Students in grades 3-8 will take the state reading (English Language Arts) exam for three days next week: May 4, 5, and 6. The following week they face three days of math tests: May 11, 12, and 13.

For years, the tests were given in January and March, but last year the state decided to give the exams in May so they could cover more material. That resulted in widespread confusion in June about which students needed to attend summer school--because the results weren't available yet. In late July, the state announced it had set higher scores needed to pass the tests, resulting in more than half of the 23,000 students attending summer school finding out they wouldn't be promoted to the next grade.

Given last year's experience, and the high stakes associated with the standardized tests in general, we're wondering whether parents are helping with "test prep" their kids at home, or even signing them up for tutoring or prep courses. Or, have teachers have done enough in the previous eight months to prepare them?

Take our poll (in the righthand column) and comment below.