According to the TAKS Test Tips & Strategies website, scholarly studies have demonstrated the importance of teaching students general test-taking skills in preparation for standardized tests. Poor test-taking skills can give an artificially low indication of an otherwise high-functioning student's understanding of a subject. Taking time to teach time management skills, problem-solving and process of elimination strategies is therefore the first and most important step in preparing your child for the math portion of the TAKS test.
Practice tests also showed a high success rate in scholarly studies that looked at TAKS study methods. For fairly obvious reasons, practice tests are excellent for preparing the student for the kinds of questions they will be asked on the test, the language and structure of each question and the best ways of answering it. This gives the student the ability to master the overall logic and concept of each question and to better prepare them for answering them regardless of which numbers are plugged into the question.
Another major factor in successful and efficient preparation for the TAKS math test is nurturing and positive reinforcement. The same scholarly studies highlight the role of students' being "recognized and rewarded for success." Kids may be less likely to lose focus or become disinterested and frustrated if they are recognized and rewarded for each correct answer.
The Texas Education Agency releases TAKS study guides that are focused in each subject-area covered by the TAKS test. Study guides are designed to be used by the students themselves or by students and parents in a combined study environment. Study guides are updated yearly to accommodate changes in the TAKS test and can be downloaded and printed free of charge from the Texas Education Agency's website.