Preparing Students for Testing and Doing Better in School

by Rona F. Flippo

Overview

Improve students' test-taking success by teaching effective time management strategies, organizational skills, note-taking techniques, ways to handle test anxiety, and methods for taking essay and objective tests.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412953733
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/31/2008
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Dr. Rona Flippo, currently on the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association 2012-2015, has taught in public schools and has been a professor of reading and study strategy education at various colleges and universities in the United States, including Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. She is currently Professor of Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston in the College of Education and Human Development. Dr. Flippo has been a consultant for Educational Testing Services (ETS) and the Georgia Department of Education. Additionally, she has served on various Editorial Boards, on the Board of Directors of the College Reading Association (CRA/ALER), on various committees of the International Reading Association (IRA) and most currently on the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association (IRA) 2012-2015. She has published 15 other books and over 100 chapters and articles in prestigious professional books and journals; many of these publications have been on study and test-taking research and strategies. Dr. Flippo has worked extensively with elementary, middle school, high school, community college, and university students and their teachers to develop students' study and test strategies. Thousands of students and teachers have learned how to become "Prepared" for tests and for doing better in school under Dr. Flippo's tutelage.

Table of Contents

Foreword by P. David Pearson
Acknowledgments
About the Author
How to Use This Book
Note to the Teacher
Note to the Student
Introduction
Part I. Doing Better in School
1. How to Avoid Test Panic
Preparing Mentally and Physically
Organizing Your Course Content
Chapter Summary
2. How to Develop a Game Plan
Master Test Schedule for the Term
Planning for Each Test
Test Analysis
Study Schedules for Each Test
Planning Test-Study Time
Game Plan Checklist
Chapter Summary
Part II. Preparing for All Tests
3. Strategies for Test-Study
Memorizing
Organizing Resources
Making Study Notes
Condensing Study Notes
Memorization Techniques
Chapter Summary
4. Preparing for Essay Questions and Tests
Predicting Questions
Short-Answer Questions
Long-Answe "Trace" Questions
Long-Answer "Compare and Contrast" Questions
Long-Answer "Discuss" Questions
Practicing Answers
Improving Answers With Library Research
Chapter Summary
5. Preparing for Objective Questions and Tests
Practicing Multiple-Choice Questions
Practicing Matching Questions
Practicing True/False Question
Practicing Completion Questions
Group Study for Objective Tests
Standardized Tests
Chapter Summary
Part III. Taking Tests and Doing Better
6. Getting It Together on Test Day
On the Way
In the Test Room
Before Starting to Answer
Chapter Summary
7. Taking the Essay Test
Budgeting Time
Reading the Question Carefully
Outlining the Answer
Writing Out the Answer
Re-Reading Answers
Making a Final Check
Chapter Summary
8. Taking the Objective Test
Test-Taking Steps
Test Question Cues
Answering Multiple-Choice Questions
Answering Matching Questions
Answering True/False Questions
Answering Completion Questions
When and How to Guess
Chapter Summary
A Final Word
Resources
Appendix A: A Preparing Students Final Test, Answers to Test Prep Exercises, and Answers to Final Test
Appendix B: Forms for Test Preparation and Study
Appendix C: Resources for Additional Test Preparation Assistance
Appendix D: Glossary
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"While written for teachers, this book contains much practical knowledge on how students can adequately prepare for and successfully complete the many different types of assessments they face each day in school. "

Richard Robinson

"Teachers will want to run—not walk—to get a copy of this book to help students do better in school. Test preparation is an important real-life skill, and this book provides step-by-step guidance to help students learn how to prepare for tests and demonstrate what they know. "

Linda B. Gambrell

"All teachers and parents should read this book! It is timely and important and includes powerful, research-based strategies that will help students learn more and succeed on tests throughout the challenging years of middle school, high school, and college. Each chapter reveals superb, practical tips that every student should know, including ways to avoid test panic and to prepare for every kind of test imaginable. This is one of the best books I’ve read about practical approaches to test-taking and studying in the current high-stakes testing era. "

Rosalie Fink

"Rona Flippo has done it again—given teachers and students a wonderful gift in the form of a book that demystifies this phenomenon we call testing! We should all be grateful that Flippo cares as much as she does about the plight of students and the goals of teachers committed to helping them become the type of students they would like to be. "

P. David Pearson

"Rona Flippo has done it again—given teachers and students a wonderful gift in the form of a book that demystifies this phenomenon we call testing! We should all be grateful that Flippo cares as much as she does about the plight of students and the goals of teachers committed to helping them become the type of students they would like to be. "

From the Foreword by P. David Pearson

"If you want to help students become test-smart, this is the book for you. Rona Flippo is masterful at making a potentially difficult task—taking tests—easy to teach. She provides teachers with an instructional road map that will not only help students get organized for test-taking, but will also show them how to study for and answer essay and objective questions. "

Richard T. Vacca

"Testing is an important part of school life. Some students do not do well on tests—not because they don't know the subject matter, but because they don't know how to effectively take or study for the test. This book will help with both of those problems. You can count on the author’s solid advice. "

Ed Fry