Empowering the Young Mind: Strategies for Supporting Your Child’s Education

Posted on February 17, 2023February 17, 2023 by addwebseo

As children grow and develop, it is crucial for them to continue learning in order to reach their full potential. Learning goes beyond the traditional classroom setting and can occur through various experiences and interactions. By keeping children engaged in learning, they develop critical thinking skills, creativity, and a lifelong love for knowledge.

While the importance of continued learning for children is widely recognized, sometimes parents face challenges in ensuring that their child is constantly learning. These challenges can range from lack of time and resources to a child’s lack of motivation. However, by implementing some simple strategies and techniques, parents can help their children keep on learning and reach their full potential.

Tips on Fostering Learning

A. Finding the Child’s Interests and Passions

One of the best ways to encourage a love of learning is to tap into a child’s individual interests and passions. By doing so, learning becomes more engaging and relevant to the child. Parents can ask their children about their favorite hobbies, books, and subjects and then use that information to guide educational experiences. For example, a child who enjoys math can practice solving equations, play math games, or participate in math competitions.

B. Creating a Positive Learning Environment

The environment in which a child learns can significantly impact their motivation and engagement. Parents can create a positive learning environment by making it fun, comfortable, and inviting. This can be achieved by incorporating colorful decorations, creating a dedicated study area, and providing ample light and space that is free from distractions.

C. Promoting a Growth Mindset

Promoting a growth mindset is crucial for encouraging a love of learning. A growth mindset is a belief that one’s abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and learning. Parents can promote this by highlighting the benefits of making mistakes and celebrating their child’s efforts and progress, rather than just the end result. This helps children view learning as a journey, rather than a destination, and encourages them to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth.

D. Encouraging Curiosity

Encouraging children to ask questions and express their curiosity can be a great way to foster independent learning. Parents can ask open-ended questions, listen to their child’s ideas and opinions, and provide opportunities for them to explore and discover new information on their own.

E. Providing Resources for Self-Directed Learning

Self-directed learning is an approach to education that empowers students to take control of their own learning process. Rather than being passively taught by a teacher or parent, children in self-directed learning environments actively seek out information and resources to build their knowledge and skills. This type of learning has been shown to be highly effective in promoting student motivation, engagement, and academic success.

F. Setting and Achieving Goals

Parents can work with their children to set realistic and achievable goals and then provide support and encouragement along the way. This not only helps children develop a sense of accomplishment and pride but also helps them understand the importance of setting and working towards goals in all areas of life.

How to develop structural learning

A. Daily Routines

Incorporating educational activities into daily routines can help support structured learning and make it a regular part of a child’s life. Parents can find creative ways to make learning a part of daily activities such as meal times, trips, or chores. For example, parents can play educational games, have discussions about current events, or work on puzzles together.

B. Classes or Programs

Research has demonstrated that participating in structured learning activities can have a number of benefits for children. For example, structured learning can provide children with opportunities to develop new skills and interests. In particular, programs that focus on the arts, such as music or art classes, can help children develop creativity and critical thinking skills. Additionally, structured learning programs that focus on physical activities, such as sports or dance, can help children develop coordination, motor skills, and overall fitness.

C. Reinforce Learning at Home

Working with a child’s teacher can be a great way to support structured learning. Parents can attend parent-teacher conferences, stay informed about what is being taught in class, and reinforce learning at home by completing homework and studying together. This helps create a consistent learning environment and supports and reinforces what is being taught in the classroom.

Managing Gadget and Screen Time for Optimal Learning

A. Limiting the Amount of Screen Time

Balancing screen time is important for a child’s overall well-being and development. While technology can be a valuable tool for learning, it is crucial to limit the amount of time a child spends in front of screens. Parents can set daily or weekly limits on screen time and encourage alternative activities such as reading, playing outside, or pursuing hobbies.

B. Providing Age-Appropriate Screen Content

When children use screens, it is important to ensure they access age-appropriate content. Parents can research and choose educational apps, games, and websites that align with their child’s interests and learning goals. Additionally, parents can also monitor their child’s screen usage and ensure they are not exposed to inappropriate or harmful content.

C. Encouraging Active Screen Time

Encouraging active screen time can also help balance screen time. This can include playing physical games, educational activities, or virtual reality experiences. These activities can be a great way to engage children and provide a unique learning experience.

How Georgia Test Prep can help Your Child Keep Learning

Georgia Test Prep can be a valuable resource in helping your child keep learning. The web app provides online resources and Georgia Milestones practice tests. These resources can help support structured learning and reinforce what your child is learning in school.

By using the practice tests, your child can become familiar with the test format, understand the types of questions that will be asked, and develop test-taking strategies.

