BY DARRELL HALEN

As Pelham Memorial School students filed into school, the theme song from the movie “Rocky” sounded over the building’s public address system.

Their teachers wore brand-new lime green T-shirts with the words “striving for excellence” printed on them.

It was Tuesday, Oct. 2, the kickoff of four days of New England Common Assessment Program testing and eighth-grade teacher Patty Lamontagne was ready with her pep talk.

“Are we all excited for today? It’s our first day of testing,” she told her class. “I hope you had a good breakfast and some orange juice and have a positive attitude.”

For Cathy Pinsonneault, the school’s principal, the stakes are high.

Memorial School did not make Annual Yearly Progress in reading and math during last year’s tests. Having failed to make AYP in reading for two consecutive years, Memorial was designated as a school in need of improvement by the Department of Education. It’s a mark Pinsonneault wants removed.

The NECAP tests, which determine whether or not students are proficient, were created because of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Now feeling “under the gun,” Pinsonneault launched a campaign to try and get her students psyched up about this year’s tests. It’s not an easy sell.

Older students understand the importance of assessment tests and elementary school students want to please their teachers, she said.

Middle school students, however, are the toughest group.

“It’s very hard to vest them in this,” Pinsonneault said. “Middle school students usually have the attitude, what’s in it for me? It doesn’t affect their grades.”

On top of that, proficiency targets have been raised this year – meaning the school has a higher bar to reach to make AYP.

So prior to the Oct. 2 test kickoff, Pinsonneault visited the school’s 22 homerooms, explaining the tests, and why it’s important students do their best. Everyone counts.

“I want them to understand why I want them to work hard, that it judges us as a school and how well we’re doing,” she said.

The school is “Team Memorial” and Pinsonneault is a cheerleader, telling the kids they can perform well and coming up with gimmicks to boost enthusiasm.

To help kids do well, teachers agreed not to give homework during testing week, hoping that students will give their best effort during the day.

Kids were asked to eat breakfast and come to school well-rested and will have a snack time.

And a different set of tests that measure progress were put off. Pinsonneault believes that last year kids were “tested out” from the two sets of tests.

If the school does achieve AYP, Pinsonneault has promised a springtime celebration, featuring a dunking booth, pie-eating contests and egg tosses. She and Tom Adamakos, the assistant principal, have volunteered to get dunked.

Sixth- and seventh-grade students will be tested in reading and mathematics. Eighth-graders will take tests in those subjects, along with writing.

The staff discussed making accommodations and modifications for special education students, who did not make their required targets in last year’s tests.

Seventh-graders will undergo three days of testing, while other students will be tested over four days. Testing wraps up Oct. 10.

“Students, good luck on the tests,” Pinsonneault said during the Oct. 2 morning announcements over the public address system. “Let’s take it seriously. Let’s earn that celebration in May.”

In preparation for the tests, teachers and students talked about test-taking strategies.

“If it’s multiple choice and you’re not sure what the answer is, how to eliminate and then make an educated guess,” Pinsonneault said. “We’ve talked about not leaving anything blank, just giving it their best shot. We want them to know that everybody’s score counts.”

But there hasn’t been a lot of time to get ready. The staff didn’t learn the school had not achieved AYP until the day before school started in late August – just five weeks before this year’s testing begins.

Pinsonneault knows that in her efforts to drum up enthusiasm she’s taking risks – that kids will be disappointed in the spring if there’s no celebration.

“I’ve got to take that chance,” she said. “I’m putting it all out there, and just hoping this is going to work.”

When teachers arrived at school on the first test day, Pinsonneault handed them the lime green T-shirts she had ordered. A shirt was ordered for everyone at the school.

“A lot of it – and I’ve tried to explain to the teachers – is our mindset,” Pinsonneault said. “We have to be so encouraging and so supporting that these kids feel they can do it. I’m trying to get the teachers hyped up so they will walk in those classrooms and be the cheerleaders in front of those kids.”