The PSAT also serves as an entry into the competition for scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Cooperation (NMSC) when taken as a junior. You can also take the PSAT as a sophomore as practice, but it will not qualify you for a National Merit Scholarship.NMSC

The PSAT contains the following multiple-choice sections:  critical reading skills  math problem-solving skills  writing skills

The Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) is a test you take as a junior. It assesses your knowledge in reading, math, science, and writing. This test fulfills a CPS graduation non- course requirement

The PSAE includes different parts and is taken over two days:  Day 1:ACT Includes four multiple-choice tests (English, mathematics, reading, and science) and a 30-minute writing test.ACT  Day 2: WorkKeys Includes science, math and reading assessments of cognitive abilities. WorkKeys Foundational and Personal Skills assessments provide reliable, relevant information about workplace skill levelsWorkKeys

 ACT is a test made up of four multiple-choice sections (English, mathematics, reading and science) and an optional 30-minute writing section.  Colleges use ACT test results, along with other criteria, to help identify students who will be admitted to college. Some scholarships also use ACT test results to identify qualified students.  As a CPS junior, you will take the ACT for free as day 1 of the PSAE testing. The scores from this test are valid for college admission use. If you wish to improve your score, you may request a free retake of ACT in October of senior year. You can also retake the ACT on your own for a fee. Dates for national tests can be found at

 The ACT is the only test with College Readiness Benchmarks directly measuring College Readiness Standards™ that are based on actual college performance of students, and reflected by specific test scores.  An ACT College Readiness Benchmark score is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject area test to indicate a 50 percent chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75 percent chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing college courses.

 The SAT is a test you can take as a junior and senior that assesses your problem solving and critical thinking skills. Its used by colleges to judge your readiness for college courses.  The SAT includes reading, mathematics, and writing sections. The majority of the test is multiple choice. However, a math and a writing portion is included that is not multiple choice.  To take the SAT you must register for it on your own because it is not taken by all CPS students.

 talk to your child about testing  encourage your child and praise her for the things that she does well.  Communicate with your child's teacher as often as possible to discuss his progress  make sure that your child attends school regularly  provide a quiet, comfortable place for studying at home and make sure that your child is well rested on school days and especially on the day of a test

 Encourage your child to read by providing books and magazines for your child to read at home.  Don't place so much emphasis on your child's test scores that you lose sight of her well being  Do help your child avoid test anxiety.  Plan ahead. Start studying for the test well in advance  Don't "cram" the night before. This will likely increase your anxiety  When you get the test, read the directions  If you don't know the answer to a question, skip it and go on.

Let your child know that you think education is important and so homework has to be done. Here are some ways to help your child with homework:  Have a special place for your child to study. The homework area doesn’t have to be fancy.  Provide supplies and identify resources.  Set a regular time for homework.  Remove distractions.  Don’t expect or demand perfection--show interest and if you have criticisms or suggestions, make them in a helpful way.

You may be reluctant to help your child with homework because you feel that you don’t know the subject well enough, but helping with homework doesn’t mean doing the homework. It isn’t about solving the problems for your child, it’s about supporting him to do his best.

For children to be successful in school, parents must be actively engaged in their children's learning. Many studies show that parents' involvement in school is more important to their children's academic success than the parents' level of education or income. By showing interest in their children's education, parents can spark their children's enthusiasm, showing them that learning, both inside and outside of school, is enjoyable and rewarding.