Incorporating Georgia Test Prep into your child’s study routine can help improve their confidence and performance on standardized tests. This can provide a boost to your child’s academic success and help prepare them for future educational and career opportunities.

Overall, it is a valuable resource for parents who want to support their child’s learning and help them reach their full potential. By using the resources and practice tests available on the website, parents can provide their children with the tools and resources they need to succeed.

Georgia Test Prep web app for students launches new GA Milestone test practice feature

Posted on April 22, 2021September 30, 2021 by addwebseo

Georgia Test Prep is a leading online practice test tool designed to help Georgia students hone their skills in the state school curriculum and ace standards tests.

The tool is now launching a brand new feature that mimics the actual visual layout of the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS) tests. This will enable students to get familiar with the user interface of the GMAS test so that they will feel right at home with the real thing.

The Georgia Test Prep tool gives visibility into students’ progress with their analytics dashboards and provides a personalized learning experience for each child, allowing them to proceed at their own pace. The content on Georgia Test Prep is presented in a simple format for an optimum learning experience.

The new feature presents realistic GMAS math tests for grades 3 to 8.

Georgia Test Prep is the leading tool for GMAS Practice Tests because it is designed in Georgia, for Georgia students, by Georgia state teachers. It contains thousands of practice questions for grades 3 to 8. Practice test material adheres perfectly with the Georgia state school curriculum, so the questions are based on what students are actually learning in school. The tool can be accessed on any device and the question bank is being constantly updated, making Georgia Test Prep a more convenient, far more economical, and more comprehensive option than practice books. The Georgia Test Prep subscription gets you 24/7/365 access and support from the Georgia Test Prep team for less than 10 cents per day.

For a free trial join now!

About Georgia Test Prep

Georgia Test Prep is a web app designed for elementary and middle school students. It is tailored to help parents solidify what their children are learning in school.

Students can practice answering questions on various topics that are perfectly aligned with Georgia standards. Students will have thousands of questions to practice from in each and every subject for their grade level.

Media Contact

Ashley @ Georgia Test Prep

marketing@georgiatestprep.com

Announcing the Launch of Georgia Test Prep

Posted on October 20, 2020July 22, 2021 by addwebseo

It is with great pleasure we announce that today we have launched Georgia Test Prep, an online solution to help parents and students of the state of Georgia create a solid foundation in Georgia Standards of Excellence.

Georgia Test Prep is meant to supplement a child’s school learning by providing a place to practice thousands of Georgia standards based math and ELA questions online, from the safety and comfort of home. Parents and students can easily track students’ progress and eliminate the need for purchasing a number of costly practice books or spending endless hours searching for worksheets and then checking them, because all of the content is digitally available.

Why Georgia Test Prep?

Georgia educators are doing an outstanding job of teaching the standards set for Georgia’s curriculum in school. But there isn’t enough opportunity for the repetition of concepts. For students to truly retain what they learn, they have to continuously practice answering questions on a topic they want to master.

So a team of parents of school children and Georgia state teachers got together to solve this. And thus Georgia Test Prep was born.

Georgia Test Prep Benefits Students and Parents

The content has been specifically designed to be aligned with Georgia school curriculums. It is made in Georgia, by Georgia teachers, especially for Georgia students.

Parents can use the tool to assign homework to their kids, and parents and students both get a dashboard to monitor the student’s progress. The entire bank of questions is being made available for less than ten cents a day.

Georgia Test Prep makes it easy for students and parents because:

All the material is available online.
The tool is available wherever the student is, all they need is an internet connection. There is no need to carry around cumbersome books or worksheets.
Parents don’t have to invest in multiple expensive books that soon become obsolete.
Parents can spend time helping their children strengthen their basics rather than checking the answers, since the web application does it automatically.
Since the content is developed based on Georgia school curriculums, you can be assured that it is an effective tool that addresses what students are expected to know by GSE.

Georgia Test Prep is a great ally for parents to help their kids get an edge in their education and an easy tool to help kids practice math and ELA questions closely aligned to the Core curriculum and GSE. It is available today at https://georgiatestprep.com/.

Everything You Need To Know About the Georgia Milestones Assessment System

Posted on September 25, 2020September 25, 2020 by addwebseo

If you’ve got a child in the Georgia state school system, then you’ve probably heard of the Georgia Milestones Assessment System and how important it is. They can indeed influence how your child progresses through school. But what exactly is it, and what does it mean? And as a parent, how can you help your children do well on it?

This post is a comprehensive guide on what the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS) is all about.

What is the GMAS?

Simply put, the Georgia Milestones is an assessment program for school children from grades 3 through high school.

The tests provide information about whether students are grasping their subjects according to the state-adopted standards in the core areas of English language arts (ELA), math, science, and social studies, and whether they are ready to progress to the next grade.

