According to the latest PISA test, the United States ranked below 36th out of 70 countries where students were scored on their proficiency in math, showing no signs of improvement from previous international assessments despite the country funnelling funding into mathematics education. It’s especially troubling to see American children consistently ranking below average when compared with other developed nations. Looking inward, there is also great disparity between state scores; Alabama’s performance has been particularly disheartening, unable to meet the intermediate benchmark and falling behind countries like Kazakhstan. Neighbouring states of Oklahoma, Mississippi and Tennessee also saw a drop.
Parents and teachers alike must start playing a more active role in helping children living and studying in these areas to meet basic targets of academic expectation. It will not do to wait until the next state-wide, national, or global assessment before administering strategies for success on ground level – in the home and in the classroom. The key to alleviating any learning issues is to detect them early on; this way educators know where to focus their attention and have time to research the best methods for intervention.
In recent years, school boards that have witnessed a decline in academic performance have adopted a long-term approach to assessment, utilizing software and applications developed to track students’ progress regularly. These programs enable teachers to catch what their students struggle with in the moment, before an exam or even something as short as a chapter quiz is administered. Assessments are designed to be non-threatening, and even fun, changing students’ relationship to math by incorporating games and simulated missions. By utilizing software from Knowledgehook.com teachers also learn how to cater their lesson plans to better reflect the needs and interests of their students without worrying about straying from the curriculum, as many of these tools are designed remain in line with it.
Parents also receive support for their child’s learning when they’re invited to connect with the apps schools are introducing into their classrooms, giving them the opportunity to get more involved. They are provided with at-home tips for helping their child and they don’t require extensive math skills on their part. Parents receive individualized reports, so they themselves may track their child’s progress in the classroom too. Before any kind of official assessment, they may also access study guides and tutorials with their child to ensure he or she is adequately prepared.
Many American students are struggling with math, especially in the deep south, and with the nation failing to meet its own standards for academic excellence, it’s time for those closest to the children — their teachers and parents — to take a more active interest. By engaging an educational app, teachers and parents can keep better track of how a child is doing on a day-to-day basis, bringing attention to problems as they arise, and better-preparing kids academically as they move from grade to grade, and as the subject becomes increasingly more challenging.
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