Tacoma students take the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) in reading, writing, science and mathematics in the spring of each year. According to extensive research, when parents take an active role throughout the school year in order to help prepare their children for such tests, students are better prepared to show their best work.
First -- Review, Rest, and Relax!*
Review!
- Talk to your child's teacher often to monitor your child's progress and find out what activities you can do at home to help your child do well in school.
- Help your child understand that learning is about more than just preparing for a test. Read and discuss with your child a wide variety of books and magazines at home to encourage their curiosity and analytical skills.
- Don't be afraid to ask the teacher questions about tests and test-preparation activities.
- Find out about the WASL. Check out the extensive information from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction at www.k12.wa.us/assessment
Rest!
- Make sure your child gets plenty of rest before and during the testing period.
- Make sure your child eats regularly. We all know that nothing is more difficult than trying to concentrate with an empty stomach!
- Try to avoid scheduling activities, such as a family vacation or a big party at home during the testing period or just before the testing period.
Relax!
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Don't be overly anxious about test scores, but encourage your child to do his/her best. Tests like the WASL are just one part of the information teachers gather about your child every day.
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Tell your child the best strategy is to relax and do her.his best, then act like you believe it.
* The “Three R’s” are adapted from How Parents Can Help with the WASL by the Northshore School District.
Build Skills at Home
We know from research about the WASL that good students often don’t get full points for their answers for some common reasons. As you work with your child on her/his homework, make sure she/he:
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Explains his/her work using words, pictures or diagrams. Many high achieving students lose points on the WASL because they just write the answer and move to the next item.
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Correct answers, correct procedures, and correct application all count on the WASL.
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Stays on topic and makes connections between ideas clear.
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Practices writing summaries.
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Can find similar ideas or themes in separate pieces of text (for example, a poem and a story).
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Can make clear charts, tables, and graphs. (Simple and clear beats complicated and confusing every time!)
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Follows directions, follows directions, follows directions! (Is that clear?) The most common reason students don’t get full credit on the WASL is failure to follow the directions on the test.
Remember, although the WASL scores are an important indicator of our progress at the school, district, and state level, the WASL is just one measure of your student’s progress. It is a small sample of the wide range of information and skills they learn, and the scores are based on just a few days of work. Your child’s teacher has the full picture of each student and uses the WASL and other tests to supplement that profile.
Remember -- Review, Rest, Relax!