Understanding Student Anxiety

Is there anything that strikes more fear into the hearts of middle schoolers than the impending doom of a science test? While a math exam might evoke even more dread, a science test still holds significant weight in their list of academic fears.

Surprisingly, even when students have had ample time to prepare—spending a week reviewing and going over materials the day before—some still choose to stay home on test day. In my homeroom, four students were absent; two of them caught me off guard, while the absence of the other two was somewhat expected.

This particular assessment was an OBONCM test, which stands for Open Book, Open Notes, Closed Mouth Test. I found this format beneficial, as it encouraged students to study effectively, knowing they could achieve high scores with the right preparation. It was clear that only a lack of effort could lead to a poor grade on such a test.

The test comprised a blend of eight vocabulary terms, eleven multiple-choice questions, and one short essay prompt. A good indicator of student engagement is how quickly the first person completes the test. For this test, it took quite a while before anyone finished.

One observation I made about this group of students was their struggle to transfer knowledge from one context to another. For instance, during their note-taking sessions, they learned about how essential minerals like calcium and phosphorus are stored in the skeleton. However, when faced with a question on the test asking where in the body these minerals were stored, they were perplexed. "Skeleton" wasn’t an option, but "bones" was, and one student insisted that the correct answer wasn’t available. I encouraged them to consider what the skeleton is composed of.

The last student to submit their test wrapped it up with ten minutes remaining in our 75-minute class. During that time, the rest of the students had the chance to unwind, converse quietly, and recover from the sheer terror of The Science Test.

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