Everything You Need to Know About Your Child’s Math EOGs (And How to Improve Them)

End-of-Grade (EOG) Testing scores have finally been released! So, you might be wondering what these tests really mean for your child’s math abilities and what you can do to help if the scores weren’t as high as you hoped. Keep reading for everything you need to know about your child’s math EOGs, and what you can do now to prepare them for success in math next school year.

Overview of Math EOGs

All 3rd through 8th graders in North Carolina must take the math EOGs at the end of each school year (unless, of course, something like COVID-19 occurs). These tests are designed to measure student performance on the goals, objectives, and grade-level competencies specified in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

Since 2019, students' math test scores are ranked with four levels: Not Proficient, Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5.

• Students who are Not Proficient do not meet the On-Grade-Level Proficiency Standard, nor the Career-and-College Readiness Standard. They demonstrate inconsistent understanding of grade level content standards and will need support.
• Students at Level 3 demonstrate sufficient understanding of grade level content standards, though some support may be needed to engage with content at the next grade/course. While they do meet the On-Grade-Level Proficiency Standard, they do not meet the Career-and-College Readiness Standard.
• Students at Level 4 demonstrate a thorough understanding of grade level content standards and are on track for career and college.
• Students at Level 5 demonstrate comprehensive understanding of grade level content standards, are on track for career and college, and are prepared for advanced content at the next grade/course.

You can read more detailed descriptions of each of the four achievement levels here.

My Child’s Math EOG Scores Were Low. What Do I Do?

If your child’s math EOG scores weren’t up to par this year, they certainly aren’t alone. Countless studies have shown the significant decline in math performance across the nation since the pandemic. And, unfortunately, only 26% of parents feel strongly that traditional schools are providing adequate math learning resources for young students. Now for the good news: there’s plenty of things parents can do to help their child improve their math skills. Keep reading for a few ideas.

Help Your Child Think More Positively About Math

This tip may sound cliche, but it is SUPER important. If your child’s math EOG scores were low, chances are that they have been feeling frustrated with math for a while. These feelings of frustration can quickly lead to negative, self-defeating thoughts surrounding math, and those negative thoughts about math will significantly hinder their ability to learn. After all, our thoughts shape our reality.

So, one of the most significant things you can do is help them to speak and think more positively about math. Always avoid negative statements like, “It’s okay, I was bad at math, too.” Instead, try to help them think more positively. Help them reshape thoughts like “I hate math, I never understand it,” to “It’s okay for things to be tough sometimes. I may not understand this concept yet, but I am smart and will master this concept with a little more practice!”

Play Catch-Up This Summer

Summer is the perfect time to boost your child’s understanding of math. Since there’s no pressure to perform well on upcoming tests or hastily learn a new concept in a short timeframe, your child can take the time they need to develop a solid understanding of the concepts they were struggling with. Plus, with a little help from awesome math tutors, they might not just catch-up, but also get ahead!

There are plenty of great summer math workbooks, online resources, and even https://www.mathnasium.com/burlington/method

Try to Incorporate Math Into Everyday Life

Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities throughout each and every day to help your child exercise their math skills. Have your child help you measure out ingredients while cooking, count out money at the grocery store, create a budget, or group their snacks into 5s during snacktime. The possibilities are endless, it just takes a little creativity.

Another idea is to download our free outdoor math scavenger hunts and have your child complete them every so often.

My Child’s Math EOG Scores Were Level 4 / Level 5. What Do I Do?

First and foremost, celebrate your child for their awesome achievements! They worked hard on those scores and deserve a little celebration. However, a common misconception is that if a child’s math EOG scores were sufficient, this means that there’s nothing that needs to be done over the summer. If you want to keep those math skills intact, here’s what you should do.

Enjoy Your Summer, But Don’t Completely Neglect Those Math Skills

One of the most detrimental things a student can do over the summer is not exercise their math skills. Just like your muscles become weaker when you don’t exercise them, your child’s math skills will become noticeably weaker over the summer if they aren’t exercised, leading to them falling behind at the start of the new school year! Studies show that the average student loses 1 to 3 months of learning over the summer. Don’t let all that hard work go to waste, keep those math skills sharp!

RELATED: 3 Easy Ways to Avoid the Dreaded Summer Slide

Some easy ways to exercise those math skills over the summer are…

• Purchase a math summer workbook
• Incorporate math into everyday life, by cooking together, counting out money at the grocery store, etc.
• Play online math games (