What can schools do to reduce students' test anxiety? Plenty |
On Board Online • January 25, 2016
By Dr. Peter Faustino
Recently the New York Association of School Psychologists was proud to partner with NYSSBA on a study regarding the impact of test anxiety on school climate, which was summarized in the Dec. 14, 2015 issue of On Board and can be found at http://www.nyasp.org . While editing the report at my kitchen table, my 12-year-old daughter asked me what I was working on. When I explained, she said, "Just tell people that worrying doesn't help and remind them to show what they know."
While it is difficult to improve upon that advice, I will attempt to do so in this article. When teachers, administrators and school boards want to minimize students' test anxiety, what approaches are likely to be most fruitful?
In the school setting, it is normal for students to experience discomfort when they are being evaluated, such as when taking a test or giving a public performance. Most students cope with these situations well, but there is a subset of up to a third of students who experience a condition most often termed "test anxiety."
When test anxiety is severe, it can have significant negative effects on a student's ability to perform at an optimal level. Over time, test anxiety tends to generalize to all evaluative situations, contributing to more persistent underachievement. Additional concerns of chronic test anxiety can include lowered self-esteem, reduced effort, and loss of motivation for school tasks.
So, for the long-term success of our students, schools need strategies to reduce test anxiety.
Understanding anxiety and stress reactions
To a psychologist, "test anxiety" is just a form of anxiety, which occurs when someone is apprehensive about uncertain outcomes. It is one of the most basic human emotions and occurs in every person at some time.
Anxiety is often accompanied by stress. Stress is a normal psychological and physical reaction to the demands of life. While everyone experiences it to some degree, strong reactions to stress can be debilitating.
In looking at stress, remember that our brains come hard wired with an alarm system for protection. When the brain perceives a threat, it signals the body to release a burst of hormones to fuel our capacity for a response. This has been labeled the "fight-or-flight" response.
Anxiety and stress reactions can be contagious. We have all experienced this in situations where stress or the overwhelming nature of events seems to spread to multiple individuals. The high stakes nature of some testing in school at times results in a general feeling of anxiety among students.
While the state has taken some actions to lessen the impact of high-stakes testing, it is still important for schools to help students develop positive coping strategies. Testing and performing can be stress-inducing regardless of the stakes. That's why stress management is important for all concerned. Stress management gives you a range of tools to reset your alarm system. Adults must master their stress to help students master theirs.
How to combat stress and anxiety in school
Anxiety is manifested in three ways: cognitively, behaviorally, and physiologically. Often the symptoms are apparent in all three areas, such as worry, avoidance of the task, and sweating or nausea. Many of the behaviors exhibited by anxious individuals reflect attempts to control the anxiety and minimize its effects.
What can individuals do to combat the stress and anxiety invading daily performance and eroding the school climate? Here are a few personal and organizational suggestions based on my professional experience:
1. Connect with others. It's healthy to share personal stories about pressure, stress and anxiety. The old adage that misery loves company applies as a starting point for cathartic connections. Several years ago, it was hugely impactful (and personal) to hear our superintendent share his opinion about the harmful effects of high-stakes testing. He added that while he disagrees with the system, he planned to do his best to minimize the effects of high-stakes testing because it created undue pressure on our school system. The staff left feeling that we were all in this together.
2. Avoid negative thinking. While complaining feels good at first, it is too easy to dwell on how bad things are. After allowing for a few minutes to identify the triggers of stress or potential causes of anxiety (call it venting) we must shift the conversation to what is possible, what is within our ability to change and what positives can be gleaned from the situation. In the case of state assessments, encourage discussions about the process - how will we teach children, parents, and ourselves to manage things that at the local level seem difficult, unpleasant, overwhelming or ill-considered?
3. Do something different. Make small changes that are intended to have a ripple effect. Even the smallest greetings and smiles can change the way people feel about being in school. Allow for time for everyone to share their accomplishments and take the focus off of testing and the hype that surrounds it. Organize a special breakfast with the PTA, cafeteria, or potluck on the mornings leading up to the assessments. Ensure that, even while preparing for assessments or taking practice tests, other discussions are happening in the community.
4. Use physical interventions. Don't underestimate the value of sleep, healthy eating, exercise, relaxation techniques and drinking plenty of water! In addition to focusing interventions on our cognitions and behaviors, we cannot forget the physical toll stress takes on our bodies. When possible, schedule time for students to play and for teachers to break bread together. Release everyone from homework for the weekend and prescribe extra sleep. Try having a delayed start day to let people sleep an extra hour leading up to a tough week (or place faculty meetings in the morning instead of after school). Make it fun to return to healthy habits.
5. Encourage students to talk with mental health professionals. Test anxiety may or may not be complicated by other problems, such as chronic anxiety disorders or depression. A school psychologist can help students cope with feelings of anxiety or provide references to specialists. School psychologists are also available to come into classrooms to teach relaxation or mindfulness techniques, as well as other stress management strategies.
We have all lived through a period in which concern about state tests has been a major preoccupation of the entire education community. Refocusing on the purpose of assessments seems long overdue! Students need measured feedback upon which to develop, learn and grow. And they need to be prepared for a world of college and career that will involve many tests and assessments.
Teaching students to manage stress effectively will help them succeed in school and in life.
Peter Faustino is a school psychologist in the Bedford school district and is the New York State Delegate to the National Association of School Psychologists