They offer a “snapshot” of what students can do in those subjects. But they are also important for school and district accountability. Informing the students, parents, educators, and the public about how well students are learning important content is an essential aspect of any educational assessment and accountability system.

The Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) is the authority for Georgia Milestones.

History of GMAS

The Georgia Milestones Assessment System was introduced in 2014-2015 to replace former state assessments which were setting lower standards for students.

In fact, the old tests – the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCTs) and high school End of Course Tests (EOCTs) –set some of the lowest expectations for student proficiency in the nation.

The Georgia Milestones are more rigorous and more in line with the rest of the country. In that way, they are a better system because they urge our students to do better.

Part of what makes them a better assessment than older tests is that they require “constructed responses,” meaning students must provide the correct answer instead of selecting it, or they might have to explain how they got the answer or even explain why a provided answer is wrong.

Features of GMAS

Items in ELA and math are open-ended, i.e. they are constructed-response types for all grades and courses.
The ELA assessment has a writing component that is in response to passages read by students at every grade level.
All content areas and courses have norm-referenced items to compare how students fare at a national level (see National Percentile in Grading).
The number of questions in the tests (30-60) and the allotted time to each test (60-90 minutes with breaks between sections) vary by subject.

Educators say that the GMAS isn’t the kind of exams students can study for with a cram session the night before the tests. It takes a sustained effort over the school year and requires students to pay attention in class and as they do their assignments.

We’ve covered in an extensive article what parents can do to help their kids prepare for the GMAS. If you find your child is getting stuck often, there are things you can do to remedy that as well. Check out the rest of our blog for more tips and information.

Who takes the GMAS?

All students from grade 3 all the way up to high school take the GMAS.

Grades 3 – 8 will take the End of Grade (EOG) assessment.All students who are enrolled in high school courses will take the End of Course (EOC) assessments.

Middle school students who are enrolled in a high school course are required to take the EOC assessment for that course and not the EOG assessment.

Grades 3, 4, 6, and 7 take EOG assessments in ELA and math.
Grades 5 and 8 take EOG assessments in ELA, math, science, social studies.
High School students take EOC assessments for each of the ten courses designated by the State Board of Education across four content areas (listed below).

The EOC tests are administered at the completion of the course for all grades. Additionally, since the 2015-16 school year, these test results serve as the final exam for their corresponding course, and contribute 20% to a student’s final course grade.

Language Arts

Ninth Grade Literature and Composition
American Literature and Composition

Math

Algebra I/Coordinate Algebra
Geometry/Analytic Geometry

Science

Biology
Physical Science

Social Studies

United States History
Economics/Business/Free Enterprise

Why the GMAS matters

The GMAS is important for all the stakeholders, i.e. students and the schools.

These tests determine if the student has understood the curriculum as per state standards, because they are pegged to Georgia’s new academic standards, which are guided by the Common Core, a national consensus of what each child should learn in each grade level.

They are also used to determine whether students in certain grades are promoted or retained:

3^rd graders must pass the English subject test to be promoted to 4^th grade.
5^th and 8^th graders must pass the English and math portions to be promoted to the next grade.
For high school students, each EOC score counts as 20% of their final grade in that course.

The GMAS tests are also used to determine the state’s rating system for its public schools because they are part of the formula that produces the College and Career Ready Performance Index.

When is the GMAS taken?

Grades 3-8 take the EOGs annually in the spring, typically in April.

Middle and high school students who are enrolled in a course that has an EOC will take the EOC when the course is completed, regardless of the grade level.

Retest for the GMAS

Should students need it, a retest is available during the summer. Check with your school for the exact schedule.

Generally speaking, the following students can take a retest:

Students in grades 3, 5, and 8 who score Below Grade Level on the reading section of the ELA EOG test.
Students in grades 5 and 8 who score at the Beginning level on the Math EOG test (see more about scoring levels later in this article).
Students who earn a grade conversion score below 70 on a high school EOC test may retest during the next mid-month testing window, or during the summer if the first test was taken in the spring.

How is GMAS taken?

The GMAS is taken online unless students cannot interact with a computer due to their disability and their Individualized Education Plan requires a different accommodation. The state’s education department mandated online tests for all of its standardized tests from the 2018-19 school year.

Grading of the GMAS

Achievement Level

The achievement levels describe how well students have learned the knowledge and skills in the subject as per Georgia’s content standards, and give an indication of how ready a student is to move on to the next grade level. They also indicate how much academic support is needed to prepare the student for the next grade level or course and to be on track for college and career readiness.

