Tests That Teach

Book excerpt: Now that the No Child Left Behind Act has left its mark on public education, educators across the United States are all the more invested in preparing their students for state and national assessments. In Tests That Teach: Using Standardized Tests to Improve Instruction, Karen Tankersley guides you with proven tips and instructional strategies to help your students perform to their potential. Covering all core contents areas—language arts, social studies, math, and science—and respecting all levels of student performance, Tankersley *Examines the various types of questions that routinely appear on these assessments; *Provides sample multiple-choice and constructed-response questions from the tests; *Offers guidelines on how to create daily lessons that encourage students to practice the skills and demonstrate the knowledge they'll need to use on the high-stakes tests; *Suggests word lists, games, discussion topics, and testing ideas for your classroom; and *Describes how school staff can create a learning community that fosters collaboration among teachers and high performance in students. Also included are a wealth of online resources for lesson plans, daily classroom activities, and virtual field trips, as well as links to every state's released materials on its own assessment. As Tankersley explains, teaching students the skills they need to do well on constructed-response tests will better prepare students both to score well on state and national assessments and to take their place as thoughtful and organized thinkers in a rapidly changing, competitive society.