FCAT is Coming!

Students,

The FCAT begins on Monday – is that news to any of you?  I certainly hope not!

All year we have been getting ready for these tests.  The teachers have worked hard to make sure that all students have been taught everything that will be tested.  They made sure that we went back and practiced the skills so that everyone would be ready.  Students have spent countless hours studying, practicing and doing extra work so that they would be ready for these tests.  Parents have stayed on students to do their work and helped them to study so they would be ready.  So everyone should be pretty confident that no matter what questions come up on the tests, there is nothing you haven’t seen before.  So we are all ready for these tests, right?

Now these tests are long.  They have lots of reading and lots of thinking every day.  We’ve taken several benchmarks and what did we learn?  Well, we know that this kind of test is very tiring.  Students end up exhausted because hard thinking is just like hard running or playing.  The best way to prepare for a lot of hard work is to get some rest.  So Sunday night and every night before a test, make sure you get a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast before school or here at school.  That way when you start the test, you will have the energy to work all of the way through the test.  Another thing that I have learned recently is to make sure you drink plenty of water the night before a test.  Part of thinking involves  the electrical synapses in your brain firing quickly and efficiently and that involves having enough water to make those circuits work fast.  And it really is water, not soft drinks that make those circuits work best.

So if you are Ready and you are Rested, what else do we need?  Have you ever tried to play a new game right after someone told you the rules?  Which button do I push to jump, which ones do I press together to jump and kick?  Where is that treasure?  It’s called stress.  A little stress is good, it keeps us sharp but too much makes us freeze up!  Freeze up on the FCAT and suddenly – times up!  So, the final thing we need to do is relax.  Take a deep breathe before you start the test and compose your thoughts but only for a few seconds! We are ready, we will be rested and since we know what to expect, we can relax – a little.  We don’t want to get goofy or sloppy, just relaxed enough to be able to use what we know to do our best on the test.

You will all be getting a bracelet that will remind you to be Ready, Relaxed and Rested for the FCAT.  On Monday we need you all to come to school ready to perform at a high level and show everyone what you know on the FCAT.

Parents,

We have a few procedural changes that we need everyone to be aware of for the FCAT.

First, testing starts promptly at 9:00 according to the SCHOOL clocks.  That means that students need to be in class on time every day.

Second, we will be testing in the office area.  The doorbell is VERY loud, so we will be shutting it off during testing.  If you need to come to school come BEFORE 9:00 or you may have to wait for someone to answer the door for you.

Third, if a student leaves the room during a test, that part of the test is invalidated.  If you have an appointment and your child will need to leave before 11:00, do not send them to school that day.  If your child is too sick to sit for the entire test, let them stay at home to get healthy and keep the other students healthy, too.

Finally, send your child to school with a good attitude, well rested and ready to do their best.  If there are issues that have to be dealt with at home, take care of them at the end of the day.

We will be sending Report Cards home on FRIDAY next week, after the FCAT.