Math Test Prep Strategies for Grades 3-5 with Cassi Noack

Kirsten 0:00

This is the social studies teacher podcast, a show for busy elementary teachers looking for fun and engaging ways to easily add social studies into their classroom schedule without feeling overwhelmed or pressed for time. I'm Kirsten at the southern teach, an educator and mom who is passionate about all things social studies. I love sharing ideas and strategies that are low prep and easy to implement. So let's dive in together.

Kirsten 0:47

Hi there, and welcome to another episode of the social studies teacher podcast. Today is part two of the test prep series. I'm excited to present to you Cassi Noack from minds in bloom. She's going to be here on the podcast talking about math test prep strategies. So even though we are not primarily a math podcast, I know that there are likely many social studies teachers listening in who might teach another subject, such as math or ELA and I wanted to just make it something that anybody can enjoy. So I hope you enjoy this interview. Without further ado, let's go ahead and dive in.

Kirsten 1:27

All right, we are here with Cassi Noack - welcome to the social studies teacher podcast.

Cassi 1:34

Thank you. I'm so excited to be here talking to you today.

Kirsten 1:39

I'm excited as well. So just first starting out, can you share a little bit about your background and experience with teaching upper elementary and just what you do now?

Cassi 1:51

So, I have been a teacher in some shape or form my entire life. I started off just, I think I was 18 years old, and I was working in Mother's Day outs and things like that. And my first actual teaching job was at a small private school in town, and I worked there for about seven years, teaching second grade. And then I moved into public school and I taught fourth grade, and I never taught anything else in public school, except for fourth grade, until I became an instructional specialist and moved into the administrative side. But fourth grade is it's just the sweet spot. I love it. Even when I was working with different grade levels as an instructional specialist, I still really loved the fourth graders. I actually love fourth grade history as well. So Social Studies is so fun to teach, especially in Texas, when you get all of the fun Texas history there. So basically, most of my career has been in upper elementary.

Kirsten 2:48

That's awesome. Yes. How you feel about fourth grade, I feel about fifth grade. I used to be scared of the fifth graders, and it came to be my favorite grade to teach. So the more you teach, the more you figure out which grade levels you stick with or like the most.

Cassi 3:07

So my favorite thing about fifth grade was that I worked with fifth graders while as an instructional specialist, but they were the fourth graders that I had had.

Kirsten 3:21

Yeah. I love that. Okay, well, we're gonna get right into it. So I know this is not normally a topic we talk about on the podcast, but I wanted to put it out there anyway, just in case anybody teaches math. I know some of you probably do. So today, we're going to be talking about math test prep strategies and ideas. And she is the perfect person to share that information about. So starting off thinking about any challenges, what do you feel are some challenges teachers will face when they are preparing specifically for those state math tests or standardized math tests?

Cassi 3:59

Oh gosh, the number one challenge is definitely time. It's like, how do you find time to prepare for these high stakes tests when you haven't even taught all of the content yet? I mean, we're literally teaching content up until, you know, a week or two before the test, right? So I think time is the number one obstacle, for sure. And then there's also just a lack of resources I've seen. So, you know, you you have an idea of what you want to do and what you need to work on, but those aren't materials that are necessarily provided to you as the teacher. They're not extra materials in the math book or whatever. So I think just having the time to do it, and then having the stuff to do it is the hardest part about getting kids ready.

Kirsten 4:47

Yeah, I can think back on, just like you said a couple weeks before the test, and like your district pacing guide is like, Hey, you're teaching about elapsed time, even though, like, it's like, one of, probably one of the trickiest things to teach, I would think, for upper elementary, or at least in my experience, but yeah, it is very hard to like, try to cram in as many concepts as you can, since it's different. ELA is more like there's a certain set of skills, and then you just kind of continue with that as you talk about different genres but math is a whole other beast. Especially because they're no decimals in fourth grade, like they're learning really new things that they may not have learned about in different grades previously.

Cassi 5:30

Yes, lots of fractions, lots of decimals, elapsed time, all these problem solving, representing problems and equations, all of that is so difficult. And if you are lucky enough to teach if you're self contained and you have, well, I guess that's a double edged sword. If you're self contained, you're also doing all the ELA, the reading and the writing tests as well, but you do have a bigger block of time that you can use and manipulate into a way that works for you. So if you are teaching social studies and science, then you can take the content and rework it in a way to where you're double dipping. So you know, there are some perks to that. I think sadly, as test prep time rolls around, we do tend to kind of sweep science aside. Well, not in fifth grade, because you're testing in science that right, social studies, gets pushed aside. So I guess one thing I would just encourage you is, if you are setting aside other subjects, that instead of just neglecting them completely, you find ways to integrate them into your test prep, and it's not that hard.

