How to Check Your Child's Math and Reading Skills at Home

As a working mom of a kindergartener and toddler, I’m often reminded of my experiences as a teacher in the South Bronx. Sometimes it’s a memory spurred by my daughter reaching a new milestone or overcoming a challenge. Recently, that’s happened a lot as she’s going through the beautiful, but lengthy process of learning to read.

But, in addition to reflecting on what worked and what didn’t for certain students, I think of their parents and families. Did I give them concrete insight into how their child was progressing with important skills? And, more importantly, how they could support those skills at home? The answer is I tried my best, but with 25 students and a packed schedule, I wish I would have had more tools to spark two-way communication between me and my students’ families.

As parents, we are the experts on our children — we know their strengths, challenges, and motivations. As teachers, we need this important insight in order to connect more effectively with students and what they need, right from the start of the year.

When we have a more accurate picture of our child’s progress, we can best support learning at home, and help the teacher best connect with our child. To help bridge this “perception gap,” Learning Heroes partnered with leading experts in math and reading to create the Readiness Check, a new — and free — interactive tool that helps kindergarten through 8th grade parents see how their child is progressing with foundational skills needed to succeed this year.

How does the Readiness Check work?

Go to the Readiness Check website on your phone, tablet, or computer. Choose your child’s grade and which skills you want to review, either reading or math. Your child then answers a few game-like questions (available in both English and Spanish).

As part of the results, you’ll get opportunities to work on your child’s math and reading skills at home through fun free activities, videos, and more. You’ll also get tips about turning everyday life into math and reading moments.

Additionally, you can share (email or print) your child’s Readiness Check results with your child’s teacher to get support right from the start.

As the experts on our children, parents are learning heroes and play a critical role in supporting life skills to ensure their happiness and success. Strengths such as communication, problem-solving, and confidence will help your child in and out of school.

source:https://www.pbs.org/