April 12, 2025 • 14 mins
Testing season is here—and if you’re feeling the pressure, you’re not alone. In this episode, Teacher Maggie (a reading specialist and fellow dyslexic) shares heartfelt encouragement, practical test-taking strategies, and her own 4th grade testing story that still makes her laugh today.
Learn how to help your child feel confident with tools like “Dumbo’s feather,” master key strategies for multiple-choice questions and reading comprehension, and reframe the way we talk about standardized testing. Plus, a powerful reminder: tests are just data—not destiny.
This is the perfect listen for families walking through TCAP or any spring standardized test with a child who learns differently.
💚
👉 Stay tuned for next week’s follow-up episode on why retention is rarely the right move for struggling readers.
Thank you for listening to Dyslexia Decoded! Remember, every journey begins with a single step, and progress always beats perfection.
Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and if you found this story inspiring, please share it with someone who might need to hear it.
Until next time, stay strong, stay curious, and stay fearless. 💚
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey there.
Welcome back to Dyslexia,decoded by strong minds.
I am teacher Maggie, and today Iwanna speak straight to the
hearts of families staring downstandardized testing season,
especially if you've got a childwho learns differently.
Let's take a moment and namewhat it is.
(00:21):
It is a lot.
Spring testing like Tcap orTerranova lands at quite
possibly the worst time of year.
Kids are tired, parents arestretched thin, and teachers are
running on fumes.
And then we ask students to sit,still read quietly and bubble in
(00:42):
the correct answer as if theirfuture depends on it.
Or even worse, they put'em infront of a computer screen where
they're very aware of the pacethat their classmates are moving
and maybe they feel pressured torush through the test.
either way, it is just ahorrible time and situation.
I don't know if there's a betterway, but just acknowledging
(01:02):
that, yeah, it's hard and it'smade more challenging by the
fact that it's beautiful outsideand it's been a really long year
and we're ready for a break.
So deep breath.
Today's episode is all aboutkeeping perspective, lowering
the pressure, and giving you andyour child some real usable
(01:24):
tools to walk through thisseason with confidence, because
here is the truth.
A test is just data.
It's not a final grade on yourchild's worth, their
intelligence, their future.
I'll say that again.
It's just.
(01:44):
Data, but I know that's notalways how it feels, especially
if our kids have dyslexia, A DHDanxiety, or really any child who
doesn't fit the standard moldthat these standardized tests
expect.
Let's start with timing.
(02:05):
Testing.
Season arrives during what manyof us call the spring slump.
the novelty of the school yearhas worn off and the sunshine is
calling.
The attention spans arepractically melting.
Kids are ready for movement,adventure, freedom.
Not an hours long test sittingin silence.
(02:27):
And for students who are alreadygiving their all to stay afloat,
this timing feels like a finalwave that might just pull them
under.
I'll be honest with you, I'venever forgotten how testing felt
for me growing up.
I have very specific memories ofbeing in the fourth grade and
(02:48):
having to take, the CAT testback then on a Scantron, you
know, the bubble sheets whereyou have to fill'em in with a
number two pencil, and Godforbid you accidentally get a
pencil.
That's not a number two pencil,if that's even a thing, because
they made it sound like a realevident danger that could happen
and ruin our lives.
But you have your number twopencil and your bubble Scantron,
(03:11):
Yeah, right from the beginning Iknew I would fail.
I couldn't keep my place.
I would accidentally bubble intwo answers on one line, or I
would skip a line or go, halfwaythrough the test and realize.
I was off a line and having togo back and erase, and it was so
extremely stressful going backand forth from the test to the
(03:33):
scan, trying and keeping thingsin the right place.
And after all of that, my fourthgrade year, our school had us
fill out the wrong forms.
They had us fill the wrongbubble.
She, and we had to go back andspend a whole day transcribing
all of our answers onto newforms.
I was already done mentally,emotionally, I was exhausted.
