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It's that time of year again. Everyone seems to be stressed about it. The head teacher wants good scores for the national league tables. The teachers want to show how good they are. And the children - well, they have been told again and again how important these tests are, so they are desperate to do well, and terrified that they might do poorly. There are some children who excel at tests and love them. At the other end of the spectrum are those who become completely stressed over exams. Most kids could live just as well without them. If your child stresses to the extreme, how can you help? Standardized Achievement Tests (SATS) were created to assess schools. The government wanted to find out how well children are doing as a whole, and how well each school is performing. They start by testing a child at age 7 to establish a baseline score. They are tested again when they are 11. The difference in scores is known as the "value added", and refers to how much the child has learned in four years. The goal is to raise the education level among eleven year olds. The SATS allow the government to measure how well they're doing. Most likely your question as a parent is "How does this score apply to my child?". Actually, it doesn't. The SATS don't relate to individual children. When your child moves into secondary school, that school will do its own assessment. They don't even use the SATS in their teaching plans. The SATS levels (scores) are very broad and don't really address how well your child is or isn't doing. Let's assume that your 11 year-old child scores a 4, which is average. You still don't know if it's a high or low average. You probably won't be surprised if he scores higher or lower. Parents and teachers generally know without the SATS if a child is ahead or behind his classmates. In other words his SATS scores won't have any bearing on his education. How do you handle the situation if your child is stressed out about the SATS? First, explain that it's the school being tested, and not her. Tell her that her levels won't matter. Tell her to do the best she can, but don't force her to study or practice. She will have enough tests in her life and doesn't need to stress out about these. If your reassurance doesn't t help, then talk to her teacher. Find out how he handles explaining the SATS to his students. Let him know that you have concerns about your child, and would like to work out a plan of mutual support. Any time that you are worried about how your child is performing in school, always talk to the instructor or even the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) or head teacher. There is no point in worrying without taking steps to allay your fears.
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Dr. Noel Swanson regularly writes for Yes Parenting website and also has a free newsletter with heaps of expert parenting advice. This and other unique content parenting articles are available with free reprint rights.
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