From pep rallies with minor league baseball players, to special messages from district staff. Valley schools are using new methods to get students excited and prepared to do their best on the STAR Test.
Temperance-Kutner Principal Randy Hein said, "It's like the big game. We've been practicing all year so we dress for success, we come with a good attitude."
When students walk onto campus at Temperance-Kutner Elementary School in Clovis -- they're greeted with inspirational messages.
The signs are hung throughout the hallways on campus to encourage them to try their hardest.
"We're going for over 900 this year, we've been close at 892," said Hein. "A big title one school, the biggest el count in Clovis Unified, so we've got things rolling and we want to surf to success each year."
The students are charged with coming up with a theme for the entire year -- and teachers use incentives like these to award them for their efforts. Prizes that have helped students to strive to improve.
Principal Randy Hein says attendance is up, and last year 22 kids got perfect scores in math one in multiple subjects. Students tell us they enjoy dressing for success.
Other schools encourage kids to chew gum, take off their shoes and one even asks parents to write letters of encouragement.
The test is also changing. Starting in 2015 students will no longer bubble in answers using paper-and-pencil, instead they'll fill-in-the blanks using a computer.
