The Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) is held annually for determining the student and school’s performance. Students in third through eight take tests in reading, mathematics, writing, and science. Based on the results, the future decisions for the students and schools can be made.
ISAT
ISAT is conducted for students in third grade to eighth grade in reading and mathematics. Students in fourth and seventh grade take tests in science in addition to reading and math. Three test sessions of forty minutes duration will be conducted. Student may be given additional ten minutes if they are still working on the paper.
ISAT is based on the 1997 Illinois Learning Standards and other assessment frameworks. The tests will be assessed by teachers from other schools and graded. Students in grades four through eight can use certain calculators during the test.
Preparation
Teachers give short mimic tests to the students for them to practice. Parents can let the students practice at home daily. Workbooks and worksheets can be used for the practice sessions. Further, sample questions can be practiced. Prepdog and mathslice are some other resources for practicing the test.
Apart from daily practice, here are some tips for your child to prepare for the test:
- Taking good rest and having sound sleep the day before the test
- Having favorite breakfast
- Wearing comfortable or favorite clothes
- Learn about the different kinds of questions
- Follow test directions
- Watch out for the words not, none, never, always, all, and so on
- Look carefully at each page before starting
- Look at the labels on graphs and charts
- Use time wisely and figure out when to stop
- Do not spend too much time on any question
- Fill in the whole circle and mark the answers correctly
- Use context clues to find the answers
- You can take a good guess if you do not know the exact answer
- Check your work before you handover the paper
- Stay calm and happy through out the test
For reading passages, read the directions, read the questions, and then read the passage so that you will know what to look out for. In case, you have a doubt you can go back to the passage again to confirm the answer.
Results
The student will be rated as academic level warning, below standards, meets standards, or exceeds standards based on the results. ISAT results assist in comparing the school against all the schools in the State. Schools and students can win special scholarships and aids if they score well in the ISAT.
Similar tests are being held on all the States but the name may differ. Wish you all the best for your ISAT. 🙂