SOLs are WHEN?!?!?!?!

Sweaty palms, racing heart rate, nausea, dry mouth, and muscle spasms. No, it's not the flu that's going around - it's Test Taking Anxiety, and it's a very real problem for many students---no matter what their age. As we get closer to SOL's and other standardized tests, you may begin seeing more of these symptoms in your children and their friends.

Test anxiety is a major factor contributing to a variety of negative outcomes including psychological distress, academic underachievement, academic failure, and insecurity (from Helping Students Cope With Test Anxiety)

Here are some tips on how to reduce test anxiety:

1. avoid cramming, develop good study habits and good test taking skills. This involves proper time management, long term planning, and a good understanding of a child's learning style

2. encourage and practice different forms of relaxation techniques - deep breathing, stretching, etc.

3. as parents, evaluate and praise children's academic progress over a period of time rather than on one single test score

4. consistently develop good sleeping habits and maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly

5. as teachers and parents, we can prepare students for tests by fully explaining directions, the scoring of the test, the time allotted for the test, and even give practice tests

6. encourage the child to not compare him/herself to other students while taking the test

7. be aware of the developmental levels of students and recognize when test anxiety is out of control, because more serious anxiety-related problems could be present