Georgia Milestones reports student achievement in four levels:

Beginning Learners: Proficiency in the course is not demonstrated. Substantial academic support needed.
Developing Learners: Partial proficiency in the course is demonstrated. Additional academic support needed.
Proficient Learners: Proficiency in the course is demonstrated. The students are prepared for the next grade level or course and are on track for college and career readiness.
Distinguished Learners: Advanced proficiency in the course is demonstrated. The students are well prepared for the next grade level or course and are prepared for college and career readiness.

Lexile measures

A Lexile measure is an indication of reading level. It is a standard score that matches a student’s reading ability with difficulty of text material.

It can be interpreted as the level of book that a student can read with 75% comprehension. Experts have identified a 75% comprehension level as offering the reader a certain amount of comfort and yet still offering a challenge.

The Lexile scale ranges between 200L and 1700L. However, some students may score a Lexile reading of below 200L for some reading material and may have a code of BR* for “beginning reader”.

Many books have a Lexile measure to identify material that is at an appropriate reading level for a student or to identify material that would provide a challenge to improve their reading skills.

National Percentile

The EOG assessments include a small number of questions in each content area that are used in assessments nationally. These items give a general snapshot of how a student’s answers compare with students nationally. The percentile number indicates that your child performed as well as or better than that percent of the national sample.

Here is a sample of an Individual Student Report for the GMAS, and a parent’s guide to the Individual Student Report.

The Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA)

The Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA) is a key component of the Georgia Milestones Assessment System. It is for students with significant cognitive disabilities, and is an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards, as determined by the students’ IEP team.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), states must ensure that all students, including students with significant cognitive disabilities, be taught a curriculum that represents sufficiently challenging academic standards.

What’s in store for the 2020-21 school year

As things stand, the GMAS is most likely going to be conducted for the 2020-21 school year. Although the state of Georgia had moved for the suspension of the 2020-21 GMAS and CCRPI school and district rating, the official word from the U.S. Department of Education is that there is no plan to grant federal testing waivers for the 2020-21 school year.

This is the first school year since the COVID -19 situation, and we know that this is going to be a tough and unprecedented one for students, teachers, and parents. Nonetheless, we will have to prepare for things as per the decision of the U.S. Department of Education. Please follow the official Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) site for the latest updates.

As parents, what we can do is commit to continue practice testing to ensure that our children are prepared. Given that schools will be hard pressed as it is to make sure that classroom instruction is adequately given, extra practice testing becomes even more important. It’s also worth noting that science has shown that practice testing is an essential part of learning and increases long-term retention of subject matter and concepts. Practice makes everything stick.

Georgia Test Prep is an online practice testing tool to help your kids test themselves on what they learn in school. It’s designed by Georgia teachers and based on the Georgia school curriculum, so it’s super relevant to what your kids actually learn. Get access to thousands of questions for less than ten cents a day, and give your child a jump start on their success.

How to Get the Most Out Of Practice Testing

Posted on September 11, 2020September 25, 2020 by addwebseo

Imagine taking an archery workshop. A trained guide gives you a brief history of archery, shows you how to hold a bow and notch an arrow, and teaches you how to fire an arrow. Does that make you an archer?

No! It will only provide the base. What will make you an archer is your ability to hit the bulls-eye, and that will only come after practice, practice, and more practice.

This is how human beings are wired. It applies to any kind of skill in life, including how well your kids do on their exams! It’s not enough that they pay attention in lessons at school and in their homework. In order for concepts to really stick kids need repetition. It’s the only way to ensure they hit their targets.

The notion that practice makes perfect isn’t just an intuitive one when it comes to testing – it’s backed by science. In fact, there’s even a word for it: it’s called the “testing effect,” which refers to the finding that long-term memory is often increased when some of the learning period is devoted to retrieving the to-be-remembered information.

Numerous studies since the early ‘90s have shown that learners who tested their knowledge during practice later remembered more information than learners who spent the same amount of time studying the complete information. This makes practice tests not only an assessment tool,but a crucial part of the teaching toolkit.

Read it again: Practice tests will help increase your kids’ long-term memory recall of the subjects practiced.

Practice testing basically exercises the brain like a muscle. Every time you retrieve information, you build new connections between synapses in your brain, strengthening the connections and consolidating the memories. This, in turn, enables you to more easily access the information in the future.

So, as parents, we definitely want to implement practice testing at home. But we want to do this effectively, without overloading our kids and thereby undoing any potential good effects it can have. How do we get the best out of practice testing? Well, science has some pointers.

How long to dedicate to practice tests?

Answer: At least 30 minutes practice per week

In order to get the benefits of practice testing, ensure that your kids are getting at the very least 30 minutes of practice on online programs every week. Multiple studies (including a peer reviewed study by Edmentum, an eLearning solution) have shown that students who spend at least this much time per week practicing online experienced significantly more growth than those who did not.

