Book excerpt: "For 21st century students, high-stakes testing often creates stressful classroom environments that hinder student learning and negatively impact students' overall performance on the tests themselves. Author Martha Kaufeldt's De-Stress the Test: Brain-Friendly Strategies to Prepare Students for High-Stakes Assessments seeks to alleviate the stress of the test and help create classrooms full of focus and learning. Topics range from a biological breakdown of how the brain reacts to stressful environments to practical strategies for reducing stress and increasing focus in the classroom. Kaufeldt's experience shines through as she provides accessible solutions to help students thrive during testing. Students deserve to learn and develop without experiencing needless stress and anxiety, and De-Stress the Test is a tool that can help make that a reality"--