At the start of each school year, I like to arm parents with tools to set their children up for success throughout the school year. My favorite tip is on developing positive academic motivation for students. Here is a link to my post with specific strategies for parents to help foster a love for school and learning in their children.
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As North Carolina's End-of-Grade (EOG) tests loom near, students increasingly need help to manage the pressure to perform well, especially those who are taking the test for the first time. Here are some great strategies and tips from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) to help our students feel relaxed and prepared for the EOGs, or any test. Stop, Drop, and Roll Technique.The moment a student physically feels the "fire" of anxiety and stress, begin the student should stop, put their pencils down, and place their hands on their desks, while concentrating on the coolness of the surface; drop their heads forward; and roll their heads gently while taking three deep breaths. Tips for StudentsPractice the neutral tool: When you have uncomfortable feelings about whether you will do well on the test, practice the neutral tool. It’s important to catch negative mind loops that reinforce self-doubt or uncomfortable feelings. Every time you catch a negative thought repeating itself, stop the loop and practice going to neutral. Start by focusing on the area around your heart. This helps to take the focus off the mind loop. Then breathe deeply. Breathe as if your breath is flowing in and out through the center of your chest. Breathe quietly and naturally, four-five seconds on the in-breath, and four-five seconds on the out-breath. While you’re breathing, try and find an attitude of calmness about the situation. Do this in the days leading up to the test, right before and during the test. Address the what-if questions: A lot of times before we have to do something like take a test, much of the anxiety we feel is a build-up from negative “what-if’” thoughts. What if I fail, what if I can’t remember anything, or what if I run out of time. Try writing a what-if question that is positive and can help you take the big deal out of the situation and begin to see things in a different way. Examples of these kinds of questions are, “What if I can remember more than I think I can?” “What if I can feel calmer than I think I can?” Think good thoughts: Science is showing that good feelings like appreciation can actually help your brain work better. When you feel nervous or anxious, try this. You can do it as many times as you need to or want to. Remember something that makes you feel good. Maybe it is your pet or how you felt when you got a big hug from your mom, or how you felt after a super fun day at the amusement park with your friends. After you remember how you felt, hold that feeling. Pretend you are holding it in your heart. Let yourself feel that feeling for 10-20 seconds or more. It’s important to let yourself really feel that good feeling all over again. Practice this tool right before the big test. Get enough sleep: Big tests require a lot of energy and stamina to be able to focus for several hours. Make sure you get at least eight-10 hours of sleep the night before the test. Have fun: Do something fun the night before to take your mind off the test, like see a movie, play a board game with your family or participate in a sports activity. That way your mind and emotions are more relaxed in the time leading up to the test. Eat a hearty breakfast: The brain needs a lot of energy to maintain focus on a big test for several hours. Eat a hearty and healthy breakfast, including complex carbohydrates and protein to make your energy last as long as possible. Foods such as eggs, cereal and whole-wheat toast help energize your brain to think more clearly and much longer compared with the fast-disappearing bolt of energy from drinking a soda pop or eating a cookie for breakfast. For a snack food, bring simple foods such as peanut butter and crackers, cheese and crackers or a burrito to sustain energy until lunch. Practicing these tools in advance of and during a test can help students limit test anxiety and perform even better on their school work. From High-Stakes Accountability Session at NCSPA School Psychology Conference, September 29 to October 1, 2013
It's that time of year again when schools are getting ready to administer high-stakes educational tests. Why are these tests referred to as "high stakes tests"? Here is a great explanation from edglossary.org A high-stakes test is any test used to make important decisions about students, educators, schools, or districts, most commonly for the purpose of accountability—i.e., the attempt by federal, state, or local government agencies and school administrators to ensure that students are enrolled in effective schools and being taught by effective teachers. In general, “high stakes” means that test scores are used to determine punishments (such as sanctions, penalties, funding reductions, negative publicity), accolades (awards, public celebration, positive publicity), advancement (grade promotion or graduation for students), or compensation (salary increases or bonuses for administrators and teachers). Due to the nature of these tests, there is a lot of pressure for students to perform well on these tests. As such, we want to level the playing field for students with disabilities by providing them with accommodations that remove barriers to their demonstration of knowledge and skills. The article below is a great introduction for parents (and possibly teachers) to help them better understand testing accommodations. Accommodations for Testing Students With Disabilities: Information for ParentsBy Sara Bolt, MA National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota Today’s schools are increasingly being held accountable for student achievement. Schools must demonstrate that teachers provide quality instruction that results in students making progress toward standards. Standards Testing for All Students State- and district-wide assessment