April is here and so is the Georgia Milestones: a comprehensive, summative assessment for students in grades 3-12. The Georgia Milestones took the place of the CRCT exams that parents were used to seeing, and is a test designed to measure how well students have learned state-adopted curricula.
It’s a huge, daunting test that begs the question: how do you beat it? The best way to prepare for the test is to devote time to areas your child is struggling in! Our teachers know your child’s areas of weakness, and we diligently work to strengthen them at our centers. Most parents know their child’s weaknesses, too. Parents can work on these areas at home for an added boost to their child’s skill level and confidence. Does your child struggle to read fluently? Practice reading aloud every day. Is your child a poor writer? Practice typing and writing skills with them at home.
Alongside this personalized remediation, it is important for students to be able to digest comprehensive texts and draw meaning from them in Discussion Based Questions (often called DBQs for short). This is no easy task and is what our teachers specialize in (as it often involves a very complex set of ingredients to manage: reading comprehension, reading fluency, writing structure, and critical thinking skills). That’s not just for English, either! Students who are able to answer DBQs often do better on the other academic sections of the test because they are able to justify their answers and reasoning.
With the proper remediation and content skills, the Georgia Milestones will be water under the bridge! It’s never too early to start preparing, but it can be too late to start. Don’t wait! Our teachers are ready to help.