As students across Louisiana prepare to take the LEAP, iLEAP and GEE standardized tests next week, many parents wonder what they can do to improve their child’s chances of passing these all-important exams. The Louisiana Department of Education offers these tips for successfully navigating standardized-testing season:

• Reassure your child that he or she does not have to answer all the questions correctly to pass. It is not expected that students answer every question correctly.

• Tell your child to attempt to answer all of the questions and not to leave any blanks. There is no penalty for guessing, and students can get partial credit on the open-ended items.

• Remind your child that the test is important.

• Explain to your child the importance of using time wisely. If your child gets stuck on a question, encourage him or her to make the best guess or place a mark in the test booklet by that item and go back to it after finishing that section of the test.

• Make certain your child gets a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast before taking the test.

• Try to make the morning of the test a pleasant one. Do not add to your child’s stress.

• Get your child to school on time the day of the test.

• Remind your child to listen carefully to the instructions from the teacher and to read the directions and each question carefully.

• Encourage your child to stay focused on the test, even if other students finish early.

• Remind your child that it is OK to mark in the test booklet as a help in taking the test — i.e., underlining important words — but to mark all answers on the answer sheet.

And for those students who feel they need a little more preparation before the big day, the DOE offers several practice tests and review resources on its website at www.doe.state.la.us.