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Smarter Snails and Academic Standards

Alpha Plus News Summer Programs Oklahoma School Report Card News Student Success Tips

Thursday, 13 June 2019

By now, you’ve likely read your child’s OSTP results. You have the scores, and you know, generally, how your child did on the test.

So what’s next?

With May’s chaos now in the rear view mirror, it can be tempting to slide into summer nice and slow. Parents and kids should certainly enjoy the lazy days of summer. But smart parents know that maintaining even the steady, seemingly nonproductive pace of a snail is still progress when it comes to academic endeavors.

Smart snails … er… parents …. are looking ahead at their child’s academic standards for the next school year.

These standards are readily available on the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s website. Oklahoma’s standards are broken down by grade level, subject and specific objective.

For example, if you have a child entering the third grade, you can find the entire list of third grade math objectives in one place.

Simply click this link, and scroll down to find your child’s grade level and the accompanying standards.

Once you’ve identified the objectives for your child, it’s time to get to work.

Setting aside a small window of time for academics each day can help your child develop a study habit that will last a lifetime.

Most kids should focus on reading and math.

Reading is easiest – young children need at least 20 minutes a day of reading time with a parent. Slightly older children can read by themselves, but parents should ask for a play-by-play of what the child read each day.

Math is a somewhat different story.

There comes a time in every child’s academic life when parents start struggling to be of much help on homework - particularly when it comes to math. Luckily online study options are plentiful and many times, free.

Khan Academy is a nonprofit dedicated to helping students meet academic standards. Simply create an account for your child, enter their grade level and choose from a list of subjects you’d like your child to study.

In addition to Khan’s free online course, videos on specific standards are available on YouTube, so your child can learn new techniques simply by watching a video. Moms and dads can watch too, so there are new skills to be learned for the whole family. Click here to learn more about Khan.

With just a little work, parents can help their children put basic building blocks in place for the next school year. Spending just 30 minutes a day can make all the difference in a child’s academic life.

While a sudden stop to schoolwork can certainly be tempting in the summer, inching forward at even a snail’s pace can help students in their race to the top. You don’t have to be a cheetah to win. Summer is meant to be savored, after all. But a slow, steady summer study habit just might make the next academic year go a little smoother. And wouldn’t that be nice?

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Smarter Snails and Academic Standards