This finding is also backed by a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of educational technology applications published by Cheung and Slavin in 2013.

How long should practice sessions be?

Answer: Distribute practice over several sessions

For maximum effect of these online practice sessions, stick to several short sessions rather than really long blocks of time. The study mentioned in the previous point has also shown that students who have one session of 15 minutes or longer as a part of their 30 minutes of practice each week achieved the best results. The technique of spacing out short practice sessions over time is one of the highest-utility learning techniques according to leading research.

However, remember that longer sessions help students to build their stamina and focus their efforts on a single topic for a longer period of time. Work with your child to strike the right balance.

What kind of question formats to practice?

Answer: Different types of test formats

A 2017 meta-analysis of 118 research articles found the following regarding retention of information with different test formats for practice tests:

The most effective type of practice test was mixed format practice tests, which have more than one question type. This is perhaps because different question formats require students to load different cognitive processes and resolve the interference between them, leading to better long-term retention and transfer. This is due to a process called interleaving, and this strategy is particularly useful if you’re studying something that involves problem solving, like math practice.
The best single-format tests were multiple-choice practice tests. This may be because MCQs are easier, and research suggests that less demanding retrieval practice activities promote stronger retention because they allow students to focus all of their cognitive energy on a simple task.

What does this mean for test day? It means that it is of absolute importance to practice all the different formats. Memories are easier to retrieve when the retrieval process is similar to how they were encoded during an initial learning activity, due to a phenomenon known as Transfer-Appropriate Processing. So mix it up and make sure your kids are exercising all of their test-taking abilities.

Final thoughts

Practice testing is one of the easiest and most effective things you can implement at home to help your kids do well in school. And Georgia Test Prep has a comprehensive bank of GSA questions designed by Georgia parents and teachers to help you do this.

The right online tools can be a big help in designing a rigorous and effective test preparation program for your child without taking up all of your time. Georgian Test Prep has your back with a tool that is created especially for Georgia state students.

How Edtech can Bridge the Achievement Gap in America

Posted on August 11, 2020October 1, 2020 by addwebseo

Achievement gap is a major problem plaguing education systems in America. It refers to the disparity in academic performance or educational attainment between different groups of students based on socioeconomic status, race, or gender.

There is a clear difference in schooling and learning opportunities for students based on wealth. There is even a term known as “90-10 gap” – so called because it compares students in the 90th and 10th percentiles of family wealth – and it equals about a 4-year difference in learning (Reardon, 2011).

Although efforts are being made to bridge the gap at national and local levels, children from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds are still falling behind their peers.

Fortunately, education technology is helping to close the achievement gap by becoming an ally to teachers. This is not just a gut instinct either – research from Standford University has found that technology can help boost test scores for low-income students when used correctly.

This post is going to look at exactly how Edtech can play a significant role in closing the achievement gap in America.

Using Edtech the right way – to complement class learning

Technology in the classroom is not a cure-all in itself, its value lies in the way it is used.

Low-income schools typically use technology in a “drill and kill” approach, where students are presented with the information they are expected to memorize and are later tested on. The results of this kind of approach are less than favorable.

Technology is not a replacement for good old classroom tutoring. However, combining technology with teacher training can prove to be very effective.

As a case in point, a two-year study was conducted in Maine to find the efficiency of using an online homework tool along with classroom learning for seventh graders. The results showed that end-of-year standardized test results were boosted 80% over the anticipated performance.

Further, students who were below the median on the previous year’s state math test gained the equivalent of over two years of learning in a single year.

Self-paced Edtech is good, but it’s better in the hands of the teachers

Self-paced education technology can be great for students. However, it can actually make the achievement gap worse, because typically high-performing students progress quickly while underperforming students are left behind, as found by a Duke University study. This is simply counterproductive.

A better way to improve results and close the achievement gap is to give teachers effective Edtech tools that empower them to better focus their time and resources. This will allow them to give more attention to students that need more help, which will then make self-paced learning more positive for them.

Edtech is most effective when it aligns to curriculum

One of the biggest concerns among teachers regarding Edtech tools is that often they don’t align with the curriculum set by their school district. So even if the tool is a good learning companion, it is not preparing students for what ultimately matters: the standards tests.

What teachers need to look out for are Edtech tools that are created with this in mind. Georgia Test Prep is a tool specifically designed to be aligned with Georgia school curriculums. It is made in Georgia, by Georgia teachers, especially for Georgia students.

While currently Georgia Test Prep is aimed towards parents, we are in the process of developing a solution specifically for the teachers of Georgia that will help them support their students to greatly improve their math and ELA Skill.

