10 things to Help Testing Anxiety and the FSA

I had an email today from a parent about her child's testing anxiety.  In BC, we do FSAs – standardized testing – for those in grade 4 and 7.  I’ve re-worked my response to her, in case it might be more widely useful.

This mom writes:

If you have any resources on exam preparation with relation to anxiety, I would be grateful if you'd send them my way.  My husband and I are working with our daughter both one on one and in unison to help ease her concern of doing poorly on the FSAs.  She has never taken an exam of any sort before and somewhere along the line has picked up the notion that being timed will be detrimental to her success.  Toss in a little fear of the unknown and a dash of high-standards and well, we've spent a fair bit of the last ten days reassuring her that all will be well.

Years ago, my niece went through a similar experience with the FSAs. I proctored her exam and it was a super stressful experience for her (and thus for me too).  In the end, she aced the FSA but It left such a sour taste in everyone's mouth - and I missed the opportunity to give her some important tools.  I understand where this mom is coming from, for sure.  So here are some tools and approaches for those anxious kiddos.

Topics for thought and discussion that may help:

1) The FSAs are first of all, checking on the school - to see how we are doing in supporting families and students, to make sure that we aren’t missing a major area of instruction - and not that we are not mainly checking up on how well she in particular is doing.  She is helping the government to check up on the school.  

Checking up on your daughter as a learner happens every day, when you read with her or ask her a question or have a discussion…you check for understanding all the time. And then your teacher gets to celebrate and give feedback and record that learning with you during portfolio visits.

2) This is an opportunity to try something new.  As you say, testing isn’t a part of her daily reality…so this is a new experience that she gets to try.  And some people love tests! She might be one of them! Even if she doesn’t love them, it is like target practice…we get to see what we are hitting and where we are missing and that isn’t a bad thing - it helps us to grow, and know what we like or don’t, what we do well and what we need to improve. If we don’t have a target, we never get to see how keen our eye is or to make a correction that will help us to improve our marksmanship. But just like trying archery at camp doesn’t matter in the long run, the FSA results don’t matter. It is just something to try. 

3) While the FSAs don’t really matter in the long run, having the courage to step up and try is actually the big thing that matters…to find the bravery inside and be vulnerable, that is the thing that follows us. Every time we step up to a monster and face it, it becomes smaller and we become bigger, so the big thing is to face it and not run away: to try. Every time we run away, the monster becomes bigger and we become smaller. Finding our brave face and our heart of courage is a huge life skill.

4) If the test shows that there is an area that the school needs to work on that is good to know, right?  And we can put some attention to it. Or if we see that maybe she needs to work on something - that is part of life too, right? It is not shameful, it is just information that can be useful.  It is like going to the doctor for a blood test - I can’t prepare for that - I take it and then the results show me if I need to take - say - iron tablets - or not. 

5) Gifted kids often have two testing challenges: perfectionism and sometimes a slower processing speed. Both create anxiety when you have a timed test. Some of the above talks may help with perfectionism.  Another thing that changed my perfectionism perspective was a great little Ted talk by Brene Brown:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o .  

6) I like to let students know that while it is timed, they can have as much time as they need and not to feel pressure or rushed. http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/pdfs/assessment/description.pdf  It clearly states that : Total test time: 4.5 hours (Students may be permitted more time if needed)

7) Dealing with the unknown may be addressed by trying some of the online FSA practice tests. It may also seem like you are giving the FSAs more weight/time than they deserve, so you will have to make that judgment call, if this would be helpful or not. https://www.awinfosys.com/eassessment/fsa_sample.htm

8) “Why Smart Kids Worry”  ( https://www.amazon.ca/Why-Smart-Kids-Worry-Parents/dp/140228425X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484256484&sr=8-1&keywords=why+smart+kids+worry)  has lots of tools (breathing activities) that help with managing the panic.  And explains why the asynchronous development that gifted children experience often causes anxiety.

9) In case you don’t have time to read the whole book today: an example of a breathing exercise called “Square Breathing”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgzhKW08bMQ.  

10) And finally, I always start with myself, so checking to make sure my take on things is balanced; to model a lack of concern about testing.  Kids are so intuitive and pick up on our stress. And we can feel that we are personally being evaluated too - so to take a look inside and make sure you are okay with the results/process, regardless. Gifted kids generally have gifted parents who also deal with perfectionism and anxiety, so I just always want to check whose anxiety we are talking about.

Carmen