• Review any instructions provided by the student's teacher
• Try to understand what the assessment is and what it measures
• Positive test prep - offer encouragement and support
• Make sure they have eaten a healthy meal prior to the assessment
• Try not to place too much importance on the assessment
• Remember that students do best on assessments when they attend school regularly and do their schoolwork

As a parent, you probably use more than a yardstick to measure your child’s growth. You may use bathroom scales, school photographs, and clothing sizes to measure physical growth. As your child matures, there are additional measures of growth such as later bedtimes, increased responsibilities, or getting a driver’s license.

Similarly, Cascade School District uses different measures to monitor and manage your child’s academic growth. These include progress reports, collections of work, and a variety of assessments. However, just as no single measure of physical growth is completely adequate, no single assessment provides a complete accounting of a child’s knowledge and skills. Every assessment administered by the state, the district, and our teachers contributes to the bigger picture of each whole child.

While the expectation is that all students will take district- and state-assigned assessments, please contact your student's teacher if you have any questions or concerns about their participation.