JEDDAH, 7 May 2006 — Elementary school students at the American International School of Jeddah have taken their annual spring Stanford Achievement Tests (SAT). They are administered to all students from grades two through five over a period of nine consecutive mornings. The tests provide information that measures a child’s achievement and aptitude to help the school make instructional decisions. The elementary school students took their SATs from April 23 to May 3, ending with a celebration carnival.
Exams generally evoke a feeling of dread or discomfort. It was to alleviate this feeling and to encourage a mood of relaxation among the students that a team of AISJ Elementary schoolteachers came up with the idea of tests with a difference. The nine-day testing period was organized with a theme for each day, where students came dressed according to the test-taking strategy. For example, the “Mad Scientist Day” saw everyone dressed as crazy scientists while taking their tests. Another theme was “Hats Off to Testing” in which students enjoyed wearing their favorite hats while they took their test.
“Motivation was high and absenteeism was low during this time,” said AISJ elementary school principal Susan Clark.
Apart from dressing up each day, students participated in an aerobics session led by teachers and students prior to the test each morning. But the grand finale, which everyone was waiting for anxiously, was the carnival celebrating the end of the tests.
Teachers sponsored game stations; water games were a hit with all, considering the heat and humidity. “I never knew tests could be so much fun,” quipped fourth grader Ibrahim. “The carnival idea is so cool!”
The air of festivity in the carnival, the spirit of camaraderie and cooperation during the nine-day testing period point toward one fact: Team spirit and positive school culture continue to be the hallmark of AISJ.