Kirsten 6:32

Yeah, definitely, especially thinking like even economics, when you're talking about supply and demand, working in any word problems, just being specific with decimals, that could be a good tie in. But yeah, that's always good to think about. So in your experience for prepping students for any standardized test, what have you found to be the most important thing to do?

Cassi 6:59

So to me, the most important thing about testing is for the teacher to really understand the test. So before you do anything, look at the test. Take the test. Take the test again. Just dig down into what is this testing going to cover? And what you're going to see is the majority of the test is going to cover a small set of standards. So in Texas, we break them up into the readiness standards and the supporting standards. The readiness standards are represented on the test like two to one for the supporting standards, and they make up about 66% of the test, which, if you think about passing scores. I think if you get a 66 and you master just those readiness standards, you're going to pass the test. So I think the big strategy is to understand the test, and in understanding the test, you're going to understand that there is heavy emphasis on these certain set of standards. In fourth grade, I think there's 13 of them, and as you're preparing those 13 standards need to be just the most important ones. Not to say that you should ignore the other standards, but it is absolutely imperative that those 13 standards are mastered, not just for the test, but those are also the foundational standards that as you move into higher grades, fifth grade, sixth grade, and up, those are the ones that are going to be built upon in subsequent math lessons.

Cassi 8:29

So I think it's really important to understand how the test is made up, what standards you should be focusing on, and then once you have that down pat, you've got to understand the difference in study techniques. So when you're studying and preparing for the test, there's really two areas that you need to focus on. The first area is just doing the math, solving the problem, you know, no word problems, no words around it. You're just seeing a fraction on a page and and simplifying it, or something like that. So that is like the automatic math work. So as you're preparing, kids have to have the automaticity in these readiness standards. They have to be able to do it every single time and get it right every single time with automaticity. So that aside, the other half is really the critical thinking. So the test is also going to require students to do a whole lot of critical thinking. I think that as you're practicing these skills, what you're really focusing on is maybe more of a whole group setting. You're looking at released questions or similar questions. You're going through them, taking your time really processing what every sentence in the question is asking or means, and then once you have that, you're analyzing why certain questions are even there. What's the purpose of certain answer choices? Are they there to trick you? Are they there because they know that certain students are going to forget this important step? So analyzing the question, and then, more importantly, analyzing the answers and figuring out why 20% of kids taking it chose answer D, and why did 10% of kids taking this test choose C. So that's important too. And when you're working on this critical thinking and test taking strategies, you're also working on building stamina.

Cassi: 10:23

You're modeling for the students how to approach a test question and how much is a reasonable amount of time that you should be spending on it. I think, as teachers, one of the biggest obstacles when you're watching students take their test and you're, you know, actively monitoring them as they're doing it, what you are most frustrated by is how fast they're going, like you're just reading and doing and moving on. And by taking the time to analyze questions and answer choices and spend a lot of time on one question, students are seeing that this takes time. This isn't the time to rush through and get done. Now the automaticity part that is the time to rush through and get done. So different strategies on how you're going to approach each part of the test taking, but both of them are equally as important.

Kirsten: 11:14

Okay, yes, I love all of that. Thinking about taking the test yourself, being familiar with the standards that are expected to be on the standardized test, and then just thinking about those two parts, the critical thinking and the automaticity computation aspect of it. So those are really great things to think about. And I can definitely attest firsthand experience that it is kind of, especially, like, you know, moving up to different like, I was up in fifth grade at one point teaching math, which I normally didn't do. I mostly taught ELA social studies. And I really had to go back and, like, really look at, okay, what are they supposed to learn? So it is something that is doable, but it's, it's definitely can be done.

Kirsten: 12:01

So now thinking about, like, of course, for some math is not their strong suit, or they may have this mindset, I'm not good at math or, like, I always get the questions wrong, or I'm confused, and I don't, you know, remember how the steps go. And then on the flip side, you have the kids that are like, they just, they can do math problems in their sleep. So for, I guess, any student, wherever they are on that spectrum, how do you keep them engaged and motivated, just without it feeling overwhelming, stressful, or repetitive, or boring, however you want to say it, how do, how can we keep them engaged and motivated?