(03:56):
so at this point I just filledin random patterns, I was
drawing shapes, designs,whatever it took to get it done.
on the bright side, it was thefirst time I ever finished a
test early.
The funniest part was that whenthey gave us our scores, they
sent us home with envelopes,they were sealed.
They were like, don't peak, givethem directly to your parents.
(04:17):
And I actually did really well,which makes me think there was
something really fishy going onbecause there is no way that
test showed what I knew.
I just randomly bubbled answers.
unless it was a miracle.
Something fishy was going on.
Tests don't always measure whatthey say they measure, and that
(04:37):
moment has stuck with me as areminder of how unreliable they
can be, Now as a reading tutor,I always use, a reading pointer
with my students.
It's a wand with a little wedgeat the end, and I use it to
point to words as they read tohelp their eyes move along the
passage, keep their space.
(04:58):
I'll sometimes use the wedge tolike break a word in half or
into syllables as they'resounding it out.
It's a tool.
I 3D print them and used to 3Dprint them like every day.
And I was consistently givingthem out to students because the
students will start soon tostart associating their reading
fluency and improved skills withusing the pointer.
(05:20):
I've given out many for studentsto use in their own reading at
home or even on their own.
Tcap tests or standardizedtests, they're using their
pointers.
it kind of makes me think aboutDumbo.
when dumbo, holds onto hisfeather, and as long as he was
holding that feather at the tipof his trunk, as long as he was
holding onto the feather, hecould do anything he could do.
The impossible he could flybecause he was holding onto that
(05:43):
feather and it gave him theconfidence to believe in
himself.
this pointer has become thattool to a lot of my students.
It's something they can holdonto slow them down, calm their
focus, build confidence, and asmall tool can make a big
difference.
Now, your tool, your dobosfeather, doesn't have to be.
A reading pointer, like what Iuse.
(06:05):
It could be a special pencil, aquiet phrase they say to
themselves, or a routine beforea test, like saying a prayer.
I know praying has got mepersonally through many tests.
small things matter, and theyremind our kids that they are
not powerless.
They can have control oversomething, even if it's the
(06:28):
color of their pencil.
Or their own self-talk before atest.
this might be surprising to hearbecause I'm dyslexic and
learning has been a challengefor me.
But I'm actually a pretty goodtest taker I think a lot of that
is because of my dyslexia.
I have had to figure out how toovercome, but I've gotten pretty
(06:50):
good taking tests.
I've taken certification tests,placement exams, just random
tests we've had to take to getthrough my teaching credential
or reading specialist programs.
And I've always done better thanI should have.
it's always felt kind of like acheat code and I love it.
I wanna share some of my tipswith you guys today.
(07:10):
I teach these tips to mystudents too.
here are a few of the mostimportant test taking tips that
I give my students and that Iuse myself.
you've probably heard a lot ofthese, but being intentional
about presenting'em to ourstudents and our students, being
intentional about using thesestrategies can improve their
test scores.
So first use the process ofelimination.
(07:33):
Most of the time, there's atleast one response and a
multiple choice question that isjust obviously wrong.
so start by ruling out theobviously wrong answers.
You don't have to know the rightanswer right away.
Just get rid of the wrong ones.
my next piece of advice is touse the passage like a treasure
(07:54):
map for reading comprehension.
I teach kids to go hunting forthe answer in the text.
Don't try to memorize it.
Go and find it.
Don't just be like, oh yeah,that sounds right, and pick your
answer.
Once you think you know what theright answer is, go back and
find it into the text and ensurethat.
You're marking the right answer.
(08:16):
next is to preview questions,especially in science and
history and language arts.
You read a passage and have toanswer question.
This is a very common format anda lot of standardized testing.
So before you even read yourpassage, I encourage my students
to go read the questions firstbefore reading that long
passage.
Glance through the questions,read over them.
