Education Applications: Performance

Test-Taking

• Facts at a Glance
• Who Needs HeartMath Research-Based Programs?
• How HeartMath Can Facilitate Successful Test-Taking
• IHM Research Publications and Articles Related to Test-Taking
• Products and Programs to Support Better Test Results
• Testimonials from Educators on Using TestEdge to Enhance Student Success
• Funding Tips for Educators

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is a forceful challenge to American education. Signed into law in January 2002, NCLB strengthens the federal government’s role in elementary and secondary education. The law reforms education through mandates on standards and then holds schools accountable through assessments – tests. Although taking tests has always been an integral part of education, over the past five years, the pressure to achieve positive test results has continued to build.

In response to the growing need to assist students and educators in meeting the challenge of testing successfully, IHM addresses the critical role emotions play in the lives and attitudes of students as they prepare for and take tests, and in educators, who are required to teach curricula focused on specific-knowledge content to enable students to pass standardized tests. When students and educators are equipped with skills to manage emotions such as stress and anxiety, greater success can be achieved in testing.

Facts at a Glance: U.S. students in grades 2-12 are tested according to mandated standards. Students at all levels, including college and post-graduate students, must take tests to measure their knowledge. "Test anxiety" is a common source of stress for students and creates a kind of "noise" or "mental static" in the brain that blocks the ability to retrieve what’s stored in memory and also greatly impairs the ability to comprehend and reason. Receiving a low score or failing a test does not always mean the student hasn’t learned the material or doesn’t know how to think a problem through; often it means the student hasn’t learned how to deal with the anxiety caused by taking tests. Research is showing that it’s the cumulative emotional stress from family issues, peer pressures, overwhelm, and boredom that increases the blocks and resistance to learning and test-taking. These pressures erode self-motivation and stifle the desire to learn. Unresolved emotional turbulence leads to bad decisions, frustration and poor test scores. The ability to recognize and manage stressful emotions has been shown to enhance learning and test results.

Who Needs HeartMath Research-Based Programs?

• Students of all ages, especially, perhaps, those in grades 2-12
• Teachers who must teach to and administer mandated tests
• Parents of students in grades 2-12

How HeartMath Can Facilitate Successful Test-Taking

When students discover simple, common-sense ways to reduce the stress of test anxiety and to enhance their ability to learn and test well, they feel new levels of confidence. This solid, skill-based confidence can result not only in improved test scores, but also can affect many areas of a student’s life in positive ways. Knowing how to recognize and then manage stressful emotions leads to benefits such as better peer relations, more ease in classroom settings and general well-being.

Teachers benefit from strategic stress management, too. Meeting the pressure to produce satisfactory test scores might feel like a daunting task, of cramming facts into brains, but most teachers know there’s more to a good education than that. Where’s the joy in learning? Despite time issues and the feeling, "How in the world can I do this?" teachers can find the support they need to infuse their classes with relevant life skills that increase test success – and find fun and relief in the process. This can be accomplished by using TestEdge^® materials designed to be implemented seamlessly into classroom sessions.

IHM Research Publications and Articles Related to Test-Taking

Here are a few of the more than 150 relevant articles available on IHM’s website. To review these many listings, go to the "Search" box in the toolbar at the top of the page and type in the key words: test taking research.

• TestEdge National Demonstration Study (TENDS), by researchers at IHM in collaboration with faculty and graduate students at Claremont Graduate University. Funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Read the study.
• Improving Test-Taking Skills & Academic Performance in High School Students Using HeartMath Learning Enhancement Tools, by Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., Dana Tomasino, B.A., Mike Atkinson, Pam Aasen, Ph.D., and Stephanie J. Thurik, M.Ed. Read the summary.

Products and Programs to Support Better Test Results

• TestEdge^® Grades 3-5 Teacher’s Kit: It’s never too early to start teaching children about the bridge between emotions and academic success. As children in these formative school years learn how their emotions and attitudes affect their schoolwork, they gain important skills that build a strong foundation for positive test results now and in the future. TestEdge is a scientifically validated supplemental program that improves test scores, learning readiness, attitudes and behavior problems. With TestEdge tools and strategies, students will overcome discouragement, develop test-taking skills and improve listening and focus. Go to: TestEdge Grades 3-5 Teacher’s Kit.
• TestEdge^® Grades 6-8 Teacher’s Kit: In the tumultuous middle school years, students are grappling with the onset of puberty in addition to adjusting to new schools, different classroom settings, multiple teachers and changing dynamics among peers. Helping students overcome test anxiety and learning blocks can make a major difference in these critical years. TestEdge is a scientifically validated supplemental classroom program and has been shown to improve test scores 30% or more. Go to: TestEdge Grades 6-8 Teacher’s Kit.
• TestEdge^® Grades 9-12 Teacher’s Kit: As students mature, tests get more challenging and results more important. The term "high-stakes test" indicates a type of test where strong results are important in establishing a personal record of academic ability and/or excellence. This scientifically validated supplemental classroom program helps students experience less dread about taking tests and increases focus and comprehension skills during high-stakes tests. Easy to use and integrates effortlessly into regular curriculums. Go to: TestEdge Grades 9-12 Teacher’s Kit.
• TestEdge^® Software: Perfect for home study, these interactive CD’s are ideal for students and parents who want to get more involved in supporting their children’s academic and social success. Engaging, entertaining, scientifically based. Go to: TestEdge Software.
• emWave^® Desktop for Mac and PC: This award-winning computer-based program shows students the effects of stress on their bodies by measuring the subtle changes in their heart rhythms. Students of all ages can learn how to intentionally shift to a positive emotional state and see how shifts in their heart rhythms create physiological responses. The emWave Desktop for Mac and PC, when combined with easy-to-learn HeartMath tools and techniques, can diminish stress, increase feelings of well-being and boost energy, positive states that will enhance learning and instill confidence and give students the power and skill to manage stress anytime. Go to: emWave Desktop for Mac and PC.

Testimonials from Educators on Using TestEdge^® to Enhance Student Success

Funding Tips for Educators: For schools and districts interested in purchasing Institute of HeartMath programs and products, the following link will take you to a list that provides information about a variety of federal, state and private educational funding sources: Funding Sources for Institute of HeartMath Programs & Products. For useful information such as learning how to be an IHM Heart-Based Education Sponsorship Fund recipient, go to Heart-Based Education Sponsorship Fund.