How to Help Your Local School Raise Your Child's Test Scores

So much of your child's future depends on being able to score well on standardized achievement tests, both state and national. Unfortunately, many schools do not offer special instructional opportunities to help children learn to do well on achievement tests. Here are some things you can do as a parent to help your local school raise your child's testing achievement.

Meet with the Assistant Principal for Curriculum (A.P.C.) or the Principal and review both your child's standardized achievement test scores and also the achievement test data for your child's class and/or grade level. This will give you an idea of how well the instructional program at your local school is preparing the children to perform in terms of national or state achievement averages. Ask about the communication between the school administrators and the teachers in regard to student achievement. There should be frequent and clear communication regarding the achievement of students. Does the A.P.C. or Principal meet with each age//grade level to analyze standardized test results and help teachers focus on the areas of strengths and the areas needing more instruction in order to raise student achievement? There should be a systematic, scheduled time line for administrators and teachers to review student achievement by age group or grade level. This achievement review should be conducted at least quarterly throughout the school year. Changes to instruction, curriculum or grouping patterns should be made depending on the results of these achievement reviews. Ask if the administrative team arranges for each team of teachers to meet with appropriate staff from the district office of Testing and Evaluation to review their age or grade level student achievement and to discuss questions, concerns and strategies for raising student achievement.

If your local school is geared toward school excellence and high student achievement, you will find that the Principal and/or Assistant Principal for Curriculum reads educational journals and Principal keeps teachers and staff abreast of current research and instructional/curriculum advances via daily bulletins, faculty meetings and/or printed notices. Ask about the in-service training or staff development opportunities provided to child's teachers in the area of raising student achievement.

When teachers work in teams they usually create action plans to deal with their goals

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