STAAR testing begins tomorrow, and schools across Central Texas are making sure that students are ready.
Fourth graders at Mountain View Elementary School in Waco got a special delivery from their Kindergarten classmates. The kindergartners will not be participating in the STAAR tests, so they made cards and dropped off some candy to give the older students some support before the big day.
Waco ISD Director of Communications Bruce Gietzen said a little encouragement can go a long way for students. It's one of the many things parents can do to prepare their kids. "Make sure [they] get a good night sleep before the test. Get a good breakfast, encourage them, make them feel good about the testing. Overall, make them have the positive feeling that 'you're gonna do great, it's another test for you but you're smart and you're going to do well'."
Students in 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th graders and high schoolers take STAAR test. School leaders said that students may be a little intimidated, but it's important to do their best. "Schools are rated and it's a factor in our funding, and it is the accountability in the system that the state goes by. School is big business," Gietzen said.
Midway Assistant Superintendent Brent Merritt said the district is hoping to relieve some of the anxiety students have. "There's nothing on that test that [they] haven't been prepared for." Merritt said that it's important they do their best, though, "It gives a snapshot of how well our kids perform. It gives us some helpful data on areas of our instruction, and it also tells us where we teach certain subject matters better than others."
School leaders said it's important to take the test seriously, but it's not the only thing that matters in their educational journey. "It's important to be involved in your child's education, and those reports will show certain areas where your child excels and where they may need support. It's important to pay attention to those results but also be very supportive to your child," Merritt said.
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