March 22, 2012
School to Use Terra Nova for April Standardized Testing
The standardized Terra Nova, third edition, tests will be administered to the students in grades K-5 during the weeks of April 16th through April 26th. The Terra Nova series replaces the Stanford Achievement Tests previously used by Prince Avenue Christian School. The new test series is recommended by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), and provide a better assessment of both student and school performance.
The tests offer selected-response questions as well as open-ended questions in Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. The purpose of the Terra Nova tests is twofold: Summative – to inform us of current achievement and the curriculum assessment alignment; and Prescriptive – to identify student, classroom and school strengths and weaknesses and to develop a school wide plan as students move from grade to grade. The Terra Nova tests are just one form of assessment used to indicate the progress of each student.
Many factors influence test performance. They include:
- A student’s true achievement level
- The curriculum/assessment alignment
- Effective instruction
- A student’s motivation and anxiety level
- A student’s ability to use testing strategies
What can I do to help my child?
- Make sure your child has a good night’s sleep.
- Encourage your child to eat a good breakfast
- Send a healthy snack each day
- Remind him/her that there is no special preparation for taking the test
- Have your child at school on time every day