Question: How Do You Help Your Child Deal with the Stress of MCAS?

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Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

Grab and cup of coffee and settle in to read this week's question. Below is how the mom's council answered but we want to hear from you. Leave a comment in the comment box below and share your thoughts.

Question: How Do You Help Your Child Deal with the Stress of MCAS?

Annette Grams

Andover Public Schools is very proactive in both preparing our children academically and letting the parents know when the MCAS tests occur.

To help our child prepare for MCAS we don’t.

• We don’t stay up late.
• We don’t skip breakfast.
• We don’t have any additional unnecessary activities, plans or tasks.
• We don’t oversleep.
• We don’t ignore it.
• We don’t talk about it a lot.
• We don’t wait for the results.

Andover is academically competitive and our sophomore at AHS is driving her own bus.  She does not need us to push her.  There will always be someone with a better or worse test score than you.  Share your snack, but not your test scores. Praise or console those that do or ignore the gossip.

Yes, tests are important. However scores and grades only open doors to life’s opportunities. Knowledge and working well with others are just as important and turn opportunities into joyful and successful lives.

Focus, breath, relax, but most of all believe in you and your best. This week the only thing we do allot of is listen to our child and eventually celebrate the end of another week of MCAS.