Cassi: 12:43

Yeah it can definitely be boring and 1,000% repetitive, but I think the solution to that problem is just differentiation, which sounds overwhelming, but when a student is practicing on exactly what they need to practice on, they are certainly not going to feel like this is repetitive. They're trying to get this skill. So whenever I am doing test prep, we'll set aside, like several weeks, and the whole team will work together. And basically what we do is we focus on those readiness standards and we make or find three different 10 question assessments that are very aligned to the test. We want it to look like the test, feel like the test, same rigor and all of that. So as we start our unit, I'll call it a unit, test prep unit. We give all of the fourth graders the first test in the series of three, and then we look at what they do. If they've already done right, and they get them all right, then they're they don't need to keep practicing this one. If they've missed a couple, maybe they need a little bit of practice or remediation. And if they missed a lot, they need some intense work. And then we have the teachers take on different groups. So one of the fourth grade teachers might take on those kids that need, like, a lot of remediation. So anyone who didn't pass that test, or maybe they missed, like five of them, they're going to go in there and do some fun whole group activities and some small group activities and things like that. If you did pass, then that's when we move into more of the supporting standards, the ones that may or may not even be on the test, and if they are, they're only going to be tested one time. So that's when they can move into there, and you can either have another assessment like for them to practice and make a game out of it, or do something more fun. Or this is when, like, partner games and center and station activities, the fun little games and things can come into play, because those the games and things, that's what's going to work on, the automaticity anyway, which is just as important a part of test prep as as anything else. In fact, a lot of the times when you're at test prep season, you are going back and revisiting standards that you may not have even seen since September, like place value or something. So a lot of times it's just a refresher and a little game or center activity or even a worksheet or something like that, was just the perfect way. So we just continued in that same way. So it was a little bit chaotic, but with organization on paper and a list of your students and a list of what's going to be happening and what you have laid out ahead of time, you can keep students on track, even though students are everywhere. You are going to be working with some of not your students, and some of your students are going to be working with another teacher. But basically, it's just about providing a space and an opportunity and resources that the student can practice right where they are. So the next day, they'll get to take the second version of that test, and usually they get it that time. And if they don't, we can remediate some more. We can work on them some more. We can just think about that student. We know there may be some learning challenges or things like that. We can tailor the most important things, maybe for some students who have certain learning disabilities or something, maybe just working on the automaticity part of it is better for them, but that's just what we do. We continue moving on and working through all of the standards as best as we can, and letting each student work at their own pace and exactly where they are.

Kirsten: 16:27

l love that. And I think when students are kind of in their just right spot, as far as they're not too bored, it's not too hard, or anything like that, they're just like in the right spot, also with similarly skilled students, it might be a little less daunting. And I know we did that when we were in third and fifth grade, the dividing and conquering, that was probably my favorite part of test prep. I told Angela this also, but like we always did, those little small groups, and each teacher would take different groups of students in the grade level. So we would kind of switch classes like you would do in middle school, and it was - the students liked it, they liked to go in a different classroom. Some would be in my class, still, some of them would be in another class. But the whole process, it felt like, I guess, for the students and for the teacher, it was just easier for them to learn and just to really get those concepts mastered.

Cassi: 17:24

So fun to get to go see one of the other teachers. I know we had this one teacher in our grade level who was the coolest teacher ever, and everybody wanted to be in her class, and then all of a sudden, now there's a chance where they get to be in her class and get to hang out with her. And also, by doing this divide and conquer strategy, it makes it so much easier in the planning, because now you're not having to plan for this and that, and this and that, and within your group of children, you're only having to plan for the group that is going to be assigned to you.

Kirsten: 17:57

Exactly yes, and even if you may not teach that subject like I know that there would be a time where, or a year I taught ELA social studies and somebody else the math and science people, they would be planning the math activities. And us ELA people, we would plan the ELA and we would give them all the lesson plans and the activities all for their students. So it made it a lot easier. And so if you feel like math is not your strong suit, but and you're given a math group, it's okay, because you you know you have everything there for you don't have to plan it out. So I definitely recommend, we both definitely recommend the divide and conquer collaboration with your team if you have that ability.

Cassi: 18:40

Yes,

Kirsten: 18:42

all right, so in addition to you mentioned those different strategies to keep students engaged, what are some other test prep strategies that teachers can implement right away? Like right now it's March. It may or may not be spring break, depending on where you are in the country. But what could you do if you're like weeks away from some type of state test that's easy to implement, or just something that you can already start thinking about without it being too elaborate or daunting?

