What is Algebra Readiness Testing?

Algebra Readiness  Test is given to eligible students in elementary school or middle school to test their ability to take more challenging mathematics coursework. Algebra Readiness  Test (a.k.a  Iowa Algebra Readiness Assessment,IARA in Iowa) is given to students who have scored high in NWEA/MAP testing, and  in state administered standardized tests like Iowa Assessments. IARA can be given to students as early as 4th grade or 5th grade (depending on the school district) to eligible students to place the them in secondary mathematics curriculum.

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Back to School: What to expect this year (academic milestones for each grade)

It’s back to school time! Hope everyone enjoyed their summer. I am ready for the kids to go back to school and get back to a regular routine.

You will find many websites with information on physical, cognitive and social milestones for a child’s growth.  But it is not easy to find information on what to expect in each grade in school as far as academics goes. Before the kids head back to school, here is an overview of what to expect in the year ahead from what I have learned over the years.

Summer Learning opportunities for High Schoolers

Here are some summer programs to keep your high schoolers busy and challenged this summer.

Challenge Math Summer registration is now open!

Challenge Math is a great way to prevent summer learning loss of math skills for children in grades 2-6.  It is a very inexpensive way of brushing up your child’s math problem solving skills during summer. It takes very little time commitment and has flexible schedule. Check out their website.

https://www.noetic-learning.com/gifted/index.jsp

Read more about Challenge Math on my previous post here.

ISU’s OPPTAG

ISU’s OPPTAG Summer Camps are open!

The applications for the summer camps at the Iowa State University’s OPPTAG, a program for the Talented and Gifted children from grades 3 through 11 are now open. It opened today, March 1st and a couple of the math camps are already full by the end of the day. Please check the eligibility requirements for each groups before you apply.

You can find more information on their website here. These camps are on the expensive side like most other college camps as I mentioned in my post for Belin Blank at the University of Iowa. Read here for similar programs in other states.

I do not have personal experiences or opinions to share about the OPPTAG camps. Both my children haven’t had a chance to attend them yet. So if you have any experiences to share about this camp or any other college camps, please leave a comment below or  you can reach me at smithas2centsworth@gmail.com .

Standardized tests in public schools

Many of the students who attend public schools in Iowa took Iowa Assessments (formerly known as ITBS) a couple of weeks back. If you have a third grader, this is the first time they took a standardized test administered by the state. Any test in which the same test is given in the same manner to all test takers, and graded in the same manner for everyone, is a standardized test.

Homework – Part 2, Math Resources

In my previous post Homework – Part 1 , I had mentioned that parents need a lot of resources to help their children with homework and in this post I am trying to share some math resources.

Review of Challenge Math Online at Noetic Learning

The Challenge Math is an online program offered by Noetic Learning. It is a very  inexpensive way of receiving math problems for a specific grade level on a weekly basis. They offer 3 sessions, one in fall, one in spring and one in summer.  The weekly assignments consist of 5 timed problems. It’s a good mix of problems touching topics like geometry, algebra, probability etc appropriate for the grade level. On an average the time commitment is 10-20 min per week.  They have provided some samples questions on their website to try out before you register.