Edtech can make life easier for teachers

Teachers have their plates full at all times. Further burdening them with having to check assessment tests in the digital age is completely unnecessary.

Edtech solutions can reduce teacher workload with automated marking and sophisticated reporting. They can help lift the burden of these administrative tasks, thereby freeing up more of their time to spend with their students.

Remember, the results of an Edtech tool for underprivileged students is only as good as the teacher training they receive.

The achievement gap in America today is the result of a complex set of multiple factors, and it isn’t going to be bridged overnight. But educators are taking steps.

Edtech providers are helping in this process too. What they need to do next is to listen to school districts to understand their pain points and curriculum requirements, and modify their offering to cater to individual school district demands. They may need to pay particular attention to the needs of low-income students.

Edtech has a lot of potential in the digital age to help students from all socioeconomic backgrounds get the help they need to excel. It will take the right application of Edtech to release that potential.

Preparing Your Children For the New School Year With The COVID-19 Situation

Posted on July 27, 2020October 1, 2020 by addwebseo

The coming school year will be unlike any new school year that kids – or parents – have ever faced. Schools in Georgia will be reopening for the new year come fall, but counties are doing it their own way. In-person instruction, virtual learning, and a combination of these are the possibilities.

The prospect of a new school year is exciting and anxiety-inducing for children as it is. But this year will have the added anxiety of being the first school year since the COVID-19 pandemic shook the world.

As a parent, you must be prepared for whatever protocol is to be followed. No matter what it is, it’s going to be different for your kids for sure. Here’s what you can do to prepare your child for getting back to school this fall.

Establish New Routines

Start getting them into the rhythms of the school day at least a week in advance of the reopening.

This will be especially pertinent for children who will be doing distance learning. It will be very important for them to mentally separate time allotted for learning and school work from regular home time. Many kids will just not be used to attending classes without the direct supervision of their teachers, especially when all the comforts of home are right at hand.

Involve your children and make the process positive. Discuss with them the issue of homework, and establish when would be the best time for them to study. Help them set up their virtual-learning area. Activities like these will help kids prepare mentally for the coming school year.

Just remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for this. Be flexible and patient with your kids while they figure it out.

Limit Technology After Certain Hours

Phones, tablet, PCs, and gaming devices are always a ready distraction. Since kids will need to get back into the flow of school time, start limiting their use of technology after certain hours.

This will help them be rested and mentally ready for school the next day. Also, it will help them get reacquainted to the practice of focusing and not relying on the constant instant gratification of their devices that they have enjoyed over the summer break.

You set the pace. But start slow, and gradually keep winding down. It’s better not to start with a sudden and strict cutoff. Make the process easy for them.

Make Sure They Understand The Need For Safety

Only very young children would be unaware or not understand the gravity of the COVID-19 situation by now. But no matter what age your kids are, start strongly reinforcing personal safety protocols. It may sound like repetition, but it is very important to emphasize their importance.

Encourage them to wash their hands often and be wary of touching their face. They should carry a mask at all times. Implore them to tell a teacher if they feel anything like a symptom of the flu.

These are good practices for all children, and not just those who will be attending school in-person. With the country testing the waters with reopening, this is a good opportunity to reinforce these practices with your kids.

Address Their Feelings

Things are going to be different. Class sizes might be reduced to allow for social distancing and certain activities might be restricted. Even seemingly simple things, like the sight of everyone wearing masks, will be a major departure from normality.

Change can often be difficult for a child.Help them navigate these changes. Have open and honest discussions with them, understand how they feel about this situation and its implications. Remember that adolescents will have the added burdens of puberty to deal with. Really listen to them instead of just offering your own opinions. Talking to them can do a great deal to put them at ease.

Participate In Safe Back-to-School Activities

Check whether your child’s school organizes virtual get-togethers. A lot of anxiety can be assuaged by meeting their new teacher, having a look at their classroom, and maybe even getting to know some of the other kids.

If such get-togethers are not an option, you can always help your child review their school’s website for information and pictures.

For Those Starting A New School

Your kids are probably already talking to their friends about starting school again. But if your child is joining a new school at this time, then it’s important to take extra care to make them as comfortable as possible.

Give a little more time for transition talk to address their back-to-school worries. You and your child could look for pictures of the school online, or on their official social media account if the school has one. Reassurance is the key.

Make Back-to-school Fun

Don’t lose out on the fun element of getting back to school. One of the activities that kids love most at this time of year is picking out their new school supplies and new clothes, and needn’t be missed. Help them plan what kind of things they would like to take for lunch. And remember, always keep up the positivity!

