The No Child Left Behind Act regulates testing for elementary and middle school students. A child can expect to take at least one standardized test each year, so teachers spend a large portion of class time preparing their students for and building their lesson plans around the standards set by the state board of education. Most tests are used to monitor the progress of the students taking the exam and to evaluate the effectiveness of the teachers, schools and school districts. Some exams are used to determine what classes a child will take in the future, whether he is placed in advanced or remedial classes, whether scholarship funding will be awarded, even whether he will be allowed to move to the next grade level, or graduate high school.

Parents need to know all they can about the educational climate of the school system where their children go to school. Knowledge of the tests your children will take is indispensable. It's also very important to understand the standards outlined and adhered to by the state in which you live.

The state of New York has 28 standards that guide elementary and middle school education. These standards break down into six categories:

1. Health, Physical Education, & Family Consumer Sciences
2. Math, Science and Technology
3. English Language Arts
4. Languages other than English;
5. the Arts
6. Career Development and Occupational Studies

Health, Physical Education & Family Consumer Sciences

Personal health and fitness

• Establish and maintain their own physical fitness
• Participate in physical activity

Environmental Health and Safety

• Students will learn how to create and maintain a safe, healthy environment.

Resource Management

• Students will learn to manage their personal and community resources.

Math, Science and Technology

Analysis, Inquiry and Design

• Students will learn to use mathematical analysis, inquiry, and design to pose questions, seek answers and develop solutions.

Information Systems

• Students will learn to access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Mathematics

• Students will learn about number systems, geometry, algebra, data analysis, probability, and trigonometry.

Science

• Students will learn about and apply scientific concepts in their physical environment.

Technology

• Students will learn to apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human environmental standards.

Interconnectedness (common themes)

• Students will learn about the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology.

Interdisciplinary Problem Solving

• Students will apply knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.

English Language Arts

Language for information and Understanding

Students will learn to listen, to speak, to read and to write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers students will learn to:

• Collect data, facts and ideas
• Discover relationships, concepts and generalizations
• Use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically generated texts

As speakers and writers, students will learn to use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply and transmit information.

Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will learn to:

• Read and listen to oral, written, and electronically generated texts and performances from American and world literature
• Relate texts and performances to their own lives
• Develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent.

As speakers and writers, students will learn to use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

• Students will learn to listen, to speak, to read and to write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will learn to analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, students will learn to use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present from a variety of perspectives their opinions and judgments on experiences ideas, information, and issues.

Language for Social Interaction

• Students will learn to listen, to speak, to read and to write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.

Languages Other Than English

Communication Skills

• Students will learn to use a language other than English for communication.

Cultural Understanding

• Students will develop an understanding of their own cultures as well as cultures of other people around the world.

The Arts

Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts

• Students will learn about the creation and performance of dance, music, theater, and visual arts.

Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources

• Students will learn to make use of materials and resources available for participation in the different arts.

Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art

• Students will learn to respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to other works and to other aspects of human endeavor and thought.

Understanding the Cultural Contributions of the Arts

• Students will develop an understanding of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and how the arts have shaped the diverse cultures of past and present society.

Career Development and Occupational Studies

Career Development

• Students will explore career options and relate personal skills, aptitudes, and abilities to future career decisions.

Integrated Learning

• Students will learn how academic skills and knowledge are applied in the workplace and other settings.

Universal Foundation Skills

• Students will learn the foundation skills and competencies essential for success in the workplace.

Career Majors

• Students who choose a career major will acquire career-specific knowledge and skills necessary to secure gainful employment and career advancement.

Any standardized exam administered to students in the New York state educational system will be based on the 28 standards outlined above. For more information on the academic tests and standards, contact your child's teacher, the school district office or the state board of education.