(08:38):
what is the question actuallyasking?
when you have what you'relooking for and the questions
when you read the passage, thosewill just stick out to you.
The answers will stick out toyou while you're reading.
Another tip is to skip theharder questions and come back.
Don't let one hard questionsteal all of your time.
(09:00):
Skip it and circle back to it ifyou can.
finally answer.
Every question.
So you might skip some of thosehard ones, or there be might be
things you're like, I have neverseen this before in my life.
Don't leave the answers blank,right?
There's typically not a penaltyfor guessing.
A blank answer will get you azero.
(09:22):
But a guess why earn you apoint.
So putting a guess when youdon't know.
here are a few bonus strategiesto help dig a little deeper.
Know the directions ahead oftime.
Reviewing sample test formatscan really calm the nerves.
where I live, students take thetcap and they make tcap.
(09:43):
Prep books and materials, I usethose in my tutoring to help
prepare a student for not justwhat they need to know, but how
the questions might be worded onthe tests.
Check your work with intention.
Teach kids to self-check theirwork so they can catch their own
(10:04):
mistakes.
So when you're looking over yourstudent's homework or schoolwork
and you see they made a mistake,don't tell them what the mistake
is.
Tell them, oh, you made amistake here.
Can you figure out what youmight have done wrong?
To teach them to look at theirown work critically.
micro breaks teach them to closetheir eyes, take a deep breath,
(10:24):
or roll their shoulders betweensections to reset their brain.
You can help build routines,ways they can kinda let their
mind.
Relax, take a break.
This is a good time to use someof those positive affirmations
or bible verses or prayers, areall good ways to help you.
(10:45):
have a moment of peace beforeyou move on to another section
in a test, and then use yourtest voice.
Have them create an inner testvoice, a calm, kind voice that
says, you've got this.
Let's think it through.
These things are powerful.
Okay, let's read that questionagain and see if I can figure it
(11:08):
out.
Oh, let's circle the number.
I'll come back to this one.
So figuring out from thebeginning what your plan's gonna
be and maintaining a calm,positive inner voice.
Just habits of being kind toourself.
So before we wrap up, I wannaleave you with one more thought.
(11:29):
There's so much value in doingthings that are outside your
comfort zone.
That's where the growth happens.
That's where you learn whatyou're made of.
Honestly, that's a big part ofwhy I do this podcast.
It doesn't come naturally to me.
It feels awkward sometimes.
I have rerecorded episodes moretimes than I can account.
(11:52):
I stumble.
IS and guess myself.
I've got a very serious case ofimposter syndrome that I'm
working on, but you know, Ijust, I keep doing it'cause
maybe it'll help someone, maybeit will help me grow.
All of this discomfort.
is what stretches me and thatstretch is what will lead to
growth.
(12:13):
Testing can be like that too.
Not because we love it or agreewith it or because it's the best
thing for us, but because it'smoment where our kids get to
practice courage.
They get to try something hard,they get to take a deep breath
and show up anyway.
(12:34):
Here is the beautiful part.
Doing uncomfortable things nowmakes the next leap just a
little easier.
You never know which Grand Leapwill be the one that teaches you
to soar.
I wanna end with a word forparents.
If your child is dyslexic orstruggling in school, you might
(12:55):
already be dreading those testresults.
You might be afraid the datawill be used to hold them back
or say something final abouttheir future.
And let me say this clearly,holding a child back, especially
a dyslexic learner, is almostnever the answer.
we're gonna dig into why.
In next week's episode we'lltalk about the research, the
(13:18):
reality, and what really helpsstruggling readers move forward.
But for today, just rememberthis.
You don't have to protect yourchild from the test.
You just need to remind themthat they are more than the test
way, way more.
testing.
Season is hard, but you're notwalking it alone.
(13:41):
You are the steady voice.
Testing season is hard, but theyare not walking it alone.
You are the steady voice in yourchild's ear.
You are the safe landing at theend of a long day.
