How do study skills improve standardized test scores?
Educators are under enormous pressure to get students to perform well on standardized tests. Since standardized tests assess students’ mastery of state benchmarks, it is well known that the best way to improve grades is to provide clear instruction on those benchmarks.
As a result, teachers and administrators spend a great deal of time “mapping” their curriculum, carefully aligning their instruction to match state expectations. Yet the world’s strongest curriculum map does nothing to ensure that students learn that content effectively.
In other words, you can teach all the correct content, but that doesn’t guarantee that students will “get” it. Or, that they will “keep” it.
Imagine that the road to Benchmark Mastery is a highway. Students enter the freeway as the teacher introduces Benchmark to the class. They have a series of reading assignments, lectures, homework, and assessments to complete throughout their journey.
But, at every mile marker, there are obstacles that can interfere with your progress towards Benchmark Mastery. Some students overcome these obstacles, but at each interval, several are forced to take the nearest exit ramp. Very few students will actually make it to the final destination.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
The master had done his part. He followed his curriculum map, covered the benchmark, and provided lots of instruction, practice, and assessment along the way.
The problem is that students don’t know HOW to learn! Take a closer look at some of these roadblocks to see how they keep students off course:
Mile Marker 1: Reading Homework
Off-ramp: Students are unable to understand the information in the text. The technical structure and advanced vocabulary of a textbook will throw off 80% of students, right from the start!
Mile Marker 2: Reading Class
Off Ramp: Students don’t know how to take notes effectively. They struggle to understand the “big picture” therefore don’t know how to identify the key points, let alone create an effective study guide.
Mile Marker 3: Homework
Exit Ramp: Students don’t do homework or do it wrong. Even “good students” don’t know how to do homework correctly. They do homework just to “get it done.” They do not engage effectively in the task to learn from it. Meanwhile, “struggling students” are frustrated that homework takes too long. They often decide it’s not worth their frustration.
Mile Marker 4: Chapter Test
Off-ramp: Students memorize the information for the test, but forget it the next day. They only know one method to study: cramming!
Destination: Landmark Domain
Some students will avoid all exit ramps and achieve Benchmark Mastery in the short term. The problem is that the standardized test is three months away…
ENTER: STUDY SKILLS
Students are never explicitly taught how to study or learn effectively. Our educational system expects you to just “get it.” However, students can apply strategies to homework and study, just as they do with sports or video games. Someone just needs to show them what to do!
Imagine if students knew how to read textbooks effectively, take excellent notes, and complete homework efficiently. Imagine if they knew how to study so they were LEARNING, not just memorizing and cramming?
So, the situation would be like this:
Mile Marker 1: Reading Homework
Since students know simple time-saving strategies for reading a textbook, they do the reading. The most important thing is that they UNDERSTAND it!
Mile Marker 2: Reading Class
Students have reviewed the textbook and understand the “big picture” so they can identify key points. They know shortcuts for taking notes and writing down important information. Your notes are now an effective study guide.
Mile Marker 3: Homework
Students learn strategies to put their brain into “high gear.” Now they can complete the task faster AND learn from the task at the same time.
Mile Marker 4: Chapter Test
The students are ready! They have been learning information every step of the way and have no need to cram. They know how to use their textbook for review, have created effective study guides from their notes, and have learned from mistakes on homework assignments.
Destination: Landmark Domain
Since students were equipped to LEARN the content (rather than memorize), they have retained the information for the long term. They can remember information quickly. Now they are ready for those standardized tests!