programs have been developed to measure the extent to which students are acquiring important skills and knowledge. Recent legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) has created additional requirements for state-wide testing and demonstrating student progress. Results from these tests are used to make a variety of important decisions. In several states and districts, test results are used in high-stakes decision making (e.g., student grade promotion, high school graduation). Tests are typically administered annually to a whole class at a time in basic subjects such as reading, math, science, and social studies. Many of these tests require students to listen to or read questions and mark or write out their answers, often within a specified time limit. All students, including students with disabilities, are expected to participate in state and district assessment programs. However, students with disabilities sometimes have trouble showing what they know on tests because of very strict rules about how the tests are to be given. These rules are created for a good reason: to make sure that the test measures the same skills for all students. Unfortunately, these rules can create problems for students with disabilities. For example, students with print disabilities (students with visual impairments or those with reading disabilities) may not be able to show their knowledge on a math test that is only given in standard print. These students may need to have the test read aloud or be provided with a large print or Braille edition of the test. As a result of these and similar concerns, testing accommodations are often necessary in order for students with disabilities to show their true knowledge on a test. Because tests are being used more than ever before to make important decisions about students, classrooms, and schools, it is important to make sure that students with disabilities are provided the support they need on a test so that they can show what they really know and can do. Testing Accommodations A testing accommodation is any change in typical test procedures that allows students with disabilities to better show their knowledge. This might include a change in:
Key Strategies for Testing Accommodations The following strategies are recommended in order to help make good decisions about which accommodations a student should receive:
Key Strategies for Administering Testing Accommodations If it is decided that your child needs accommodations:
© 2004 National Association of School Psychologists, 4340 East West Highway, Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814—(301) 657-0270.
March is Brain Injury Awareness MonthIn the school system, students with brain injuries may be identified as having special education needs based on a traumatic brain injury or learning disabilities, depending on the nature of the injury. By the school system's definition... Traumatic brain injury means an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force or by an internal occurrence resulting in total or partial functional disability and/or psychosocial impairment that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Causes may include but are not limited to, open or closed head injuries, cerebrovascular accidents (e.g., stroke, aneurysm), infection, kidney or heart failure, electric shock, anoxia, tumors, metabolic disorders, toxic substances, or medical or surgical treatments. The brain injury can occur in a single event or can result from a serious of events (e.g., multiple concussions). Traumatic brain injury also can occur with or without a loss of consciousness at the time of injury. Traumatic brain injury may result in impairment in one or more areas, such as cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. Traumatic brain injury does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital or degenerative, but can include brain injuries induced by birth trauma. Traumatic Brain Injury PreventionWhile the school system provides supports to students with TBI's, one of the main goal of brain injury awareness month is to spread awareness of the condition and share preventative habits. Falls and motor vehicle crashes are the most common causes of brain injury in school-age children. However, participation in sports frequently results in brain injury, primarily concussion. Below are a few ways to reduce the chances that you or your child will sustain a brain injury or concussion.
Bicycle safety is also an important factor in preventing TBI's. According to the NC Department of Transportation, studies show that 60% of head injury deaths and 85% of head injuries can be prevented by wearing a properly fitted bicycle helmet. The Child Bicycle Safety Act aims to reduce the number of brain injuries and deaths from bicycle crashes. In North Carolina, children under 16 years old are required to wear an approved bicycle helmet when operating a bicycle on any public road, bicycle path, or other right of way. Any parent or legal guardian who allows a child to ride without a helmet will be in violation of the law and could be fined. Wearing a helmet can greatly reduce the number of traumatic brain injuries sustained while bike riding. In addition to always wearing a helmet, teach students to:
Sources:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.childrensnational.org/files/PDF North Carolina Department of Instruction Policies Governing Services for Children With Disabilities - Amended October 2013 For more information on bicycle helmets and safety visit: http://www.helmetsonheads.org/ To request a free helmet from the NCDOT website: http://www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/safetyeducation/helmet_initiative/ Found this great article on childmind.org (a great site!) describing other conditions that could be mistaken for ADHD in our students.
Here is the quick list:
Please click on this link or the picture above to read the full article. |
AuthorPlease check back regularly for information related to special education, children's mental health, and counseling and student services.
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