Celebrate the effort, praise thecourage, and when it's all over,
(14:01):
get ice cream have a movienight, or just dance it out in
the kitchen because showing upand trying is the real win.
Thank you for spending this timewith me today.
If this episode encouraged you,share it with a fellow parent or
teacher, and don't forget tocome back.
Next week, we're going to unpackthe big issue of student
(14:23):
retention and why repeating agrade is rarely the solution.
Until then, stay steady.
Stay kind, and remember the Datadoesn't define your child love
does.
Hey there.
Welcome back to Dyslexia,decoded by strong minds.
I am teacher Maggie, and today Iwanna speak straight to the
hearts of families staring downstandardized testing season,
especially if you've got a childwho learns differently.
Let's take a moment and namewhat it is.
(00:21):
It is a lot.
Spring testing like Tcap orTerranova lands at quite
possibly the worst time of year.
Kids are tired, parents arestretched thin, and teachers are
running on fumes.
And then we ask students to sit,still read quietly and bubble in
(00:42):
the correct answer as if theirfuture depends on it.
Or even worse, they put'em infront of a computer screen where
they're very aware of the pacethat their classmates are moving
and maybe they feel pressured torush through the test.
either way, it is just ahorrible time and situation.
I don't know if there's a betterway, but just acknowledging
(01:02):
that, yeah, it's hard and it'smade more challenging by the
fact that it's beautiful outsideand it's been a really long year
and we're ready for a break.
So deep breath.
Today's episode is all aboutkeeping perspective, lowering
the pressure, and giving you andyour child some real usable
(01:24):
tools to walk through thisseason with confidence, because
here is the truth.
A test is just data.
It's not a final grade on yourchild's worth, their
intelligence, their future.
I'll say that again.
It's just.
(01:44):
Data, but I know that's notalways how it feels, especially
if our kids have dyslexia, A DHDanxiety, or really any child who
doesn't fit the standard moldthat these standardized tests
expect.
Let's start with timing.
(02:05):
Testing.
Season arrives during what manyof us call the spring slump.
the novelty of the school yearhas worn off and the sunshine is
calling.
The attention spans arepractically melting.
Kids are ready for movement,adventure, freedom.
Not an hours long test sittingin silence.
(02:27):
And for students who are alreadygiving their all to stay afloat,
this timing feels like a finalwave that might just pull them
under.
I'll be honest with you, I'venever forgotten how testing felt
for me growing up.
I have very specific memories ofbeing in the fourth grade and
(02:48):
having to take, the CAT testback then on a Scantron, you
know, the bubble sheets whereyou have to fill'em in with a
number two pencil, and Godforbid you accidentally get a
pencil.
That's not a number two pencil,if that's even a thing, because
they made it sound like a realevident danger that could happen
and ruin our lives.
But you have your number twopencil and your bubble Scantron,
(03:11):
Yeah, right from the beginning Iknew I would fail.
I couldn't keep my place.
I would accidentally bubble intwo answers on one line, or I
would skip a line or go, halfwaythrough the test and realize.
I was off a line and having togo back and erase, and it was so
extremely stressful going backand forth from the test to the
(03:33):
scan, trying and keeping thingsin the right place.
And after all of that, my fourthgrade year, our school had us
fill out the wrong forms.
They had us fill the wrongbubble.
She, and we had to go back andspend a whole day transcribing
all of our answers onto newforms.
I was already done mentally,emotionally, I was exhausted.
(03:56):
so at this point I just filledin random patterns, I was
drawing shapes, designs,whatever it took to get it done.
on the bright side, it was thefirst time I ever finished a
test early.
The funniest part was that whenthey gave us our scores, they
sent us home with envelopes,they were sealed.
They were like, don't peak, givethem directly to your parents.
(04:17):
And I actually did really well,which makes me think there was
something really fishy going onbecause there is no way that
test showed what I knew.
I just randomly bubbled answers.
unless it was a miracle.
