Studying For Standardized Tests | Sandy Fowler | Episode 102

Tests impact our children’s lives in many ways. From college admissions to scholarships to competitive high school placements, kids need to do well on exams to achieve their goals. Scoring well on standardized tests includes writing a good essay. Mighty Parenting podcast host Sandy Fowler shares tips from our sponsor Ecree on how our kids can study for the writing portion of standardized tests. 

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A Favorite Quote from the Show: 

“Kids become better writers with practice and feedback.”

High Points of Our Conversation on Studying for Standardized Tests:

Our kids have a lot of hurdles in their lives and one of those is standardized tests. Whether they’re trying to get into graduate school, college or even a competitive high school, admissions can be stressful, especially the writing portion of the exam. Studying for the writing portion of standardized tests helps.

Portions of the test are pretty black and white, you either select the correct answer or you don’t. But writing is different, writing is nuanced and there are so many factors that come into play when it’s being graded.

Fortunately, this is something our kids can practice. They can work on the technical aspects of writing AND they can work on their speed since these are timed tests.

Kids become better writers with practice and feedback.

Kids can study for standardized tests but they can also practice writing.

To improve their writing for these high stakes moments and their futures our kids need:

1. Practice —lots and lots of practice.
   Make sure your child has time to practice their writing. Encourage them to look at their schedule and decide when they will practice.
    
2. A Plan
   In addition to setting aside the time to practice, make sure they know WHAT they are practicing. To score well on the writing portion of tests they need a clear thesis, strong development and support, logical grouping of ideas, and they need to write clearly which includes good grammar.
3. Objective Feedback
   Someone needs to read our child’s work and give them constructive feedback. Help your child identify someone who can give them good, quality feedback on a regular basis.If this is going to be you, make sure they have that clear thesis, strong development and support, logical grouping of ideas, and that they write clearly.If it’s going to be a tutor then make sure you understand what the expectations are and what the tutor will help your child with and where you need to fill in the gaps. Also, understand your child still needs to practice outside of their tutoring sessions.

Writing is simply a skill and, just like studying for standardized tests, practice improves writing skills. Ecree has given us the outline of what our kids need to practice—practice, a plan, and feedback— but they also have a great tool to support that, with our without human help. Ecree’s on-demand writing tutor is available for our kids to use any time of day or night and for as long as they need. There is no one-hour limit, there is no parental frustration, and there is no bias, simply support and high-quality feedback that has been proven to mirror the feedback from teachers and graders. You can learn more and get a free trial at ecree.com. 

Our Sponsor Ecree:

Ecree is the only AI virtual writing tool that provides unlimited, immediate, and consistent teacher-quality feedback on essay organization, argumentation, evidence, and analysis.  Unlike other AI technologies, Ecree offers a transparent rubric that makes expectations clear and aligns with common ELA standards and classroom rubrics.  Ecree is proven to strengthen student writing and to improve retention.  Founded in 2014, Ecree is on a mission to provide widespread access to fast, easy, and personalized writing feedback aimed at helping students become better writers and better thinkers.

To learn more or connect with our sponsor visit ecree.com