Schoolwide Blog

At a truly enjoyable Schoolwide Workshop at Fordham University a question came up about how and how often to best use traditional test prep material (which are sometimes called “THE PACKETS”) when getting kids ready for statewide exams.

My best response is that the problem is not with the practice material itself, but rather with what is done with it. I don’t recommend using the material for independent practice or homework until it has been used for small group scaffolded instruction. The passages themselves provide good short text material across genres for guided instruction.

I would cut off the questions on the initial introduction of the passage.

After discussion about the passage I would reintroduce the questions without the answer choices (as I suggested in an earlier blog) and have the students write in their answers.

In a follow-up discussion I would have kids share their thinking by showing places in the text that provide evidence to back up their responses.

Finally they can do the practice material with the choices either independently in class or for homework.

I’m very curious about how much and how often this type of practice material is used before a state exam.