Child Evaluation & Service Center

Parent Tip Sheet

How to Talk to Your Child About an Educational Evaluation

It is important that your child be properly prepared for his/her upcoming evaluation. Although our testing staff members are experienced and caring professionals who will make every effort to make your child feel comfortable during testing, it is vital that the testing be discussed with the child before-hand. We feel that this information is best presented by their parent. To assist you, we offer the following tips:

Tell the child beforehand that they are to be tested. It is important that the right time be chosen. If told too far in advance, they may either forget or get themselves too nervous about it. However, if told too late, they may be so upset on testing day that they cannot perform well. Choose the best time for your child and offer your support to them at that time.
Go over the "Typical Schedule" with them so they know what to expect and where they are going.
Let them know why they are being tested. If told they are being tested because they are not doing well (or behaving well) in school, they may come to view the testing as a punishment. It often helps to tell them that the tests are to get an idea of where they are in each subject so the teacher can help them more at school.
Assure him/her that these are not tests that can be failed, and that they have no effect on his/her report card. Some tests may be easy and some harder.
The night before testing as you help them prepare for the big day by choosing what to wear, getting plenty of rest, etc., take time to see if there are other concerns or misconceptions that might need to be discussed. Help them relax, it will be a fun and interesting day.
After the test results conference, be sure to report back to your child on what happened. The thought of a number of adults meeting about them is often scary for a child. It is usually best to emphasize the positives. Tell him/her what you found out about their strengths (e.g. "I found out you're really good at..."). If problem areas emerge, you might discuss them as ways they can be helped (e.g. "You know how much trouble you've been having writing your reports, I found out some ways to help you. We'll work on that together with your teacher.").
Above all, after testing, reinforce the idea that they are still valued, loved, and capable.

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