Learning Is Still The Priority

Make sure this is not lost on your children. The reason that schools are reopening in spite of the current situation is because of the importance of their education. Classwork, homework, and study are the priority. Help your children come back to this mind-state, and to maintain it throughout the school year.

It’s going to be a challenging time for children and parents. The school districts are doing their best, but it is up to everyone to stay vigilant. The most important thing to remember is to keep an open dialogue with your children, actively listen, and keep giving them positive reinforcement.

How Georgia Test Prep Can Help

It’s going to be difficult for children to adjust to the new modes of learning in this very novel time. And although the State of Georgia will not be having standardized tests like Georgia Milestones this year, Georgia Test Prep can still help. Repetition and practice is the key to establishing a good foundation. With Georgia Test Prep, children can practice GSE questions based on their math and language curriculum online and from the comfort and safety of their home, giving them an edge in their schoolwork.

How to strengthen parent-child communication-relationship?

Posted on July 7, 2020February 22, 2022 by addwebseo

Parenting is a tough job in and by itself. There is a long list of decisions that a parent has to make, never really knowing if the choice that they made is going to be the right one. From ensuring that their kids get healthy food to eat, good friends to play with, a good education, the right career path, developing critical thinking skills, and so much more; parents need to think about everything.

Many might agree that there has always been a generational gap between parents & their kids. This gap seems to have widened with the children in the 21^st century. Kids nowadays might not be very open about things that bother them or be verbose of the peer pressures that they have to deal with because they might feel that they would not be understood or would be judged. To close this gap and to gain better understanding of what children have to deal with, parents need to develop a stronger relationship and a safe haven where kids feel they can talk about anything and everything. To be able to accomplish this there has to be good communication between parents & their children.

Understand how your child communicates

Knowing how your child communicates will help you strengthen your bond with them and encourage them to be open with you. Some kids are open while others a little bit more reserved. Taking the time to learning their style will help you bring the best out in them. Be mindful that not all communication is verbal and pay close attention to body language. Sometimes a cheerful child that seems quiet could have had a tough day at school and might just need a nudge to share it with you.

Be a good listener

Listening is so much more than just hearing what is being said; it is to understand the meaning behind the words. We have all been guilty of listening half-heartedly while trying to finish cooking dinner or while responding to a work email or taking care of the endless things that have to be taken care of. Give full attention to your child when he or she is talking about something. Make eye contact and let them know that what they are saying is important, that they are important.

Turn off the TV and any other distractions or interruptions as you intently listen to them and respond thoughtfully when they ask for your opinion. Things that seem trivial or silly to you might actually be challenging for them to process. So make sure you empathize without judging and look at it from their perspective. When your child feels like they can talk to you about anything and everything you have created a strong foundation of a loving relationship.

Narrate positive stories and personal experiences

Children love to hear stories. Remember the times where we read bedtime stories to our kids when they were younger. It was a ritual that made them feel so special and loved. Depending on your kid’s age and maturity level, you choose the best stories for them. As the kids get older let those stories evolve to you sharing your personal life experiences with them. Talk about yourself if you want them to talk about themselves. You don’t need to be perfect to inspire them. You just need to be real. As they start to realize that you have experienced a lot of what they are going through now, it creates this bond where they feel comfortable sharing and asking for opinion on things that matter most to them.

Spend some time with them every day

We all live in a busy world and finding time can seem difficult. Sometimes with both parents working different shifts it might even get trickier. Find time on a daily basis to intentionally spend with your kids. Little kids might want you to play with them. Remember it’s not what you want to do, its what they want you to do with them that matter. Develop a routine that works for your family. As kids get older they love to help. Let them contribute by helping you with chores like preparing dinner together or going shopping. Schedule some family time and plan a picnic or a vacation and create memories. To children love is often spelt as TIME.

Use the Whale-done approach

Everyone wants a perfect child. We use criticism and manipulation as tools to get them to doing what we think they should do which actually back fires in most cases. In his book “Whale done” Ken Blanchard talks about accentuating the positive and redirecting energy when mistakes happen. This approach helps build confidence & self esteem. Kids also need to know that we are their biggest cheerleaders at all times. They need to know that we have their back. It is important for them to celebrate their wins but also to know that making mistakes and failing is part of life and learning to handle failure is perhaps the most important lesson that can help them develop resilience.

Help build confidence by strengthening learning

We all know that education provides the basic building block, which is the foundation to creating a successful future. Inculcate the love of learning in your child. Children tend to love what they understand and are comfortable with. Enrolling your child in online practice for Math and ELA can help them practice what they learn in school and become more comfortable with the subject material. It helps them gain confidence in their own ability to perform, sharpens their skills, and creates a winning culture. Georgia Test Prep offers a wide range of practice for the students to enhance their performance and create great results.

