The long days of State Standardized Testing are upon us!
One of my biggest challenges during standardized testing time was keeping my fast finishers and even my on-time finishers quiet while my nervous, reflective thinkers were still working on their tests.
Over the years, I have come up with these ideas. Here they are:
Create Space Between the Desks
The very first thing I do before testing is to rearrange my room. I now knew who liked who and who did not like each other. Taking both situations into account, I moved the desks as far apart as possible. I had them facing the walls, the whiteboard, and even the windows. It sounds terrible. However, most students loved it! I let them personalize the space with motivational quotes and notes from parents. The students who felt closed in by facing the wall had more room in the room’s center.
Silent Read
After finishing the test, I hoped every student would pick up a great novel and silent read. Unfortunately, sometimes even my champion readers were too tired or burnt to read quietly. To give my students something less taxing to read, I brought in age-appropriate magazines, Time for Kids, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Highlights, Ranger Rick, etc. Anything with short, engaging articles and lots of pictures.
Calming Coloring Pages for After Standardized Testing
In my state and at my school, students are allowed to color after they finish their standardized tests. Coloring is the perfect activity because most students can do it quietly. I, unfortunately, have to enforce the “no art boxes” and “choose color pencils or crayons beforehand” rules, as students would often turn their desks into a noisy art space complete with pencil sharpening, art box spilling, and scissors.
However, to keep things under some control, I have blank paper, coloring pages, and Mandala Coloring pages readily available.
My students love Mandala coloring! If you are unfamiliar with Mandala coloring, Mandalas are geometrical designs with repeating patterns. They help people meditate, relax, and stay calm. Perfect for stressful standardized testing times!
Before beginning our standardized testing window, I teach my students how to breathe deeply and relax while coloring. They repeat affirmations slowly in their head, and I encourage them to get lost in coloring the patterns. I have some free Mandala Coloring pages here if you want to try them.
Perfect Puzzle Activities for After the Standardized Tests
I also have on-hand word searches, pixel mystery pictures, and one-pagers for my students who want a little more engagement. These activities only require pencils and crayons and can be completed quietly.
Pixel Mystery pictures are fun because they ask students to solve math equations and color.
With Positive Mindset Word Searches, students find words that positively describe them.
One-Pagers
One-Pagers are open-ended ways to let students communicate what is happening in their worlds through pictures and text. I have End of the School Memory One-Pagers available in which students can reflect on this past school year and blank One-Pagers for students who need a creative outlet.
Positive Affirmation Tracing Pages
I love these Affirmation Tracing pages and so do my students! Students slowly trace over the affirmations while reading them to themselves. They can use them repeatedly, tracing with different tools, crayons, pencils, color pencils, and markers.
Rest
Finally, I allow my students to put their heads down. Sometimes we all need some blank space, and there is no better time to catch up on downtime. As long as they are quiet, I’m happy!
I would love to hear how you keep your students quiet and focused when finished with their tests! Drop your thoughts in the comments!
