VIDALIA — In three days, students in Concordia Parish will be sharpening their No. 2 pencils as they prepare for the first phase of high-stakes testing.

Students in grades 4, 8, 10 and 11 will be taking the high-stakes tests, which require students to achieve a certain score to proceed to the next grade.

Fourth and eighth graders will be taking the writing and math constructed response items of the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program exam, while 10th-grade and 11th-grade students will be taking the writing, math, science and social studies constructed response items of the Graduation Exit Examination.

Ferriday High School guidance counselor Gloria Pipes said area parents need to help prepare their children for the exam because it tends to be a stressful time for them.

“Students can get very anxious thinking about the exam,” she said.

In order to help the students prepare for the exam, Pipes said it is important to make sure students get plenty of rest the night before the test.

“You need to also make sure they eat a good breakfast,” she said. “Emphasize to them the importance of passing their test.”

Pipes said the most important thing a parent can do is to make sure to tell children to do their best.

Vidalia Upper Elementary School Principal Darla Johnston said it is also important to make sure the student does not have a stressful morning the day of the test.

“Do what you can to avoid excess stress,” she said.

Johnston also said her fourth graders have been preparing for the test since the beginning of the school year.

“Our teachers have stressed test-taking skills all year long,” she said.

“We feel like we have prepared them for the tests as best as we can.”

Pipes’ final words of wisdom for students taking the high-stakes tests Tuesday were short and simple.

“You need to read very carefully, do your best and do not rush,” she said.

The second phase of the testing will be April 11-14.

Students in grades 3, 5, 6 and 7 will take the iLeap assessment test April 11-14. iLeap does not determine whether students will proceed to the next grade.