Wow! Thank you for all the responses! Honestly they stress bc of me. I hate that on testing years i cant relax and educate the way i want. I feel the need to shove information down their throats.
Boomerang, I've tested every year, so there's no "testing year" anxiety. I do not change my teaching, and I don't "test prep". We just go through our year and when it's time I tell them okay, it's test time. Have you done a test like this before? (or Do you remember doing a test like this before?) Yes. Do you have any questions about how to do this test? No. Okay, we'll work about 45 minutes then take a break. Then we start with the sample items and go from there. They seem to actually enjoy it because it's different than a regular school day. We do a couple of sessions of 45 minutes each, sometimes 3, with a break between, then do regular schoolwork the rest of the day. No big deal.
I test because I have to. I don't care what the test says....... So I don't teach to test. I don't do test prep,, I encourage them to do their best and answer what they know.
I am in Maine. We can choose to test or do a portfolio and have it looked at by a certified teacher. We do the portfolio.