Something fishy was going on.
Tests don't always measure whatthey say they measure, and that
(04:37):
moment has stuck with me as areminder of how unreliable they
can be, Now as a reading tutor,I always use, a reading pointer
with my students.
It's a wand with a little wedgeat the end, and I use it to
point to words as they read tohelp their eyes move along the
passage, keep their space.
(04:58):
I'll sometimes use the wedge tolike break a word in half or
into syllables as they'resounding it out.
It's a tool.
I 3D print them and used to 3Dprint them like every day.
And I was consistently givingthem out to students because the
students will start soon tostart associating their reading
fluency and improved skills withusing the pointer.
(05:20):
I've given out many for studentsto use in their own reading at
home or even on their own.
Tcap tests or standardizedtests, they're using their
pointers.
it kind of makes me think aboutDumbo.
when dumbo, holds onto hisfeather, and as long as he was
holding that feather at the tipof his trunk, as long as he was
holding onto the feather, hecould do anything he could do.
The impossible he could flybecause he was holding onto that
(05:43):
feather and it gave him theconfidence to believe in
himself.
this pointer has become thattool to a lot of my students.
It's something they can holdonto slow them down, calm their
focus, build confidence, and asmall tool can make a big
difference.
Now, your tool, your dobosfeather, doesn't have to be.
A reading pointer, like what Iuse.
(06:05):
It could be a special pencil, aquiet phrase they say to
themselves, or a routine beforea test, like saying a prayer.
I know praying has got mepersonally through many tests.
small things matter, and theyremind our kids that they are
not powerless.
They can have control oversomething, even if it's the
(06:28):
color of their pencil.
Or their own self-talk before atest.
this might be surprising to hearbecause I'm dyslexic and
learning has been a challengefor me.
But I'm actually a pretty goodtest taker I think a lot of that
is because of my dyslexia.
I have had to figure out how toovercome, but I've gotten pretty
(06:50):
good taking tests.
I've taken certification tests,placement exams, just random
tests we've had to take to getthrough my teaching credential
or reading specialist programs.
And I've always done better thanI should have.
it's always felt kind of like acheat code and I love it.
I wanna share some of my tipswith you guys today.
(07:10):
I teach these tips to mystudents too.
here are a few of the mostimportant test taking tips that
I give my students and that Iuse myself.
you've probably heard a lot ofthese, but being intentional
about presenting'em to ourstudents and our students, being
intentional about using thesestrategies can improve their
test scores.
So first use the process ofelimination.
(07:33):
Most of the time, there's atleast one response and a
multiple choice question that isjust obviously wrong.
so start by ruling out theobviously wrong answers.
You don't have to know the rightanswer right away.
Just get rid of the wrong ones.
my next piece of advice is touse the passage like a treasure
(07:54):
map for reading comprehension.
I teach kids to go hunting forthe answer in the text.
Don't try to memorize it.
Go and find it.
Don't just be like, oh yeah,that sounds right, and pick your
answer.
Once you think you know what theright answer is, go back and
find it into the text and ensurethat.
You're marking the right answer.
(08:16):
next is to preview questions,especially in science and
history and language arts.
You read a passage and have toanswer question.
This is a very common format anda lot of standardized testing.
So before you even read yourpassage, I encourage my students
to go read the questions firstbefore reading that long
passage.
Glance through the questions,read over them.
(08:38):
what is the question actuallyasking?
when you have what you'relooking for and the questions
when you read the passage, thosewill just stick out to you.
The answers will stick out toyou while you're reading.
Another tip is to skip theharder questions and come back.
Don't let one hard questionsteal all of your time.
(09:00):
Skip it and circle back to it ifyou can.
finally answer.
Every question.
So you might skip some of thosehard ones, or there be might be
things you're like, I have neverseen this before in my life.
Don't leave the answers blank,right?
There's typically not a penaltyfor guessing.
