Education majors are learning how to ease anxiety before the Illinois Basic Skills test this month. Workshops for test anxiety are being offered for education majors through April 15, which will include progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing exercises paired with classical music.

“The students are anxious about the basic skills test,” said Heidi Larson, an assistant professor of counseling and student development, who is organizing the workshops.

Students have five chances to pass the basic skills test, Larson said.

The basic skills test is a mandatory test for college students to enter into the teacher education program.

In September 2010, the Illinois Board of Education required students to pass each section of the test with about an 80 percent.

“If students do not pass the test, they will never be a teacher in the state of Illinois,” Larson said.

The four sections of basic skills test are reading comprehension, language arts, mathematics and writing.

According to statistics from Feb. 12 from the Illinois Board of Education, only 28 percent of students who took the Basic Skills Test passed all four sections.

Doug Bower, the associate dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies, said pass rates for Eastern are slightly below the state average, but he said he will not have accurate numbers until after the April test.

The Illinois Board of Education raised the standards for the basic skills test in September 2010.

“There has been a push for raising standards for teachers,” Bower said.

Larson said the passage requirements have more than doubled.

“The goal of workshops is to combat students’ anxiety,” Larson said.

About 24 relaxation workshops are being offered with each section lasting about 30 to 40 minutes, Larson said.

So far, 10 to 12 students have signed up for the workshop, but they hope more will sign up, Bower said.

According to research, these relaxation techniques can help students with test taking, Larson said.

Danessa Perdieu, a graduate student of clinical counseling, is helping with the workshops. She said the relaxation techniques could apply to other parts of the students’ lives as well.

In the future, when students might have an interview, they can use the relaxation techniques to ease their nerves and lessen their anxieties, Larson said.

“We are teaching them a life skill,” she said.

Melissa Pallardy, a junior elementary education major, said she plans to use the breathing exercises the night before the test to ease her nerves.

The relaxation technique was developed by Edmund Jacobson, which involves tensing and relaxing.

If an education major is interested in the workshops, he or she can sign up in the dean’s office.

The basic skills test is scheduled for April 16 at Eastern.

“If we help one student pass the test then we would feel accomplished,” Larson said.

Elizabeth Edwards can be reached at 581-2812 or eaedwards@eiu.edu.