So, a pineapple and a hare decide to race each other…

The New York State Standardized test for English was given this week, and not without controversy.  This controversy has to do with a pineapple and a hare.  “Huh?!?” you say?  You can read more about it in the New York Times here: http://nyti.ms/IbBtfh . In a nutshell, the test writers used a story so confusing that mere days after the test they decided not to count the questions surrounding it. However, this is a rare occurrence.

This extreme example aside, it is true that many students finish standardized tests and say that a part (or parts) of it did not make sense to them.  Our job as adults is to make them comfortable with tests – and potentially confusing reading passages – so that they may excel.  How can we do this?  Through reading allowed to them, even through middle school, ensuring they read a variety of genres (mystery, comedy, plays, fables, magazines), having them take practice tests under simulated-testing conditions, and providing them with individualized and specialized tutoring.

No matter how you choose to prepare your child for standardized testing (there is no one right way), we at Ready Languages wish them the best of luck!