Some parting thoughts

Make a lot of deposits in your child’s life. Give them all the tools necessary to succeed in life. Love them unconditionally. Make sure to tell them often that you believe that they are the most magical and wonderful beings in this world; that they are capable of accomplishing anything that they set their hearts to and that is exactly what they will go on to do!

What is the story behind Georgia Test Prep?

Posted on June 26, 2020February 22, 2022 by addwebseo

Being parents of young children it was evident that our work was cut out for us in order to support our children’s learning journey. We knew that the teachers at school were doing a great job in teaching them the Georgia standards. But just like anything else, without repetition of the material they could not retain a lot of what they had just learnt. In order to help them we had to search for the relevant worksheets online, print them, and ask our kids to complete them. Checking their work was yet another cumbersome task. And once they completed the practice sheets, we had to look for other worksheets. This was becoming tiresome and redundant.

We purchased some books from a local store and also bought some online. It was hard to find out which ones were relevant to the subject material taught at school and which ones would mimic how their testing was going to look like. We realized that we spent a lot of money on the books for each child and were still not convinced that it was the best we could provide them with.

That put us on a journey to find websites that would allow for them to practice online without the hassle of printing sheets and correcting them but pretty quickly we realized that was a very costly option.

This is where Georgia Test Prep was born! We figured that there are a lot of parents in a similar situation like ours who are also struggling to impart the right education to their children. We reached out to some of the parents around us who had kids in Elementary & Middle school and talked to them and concluded that creating an online platform that can address such issues would help parents provide a strong foundation to their children.

What makes Georgia Test Prep a good solution for parents?

Georgia Test Prep is a comprehensive web app that helps students practice answering ELA & Math questions that are aligned with the standards taught in school. With less than 10 cents per day, the members get access to thousands of questions for ELA and Math practice online. The web app offers curriculum resources and practice questions to the students from grades 3 to 8. We have Georgia teachers working with us to prepare the best practice sheets according to Georgia standards.

This web app bridges the gap between the classroom and at-home learning. Parents can assign the homework to their children and once the student completes it, online assessment helps parents know about the performance of their child. This saves parents hours and hours of time that they were spending on checking worksheets. This web app motivates the students to work without any assistance from a parent or a teacher. It also makes the students more confident as they get a better grip of Math and ELA.

With a lot of schools operating online virtual classes due to the COVID-19 outbreak, there is a need for online assessment tools that helps parents understand gaps in their child’s knowledge and areas of improvement and help fill it. And that is what we are here for!!!

Sign up now for getting updates as the web app launches in July 2020.

How can Georgia Test Prep help parents get complete peace of mind?

Posted on June 26, 2020February 22, 2022 by addwebseo

Are you tired of

… finding relevant worksheets online for your child?

… printing out the worksheets every single time?

… spending hundreds of dollars on practice books that will be discarded after one use?

… spending hours trying to correct the worksheets or the practice books?

Due to COVID-19, many parents, students, and teachers tried to adapt to a new method of learning as the school year came to a close. Parents across Georgia took an active role as educators along with the teachers by staying connected via online communication tools and technologies. Most of the schools will be offering similar options that might include virtual classes as school reopens to help the children stay home safely. Your child will have to learn a new curriculum for the next grade on zoom in a classroom of 25-30 other children. This will require them to study a lot of the material on their own and repetition will be a key to retaining that information. You may be looking for innovative ways to help your children accomplish just that.

What are the challenges faced by parents?

Lack of time

Nowadays, parents have to work from dawn to dusk everyday to maintain the financial stability of the family. Working parents may find it difficult to find time to download the worksheets, print them, and get it completed by the child. They might not be able to devote time to check the work completed by their kids.

Buying costly practice books

A lot of parents spend hundreds of dollars in purchasing practice books for their children. Not to mention they are discarded after one use and there is always a dilemma which one to purchase that is most relevant to what is being taught in school.

Not familiar with the Georgia Standards

Do you ever wonder what to focus on when helping your child review what is being taught in school? The basics of what is being taught may not change, but what the kids are expected to know for their grades and what they are tested for.

How can Georgia Test Prep help the parents?

Georgia Test Prep is a low-cost solution to make your children practice Math and ELA online. For less than 10 cents a day, you can get access to questions that are aligned with the state of Georgia.

Parents can assign homework to their children and help them improve the areas where they lack.
Progress monitoring helps the parents make the right decisions when it comes to assigning practice tests for the children.
As the answers are checked automatically, parents get a lot of relief when they can save a lot of time, effort, and money with the Georgia Prep Test web app
You get access to comprehensive practice sheets for students.
Multiple choice questions engage the students and they’d fall in love with Georgia Test Prep.

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up today for news on the upcoming launch.