PROFESSIONAL
Professional Development
Language Support for Test-Taking Season
Standardized testing can take its toll, especially when students' reading and writing skills are in question. Whether students are English Language Learners, have a learning disability, or are simply more accustomed to communicating through non-academic channels, like text messaging, many find that standardized tests are disconnected from the everyday language they use. This can create problems (or, in text messaging code, "cr8 probs"!). Students today must navigate between the language of their family or peers and the formal language taught in school that appears in standardized tests.
The Standardized Test Practice activities on the last page of Glencoe FACS textbook chapters, such as this one from Applying Life Skills, give students an opportunity to practice on answering the exact types of questions that appear on standardized tests.
English Language Learners are especially vulnerable during testing season. Kate Menken, author of the 2008 book, English Learners Left Behind, writes that the educators' focus on national testing, as well as language accumulation imperatives for English Language Learners, has resulted in "...radical changes to curriculum, teaching, and classroom language policies..."—all with an eye toward boosting these students' test scores.
Family and Consumer Science teachers, who often work with diverse classes of students, can be especially affected by this challenge. How can you counter the pressure of standardized tests for your students? Reinforcement is crucial. Effective use of textbooks and online materials can help students hone those reading and writing skills, and help FACS teachers prepare their students for high-stakes tests. This is why vocabulary building, reading comprehension practice, and communication through writing are emphasized throughout all Glencoe FACS Student Editions and online materials. The complementary Teacher Editions provide special sections designed to support your efforts to reinforce students' skills and, ultimately, help them to improve their performance during test-taking season.
As with all Glencoe FACS textbooks, Applying Life Skills is rich in writing activities, reading strategies, and frequent "stops" at which students can check and recheck their comprehension levels.
