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TESTING ENVIRONMENTS
WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT HAVING A GOOD TESTING ENVIRONMENT?
Improvement is seen in: Academic Performance
Illustrated with Test Scores
Health Illness Breathing issues
CLASS DISCUSSION: WHAT ARE SOME ASPECTS OF AN IDEAL TESTING ENVIRONMENT?
Talk to the people around you and discuss one or two things that you think are important when it comes to testing environments.
Share your ideas with the class when asked.
HOW ARE ACADEMICS AFFECTED BY TESTING ENVIRONMENTS?
INDOOR AIR QUALITY
According to the article “Do School Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes?”, Poor Indoor Air Quality, or IAQ, affects over 8 million children in the United States.
IAQ symptoms include Irritated eyes Irritated nose and throat Upper respiratory infections Nausea Dizziness Fatigue sleepiness
Facts about IAQ
INDOOR AIR QUALITY
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, require between 15 and 20 cubic feet of air per minute per person in a classroom.
The results of this are contaminations are removed and replaced with fresh air.
Solution: Fresh Air
POOR IAQ CAUSES…
Sick teachers and students, which leads to…
Poor teaching and student performance. Giving students good air quality reduces absence thereby aiding students with their academics.
TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY
Allergies: High levels of temperature and humidity lead to
growth of mold, which brings about allergies.
Student performance is affected by temperature. Students perform better in classrooms with a
temperature of about 64 to 74 degrees.
VENTILATION
Schools need better ventilation… Children breathe a greater volume of air in
proportion to their body weight compared to adults naturally causing them discomfort quicker.
A symptom of poor ventilation is a build up of carbon dioxide which is caused by breathing. The more CO2 that is present in the air, the
more likely students are to develop headaches and develop an inability to concentrate due to drowsiness.
VENTILATION
Simply opening windows in the classroom is not enough of a solution which is why good ventilation inside is key.
Asthma is less likely to occur if good ventilation is in place.
LIGHTING AND COLOR Lighting : Prevents off-task behavior Improves test scores Plays a big role in overall
student achievement.
Students who are exposed to natural lighting in the classroom progress 20% faster in one year than students who learn in artificially lit rooms.
LIGHTING AND COLOR
ACOUSTICS Other causes of poor
acoustics: High blood pressure Induced feelings of
helplessness Lack of application to
learning tasks
Acoustics are sometimes hard to control because of how the building was designed or where the location of the school is.
Outside noise causes student dissatisfaction with classrooms and increases stress. • Children affected most:
Children with hearing impairments
Younger students who have trouble focusing.
ACOUSTICS
BUILDING AGE AND QUALITY
Students in newer buildings (according to a study):
Outperform students in older buildings
Had better records of health, attendance, and discipline.
Standardized test scores increased for students who took them in newer buildings.
Student performance is lower in buildings going through renovations since there are more distractions.
New Buildings Old Buildings
RESOURCES Schneider, M. (2002, November). Do School Facilities Affect
Academic Outcomes? National Institute of Building Sciences, 1-8.
CONCLUSION
Having a comfortable classroom is not just a nice thing to have but it is necessary for the success of the students and teachers.