Students in grades 4 and 7 will be taking the writing portion on Monday, while students in grades 5 and 8 will be taking the reading portion. High-school students who are either currently enrolled in or have completed English I or II will also be taking the end-of-course (EOC) exams associated with those subjects.
Jessica Medlin, who teaches fourth grade at Curtis Elementary, used an online game-based classroom response system called “Kahoot!” to help her students brush up on their writing skills on Friday.
“If my students only took one piece of advice from me in regards to STAAR Writing, I would hope it would be to simply do their best,” Medlin said.
Medlin said her class has focused on being “themselves.”
“Our motto has been SUCCESS = PROGRESS,” she added. “Each of my students are already successes, they will just show the state that next week.”
WHS Ninth Grade Center English Language Arts teacher Darla Miles told her students that preparing for the STAAR is like a road trip.
“I told my students to get a good night’s rest, bring snacks and water, have a positive attitude, bring something to read, and leave their phones and/or other electronic devices at home,” Miles said.
Miles let her students practice a writing prompt on Friday and said the STAAR exam is no different from what her students do every day.
“We have been practicing writing skills all year long, and we’ll continue to practice them after the STAAR exam,” she added.
Other helpful tips for students preparing for next week’s STAAR exam include:
- Get a good night’s sleep the night before a test
- Bring healthy snacks and water in containers that can be closed when not in use.
- Eat a healthy breakfast the morning of the test.
- Send a note of encouragement to your child.
- Have your child dress comfortably and arrive at school on time.
- Send your child to school with confidence-building words of praise and support: You’ll do great! Believe in yourself!
Next week’s STAAR schedule:
Monday, March 30 – STAAR Writing Day 1 (grades 4 and 7); STAAR English I
Tuesday, March 31 – STAAR Writing Day 2 (grades 4 and 7); STAAR Reading (grades 5 and 8)
Wednesday, April 1 – STAAR English II
Top Photo - Weatherford High School ninth grader Juan Rodriquez and his classmates work on a writing prompt in Darla Miles' ELA class in order to prepare for Monday's writing assessment.