How to Build Test Prep into Instruction with Study Island
Preparing your students for state assessments doesn’t have to mean teaching to the test. In our webinar, Built-In Test Prep with Study Island, we showed you how you can use Study Island every day to help your students practice and master the skills they need to ace the state tests. Plus, you’ll get useful data to inform your instruction, saving you time and effort.
In this article, you’ll learn the steps you need to follow to use Study Island to integrate test prep into your instruction. Be sure to watch the full webinar recording for more details.
How to Build Test Prep into Instruction Using Study Island, Step by Step
Study Island makes it simple to incorporate test preparation into instruction. Here’s how you can get your classroom and lesson plans ready for all Study Island brings to the table.
Step 1: Identify Priority Standards
The first step to building test preparation into your current instruction is to identify your priority standards. There likely isn’t enough time between now and the test to cover a year’s worth of content. A good place to start is by analyzing state blueprints and released tests to identify which standards are assessed most prominently on the state test.
In most states, there are few key standards or skills that are covered more than others. Focus your efforts on the standards that correspond to the most questions on the test.
Step 2: Determine What Students Know (And What They Don’t)
Once you’ve identified your priority standards, it’s time to determine each student’s level of mastery of those standards. Data from a recent benchmark assessment will provide the information you need. If your students have been using Study Island throughout the school year, performance data from within the program will also provide standards-mastery data.
If you don’t have recent assessment data, utilize Study Island’s full-length Benchmarks built from your state assessment, or use Test Builder to build a custom assessment from Study Island’s standards-based items. Either way, you will save time by not having to write assessment items or even grade the tests, and the results are immediately available.
Another source of insight into your students’ strengths and weaknesses is their state assessment data from the previous school year. Look for patterns that demonstrate gaps in student learning. Also, be sure to review last year’s scores from your previous students. Those results may help you diagnose blind spots in your instruction or locate areas on the assessment that students tend to struggle with.
Step 3: Establish Where You Can Incorporate Study Island
To build test prep into instruction, review your current instructional activities and determine which options you can use Study Island for. Study Island questions are built from state standards and designed to be similar to those used on your state test, so as your students are working in the program, they are engaging in test preparation.
Here is a list of common instructional activities that Study Island can be used for:
- Bell ringer/warm-up
- Exit ticket
- Pretest
- Quiz
- Practice
- Unit test
- Homework
To determine how Study Island fits into your classroom, watch the following webinar clips in which we demo three key features of Study Island and show how they can be integrated into instruction.
Group Sessions
The Group Sessions feature of Study Island is a favorite because you can conduct a live classroom response session in which students respond on their tablets, laptops, smartphones, or other Internet-connected devices. Group Sessions are great for getting in-the-moment responses, and students love the game-based modes.
Here’s how webinar attendees envisioned using Group Sessions for built-in test prep in their classrooms:
Practice Sessions
Practice Sessions are perfect for independent, student-paced work, and students can use them in game mode, earning a fun, brain-break game for correct responses.
Here’s how webinar attendees envisioned using Practice Sessions for built-in test prep in their classrooms:
Test Builder
Test Builder allows you to build custom assessments with the exact standards and questions you want to include. This feature is great for when you want a more formalized testing experience, and it works well for unit tests, end-of-semester tests, and even weekly quizzes.
Now that you’re ready to build test prep into your day-to-day instruction, it’s time to get started. See how Study Island can revolutionize how you help your students prepare for tests today!