The only purpose in testing is to find out how and where to help a student. If the student is getting 100%, they don’t need any help. If they are struggling and don’t understand certain parts of the subject, the testing just lets us know what to cover, how to explain it better and how to keep from overwhelming and confusing the student. 

That is why we will often do a brief, painless testing when we meet a student. There is no pass or fail, no grade given. We just say something like, “These problems here are tricky, you may think they are trying to drive you crazy! We’ll look at them together, a little at a time, and we’ll make sure they don’t cause any more frustration in the future. We got this!” 

We make sure this is a very informal, non-threatening time for the student. Later, when we check on the student’s progress and the student is surprised at their own progress, the whole positive loop just begins to get stronger and stronger!