Does the mere sight of a No. 2 pencil cause your child to break into a cold, trembling sweat? Are the words
multiple choice or
short essay invariably followed by a thin, keening shriek or forlorn wail? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then it's time you faced the facts: when it comes to taking standardized tests, you child is just like everyone else.
Let your kid know that it is normal to be nervous about the unknown, but that the more he knows about the New York Math and English tests, the less nervous he will feel. All the information and all the techniques we will cover in this book will ease your child's nervousness and replace it with confidence by making that "unknown" - in this case, the exams - familiar and manageable. Test anxiety almost invariably leads to a lower test score, so it is important that you boost your child's confidence level about the exam. Just understanding the basic format of both these exams can be empowering, as the Math test changes from a scary hurdle that must be jumped and becomes simply a "a test taken in three sessions, with the first sessions filled with multiple-choice questions while the last two sessions have short and long open-ended questions."
Learning about question types and little details, such as which math questions are worth two points and which are worth three points, serves a dual purpose for the tests; it provides your child with useful information, and it takes away the fear-of-the-unknown aspect of the test. This principle is the foundation of successful test preparation:
Familiarity leads to confidence.
Breakdown of the New York State 4th Grade Test
English Language Arts
(Three days of testing)
| Session 1: |
|
5 reading passages, 28 multiple-choice questions.
45 minutes |
| |
| Session 2: |
|
Part 1: Listen to a passage - 2 short responses, 1 long response (basic essay format).
30 minutes
Part 2: Write a composition (definitely essay time!)
30 minutes |
| |
| Session 3: |
|
Read 2 related passages - 3 short responses, 1 long response.
60 minutes |
Mathematics
(Three days of testing)
| Session 1: |
|
30 multiple-choice questions
40 minutes |
| |
| Session 2: |
|
7 short open-ended questions, 2 extended open-ended questions.
50 minutes |
| |
| Session 3: |
|
7 short open-ended questions, 2 extended open-ended questions.
50 minutes |