Cassi: 19:13

So I think sometimes it's just about not procrastinating. It's knowing this is coming up, thinking ahead, and managing your time so that when it does get here, it doesn't sneak up on you. One thing that I really, really love for test prep are task cards. So we had a big box. We made them ourselves, and I'm pretty sure we just screenshot questions from released STARRs or practice STARRs that we had, and made little task cards out of them. And then we had them labeled with the skill on the top, and they were just in this big, long filing cabinet of a basket. And then, by having those all ready, you have exactly what you need to use while you're doing test prep in a variety of ways. You can use them as the whole group critical thinking component just by taking one of those cards, putting it on your projector and doing a whole group lesson where you're going through and analyzing the question and the answer choices. You can also use them just in place of a worksheet, so you can take, you know, grab five of them, and these are the five that you're going to do on a sheet of notebook paper. What I also love about them, especially if you have a set that's geared towards each of your standards, is you can pick and choose. So if you give students a simulation or a practice standard or a practice test, and you look at their results and you see that this student got everything right, except for they missed this standard and this standard and this standard, all of a sudden you can create them a custom learning packet just by grabbing out two of those ones, three of those ones, two of those ones and three of those ones. You can even use your task cards and do like digital versions. You can screenshot it into a picture, and then just paste that picture onto a regular, you know, Google Doc or something. And whichever ones you want, just paste them all on there so you have a custom made worksheet. Um, also, they're just so amazing for games. So a lot of task cards might just be better for practicing automaticity. Maybe you have just a fraction on there that they're supposed to compare with another fraction. So those make perfect game cards if you have a game board or something like that, so you just pull exactly what they need. So by having the task cards, you don't have to be running and making copies or doing special things for everybody, it's already specialized into bite sized pieces that you can grab exactly what you need. So if anything, I would say, start making or collecting task cards right now and getting them ready to use. You might even want to print out three or four sets of each standard or each thing that you anticipate your students are going to need to practice so that you have them available and they're ready to go when you need them.

Kirsten: 21:58

Love that and love task cards. They are one of my favorite ways to review. It's super low prep. And even, like, it's around Easter time, spring time, putting them in Easter eggs, having a kid pick an Easter egg out, and just like, kind of, you know, making adding a little extra fun to it. So it's not your typical like sitting down and practicing math problems all day.

Cassi: 22:26

Yes, Yes. I actually had a guest on my podcast, like a few weeks ago, named Lily Rayna, and in her episode, she was talking all about how to make boring stuff fun. So she went what you were just saying about the Easter egg. She did several. She gave us lots of ideas on how to take something super boring and repetitive, like doing practice tests over and over again. And how do you turn those into a game? Just look around your classroom. What do you have? She had this one game that she called Baby Bird. And she had some little like candies or something, and some plastic spoons. And so if they got the question right, they got to either be the baby bird or the mama bird,

Kirsten: 23:06

oh my gosh,

Cassi: 23:08

something just as simple as like the mama bird got to put the candy on a spoon and in her mouth or something, and walk it over to baby bird like, Who would have ever thought that? But the kids absolutely loved it. And then they are trying their best to get the problem right, so they're not rushing through it. They're really learning because they want to be that baby bird. She said her number one magical thing for her classroom games is just balloons, because with a balloon, you can do anything, as long as you're just a little bit creative. So best prep can be extremely fun.

Kirsten: 23:42

Yes, I definitely agree. Well, do you have any other related resources? I am pretty sure you do have math task cards. I could be wrong, but do you have any that could be helpful, or just any related resources that could be good for math test prep?

Cassi: 24:01

Yes, I think probably finding the resources is the hardest part of test prep, and preparing all of that, even as us talking and me remembering back to you, just have to get it ready for your class. But even if you're just getting it ready for your group, it's just a lot of work. So we do have a membership, minds in bloom unlimited, where we have over 3000 resources for third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers, and those are just math resources that you can use over and over again. We have lots of practice tests. We have task cards, center activities, station lessons for teachers to teach, manipulatives. So I would say that during those months, when you're getting ready for test prep, it would probably be just a great idea to join some kind of membership or subscription where you can get unlimited - so you can just get it all, whatever you need. You don't have to worry about it. And then, you know when you're done with it, if you don't need them anymore, you can always cancel your subscription. So.

Kirsten: 25:04

That would be perfect, especially like you have a variety of students, you could find a variety of activities. It could be really easy just to get everything in one spot. So I will make sure to link that in the show notes so that people can learn more about your membership.

Cassi: 25:19

Aw well, thank you,

Kirsten: 25:20

Yes, okay, well, I love this conversation with you, Cassi. If you do not mind sharing a little bit of where we can find you learn more about your store or anything you have to offer.

Cassi: 25:35

Thank you. So I have been a full time resource creator for about seven or eight years now, so you can find us on teachers pay teachers under Rachel Lynette, who is the other half of Minds in Bloom with me. And then we also have a blog that's mindsinbloom.com membership, mindsinbloomunlimited.com. Really, you can find us anywhere under minds in bloom.

Kirsten: 25:57

Well, thank you so much for being here.

Cassi: 26:00

Thank you so much for having me. I'll talk to you later.

Kirsten: 26:03

Thanks for listening to the social studies teacher podcast. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, hit that subscribe button and leave a review. I would love to hear your thoughts. You can also find me on Instagram at the southern teach I can't wait for you to join me in the next episode for more teacher tips and strategies.