Connor Purl, Adrian Perez and Matthew Marvel from Lacy Elementary School work to complete a task during STAAR boot camp. (Jean Ann Collins/PISD Communications)

With the high stakes of STAAR testing, it’s no wonder that innovative instructors come up with new and creative ways to help students review before the standardized exams. Princeton elementary schools have been using the clever tactics of “boot camps” to prepare students.

Decked out in traditional camo, teachers devise hands-on, interactive methods to get students in test mode and mastering the material.

“STAAR boot camp both motivates students to do their absolute best and reinforces the teaching that has taken place in the classroom,” Godwin counselor Wendy Crane said. “The atmosphere is energetic and contagious. Students, teachers, staff members and parents come together for the common cause of supporting each other in the final push of preparedness for the challenges that the STAAR test will bring their way.”

According to Sonia Lynch, who coordinated boot camp at Smith, most elementary camps function in the same format using rotating stations that featured interactive ways to get their students “learning.”

By Jean Ann Collins • Contributing Writer • [email protected]

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