10 Myths About Effective Preparation Strategies For the CRT

1. 10 Myths About Effective Preparation Strategies For the CRT Brought to you today by Nevada’s 8th Graders

2. #10 Reading the questions before reading the passages increases your chances of choosing a correct answer. This strategy may work better for some students than for others.

3. #9 Getting lots of sleep and eating a big breakfast will improve your performance on the CRT. • The normal amount of sleep on which each individual functions best varies. Student should predetermine their optimal sleep time and plan to have that amount prior to the test day. • The same is true for breakfast. If students normally eat a light breakfast, eating more on test day can actually harm their ability to do well.

4. #8 There won’t be enough time to finish the test. • The CRT is a power test, not a speed test. • The guidelines read, “Students must be given additional time for the test provided they are working productively.” • The pressure of finishing within time limits can distort the results that are designed to measure student knowledge.

5. #7 Items progress from easiest to most difficult in each test. • Items of various levels of difficulty are interspersed throughout each test. • Students should be encouraged to continue working, even if they encounter several items which they are unable to readily answer.

6. #6 CRTs are designed so that very few students know all the answers. • CRTs are designed to present students with opportunities to show what they know and are able to do. • They contain items designed to measure knowledge and comprehension of skills and concepts in the state standards which students are expected to master by the end of grade level. • Many of the skills and concepts may have been introduced in the curriculum at earlier grade levels.

7. #5 You can’t study for a CRT. CRTs are based on standards, so you can expect to see improvement if you know and understand the skills and concepts outlined in the standards.

8. #4 Focusing on a specific standard more than others will improve CRT scores. • CRT tests address all of the Mathematics, Reading and Science standards. • Since some of the standards are building blocks for the others, it is important to teach all of the standards.

9. #3 Finding out how well/poorly students performed previously will improve CRT scores. • This often simply confirms what teachers already know about their students’ ability levels. • It does not tell the why and the how.

10. #2 Taking “practice tests” will help students prepare for the CRT. • Taking multiple “practice tests” may reinforce how much students hate taking tests. • Having taken a test, a student will not necessarily know what he or she needs to work on or how to improve.

11. #1 It doesn’t matter if we complain about there being too much testing. • The CRT is an opportunity for students to demonstrate knowledge attainment. • State tests help drive improvement in all schools and for all children. • They provide important information in determining the allocation of resources and assistance to schools and students.

12. Thank you for joining us today! If you have any questions, please contact your school Site Trainer, or the WCSD Data Management System Team at EdusoftTraining@washoe.k12.nv.us