A blank answer will get you azero.
(09:22):
But a guess why earn you apoint.
So putting a guess when youdon't know.
here are a few bonus strategiesto help dig a little deeper.
Know the directions ahead oftime.
Reviewing sample test formatscan really calm the nerves.
where I live, students take thetcap and they make tcap.
(09:43):
Prep books and materials, I usethose in my tutoring to help
prepare a student for not justwhat they need to know, but how
the questions might be worded onthe tests.
Check your work with intention.
Teach kids to self-check theirwork so they can catch their own
(10:04):
mistakes.
So when you're looking over yourstudent's homework or schoolwork
and you see they made a mistake,don't tell them what the mistake
is.
Tell them, oh, you made amistake here.
Can you figure out what youmight have done wrong?
To teach them to look at theirown work critically.
micro breaks teach them to closetheir eyes, take a deep breath,
(10:24):
or roll their shoulders betweensections to reset their brain.
You can help build routines,ways they can kinda let their
mind.
Relax, take a break.
This is a good time to use someof those positive affirmations
or bible verses or prayers, areall good ways to help you.
(10:45):
have a moment of peace beforeyou move on to another section
in a test, and then use yourtest voice.
Have them create an inner testvoice, a calm, kind voice that
says, you've got this.
Let's think it through.
These things are powerful.
Okay, let's read that questionagain and see if I can figure it
(11:08):
out.
Oh, let's circle the number.
I'll come back to this one.
So figuring out from thebeginning what your plan's gonna
be and maintaining a calm,positive inner voice.
Just habits of being kind toourself.
So before we wrap up, I wannaleave you with one more thought.
(11:29):
There's so much value in doingthings that are outside your
comfort zone.
That's where the growth happens.
That's where you learn whatyou're made of.
Honestly, that's a big part ofwhy I do this podcast.
It doesn't come naturally to me.
It feels awkward sometimes.
I have rerecorded episodes moretimes than I can account.
(11:52):
I stumble.
IS and guess myself.
I've got a very serious case ofimposter syndrome that I'm
working on, but you know, Ijust, I keep doing it'cause
maybe it'll help someone, maybeit will help me grow.
All of this discomfort.
is what stretches me and thatstretch is what will lead to
growth.
(12:13):
Testing can be like that too.
Not because we love it or agreewith it or because it's the best
thing for us, but because it'smoment where our kids get to
practice courage.
They get to try something hard,they get to take a deep breath
and show up anyway.
(12:34):
Here is the beautiful part.
Doing uncomfortable things nowmakes the next leap just a
little easier.
You never know which Grand Leapwill be the one that teaches you
to soar.
I wanna end with a word forparents.
If your child is dyslexic orstruggling in school, you might
(12:55):
already be dreading those testresults.
You might be afraid the datawill be used to hold them back
or say something final abouttheir future.
And let me say this clearly,holding a child back, especially
a dyslexic learner, is almostnever the answer.
we're gonna dig into why.
In next week's episode we'lltalk about the research, the
(13:18):
reality, and what really helpsstruggling readers move forward.
But for today, just rememberthis.
You don't have to protect yourchild from the test.
You just need to remind themthat they are more than the test
way, way more.
testing.
Season is hard, but you're notwalking it alone.
(13:41):
You are the steady voice.
Testing season is hard, but theyare not walking it alone.
You are the steady voice in yourchild's ear.
You are the safe landing at theend of a long day.
Celebrate the effort, praise thecourage, and when it's all over,
(14:01):
get ice cream have a movienight, or just dance it out in
the kitchen because showing upand trying is the real win.
Thank you for spending this timewith me today.
If this episode encouraged you,share it with a fellow parent or
teacher, and don't forget tocome back.
Next week, we're going to unpackthe big issue of student
(14:23):
retention and why repeating agrade is rarely the solution.
Until then, stay steady.
Stay kind, and remember the Datadoesn't define your child love
does.
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