It's that time of year again. Our students have all worked hard and we believe they are prepared to tackle the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) and the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA-8th grade only).
Students in Grades 6th-8th grade will take the IAR test starting the week of March 23rd and continue through April 3rd. Students will test during the first 2 hours of school-which means arriving to school on time is imperative. If you arrive late, you will remain in the office until testing is finished for the day and you MUST make-up your test that afternoon.
Students in 8th Grade will take the ISA test starting the week of April 21st. Students will test April 22nd, April 23rd and April 24th in their regular Science classroom. Again tardiness to school on these days is highly discouraged.
How can parents help to prepare their children for the IAR test?
The IAR website offers some suggestions to parents:
- Read a combination of fiction and non-fiction aloud or with your child. Look for subjects of interest—from sports heroes to dinosaurs.
- Discuss and “do” real-life math with your child. Help him/her know basic math facts.
- Discuss the tests with your child. Make sure he/she is not scared or anxious going into the tests.
- Explain to your child that the tests will initially be more challenging. Tell your child to do his/her best on the test and that you are there to help every step of the way.
- After the test, review the results with your child. Bring the teacher into the discussion as needed.
- Provide a quiet, comfortable place for studying at home and make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and a nutritious breakfast before a test.
- Encourage your child to get a good nights rest-go to bed early if necessary.
- Ensure your child arrives to school on time.
- Above all, be positive and encouraging about the tests.
The following link contains an IAR Parent Pamphlet from the PTA: PTA State Testing Parent Pamphlet
The next link is a video for parents to further understand the IAR Test (the video still references the PARCC assessment-the set up of the IAR test is the same as the old PARCC Test-the only difference is the publisher and the title of the test.): State Testing Video