Carver Elementary Principal Offers Tips to Parents, Students for STAR Testing

With STAR Testing less than a month away, Carver Elementary School principal Liz Hollingsworth is offering up a few helpful tips for parents and students in anticipation of the May 6-10 testing period. 

All California students in grades 2-11 are required to participate in the state's Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program. The STAR Program includes California Standards Tests and The California Writing Standards Test (grade 4 in March).

Parents can help their child perform and his/her best by considering the following test-taking suggestions from the U.S. Department of Educations' Educational Resources Information Center and the National PTA:

• Make sure that your child is in school during the testing sessions. Do not plan any doctor or dental appointments on test dates.
• See that your child gets ample sleep before the tests and is well rested. Elementary aged children need 10-12 hours of sleep a night.
• Make sure that your child eats a hearty breakfast on the days of the tests. Hunger can detract from a good test performance.
• Encourage your child to listen carefully to all test-taking directions from the teacher.
• Encourage your child to ask questions about any directions that are unclear. Teachers may answer questions about directions, but not about test items.
• Encourage your child to do his/her best.

"Teachers and parents have a common goal and shared responsibility to have children perform well on tests," said Hollingsworth in a message to parents.

"California's STAR tests are an important means by which students and schools are measured. But, please remember that standardized tests are only one measure of what a student knows; daily work, projects, reports, homework, portfolios, oral reports and chapter tests are all very important ways we can assess progress and performance of our students," she added.

For more information STAR tests, click here.