If you read last week’s post, you know that your vocabulary instruction is most critical to your students’ success on high-stakes testing. Unfamiliar high stakes assessment terms in a standardized test can confuse and/or discourage students. Today I'm sharing a poster and tip sheet I've created to make sure my students are armed with the vocabulary strategies they need to come out victorious rather than feeling defeated.
The 10 High-Stakes Test Terms to Know Poster & Tip Sheet will help students not only feel confident understanding the complex words and ideas in the reading passage, but also comprehend what the high-stakes test questions are asking of them. I want to thank Erin, at Sadlier’s Core Literacy blog for her original ELA Test Terms to Know handout which I modified for upper level grades.
I would suggest finding the poster printer in your district (or asking your local library) and blow this handout up to an 18x24 sized to hang in your classroom.
Anytime you examine test questions or assessment terms, you can point to the poster and have students review what each word means.
Alternatively, students can each keep a copy in their binder and they can use it on test day (for the first half of the year) if they are confused on what a question is asking them to do. As they get used to the words (and as you use the list to ensure that these words are included on your assessments), students will grow confident that they can conquer the tests.