What makes a Mathnasium assessment unique from others, and why is it so important and so valuable?
Our assessments are more than just a test! It is a process designed to help us pinpoint exactly where your child’s math knowledge ends, so we can find the best place for us to begin.
Q: Do you assess my kid at their grade level?
A: Maybe! We start out any assessment with a conversation with your student to figure out where it makes sense to start. This may not be in alignment with a student’s grade level, because their skills may not be in alignment with their grade level. This is often the case if it’s not the first year your student has struggled. We don’t necessarily want to assess your kid at their grade level if they have surpassed their peers and need a bigger challenge.
Q: My kid hates tests or tests make them anxious. Is this really going to work?
A: We know math can be a challenge for many kids, beyond just the content. Math has the power to make a kid nervous or upset in a way that a lot of other subjects just don’t. We have a lot of experience with kids who come in our door hating math, and we can usually convince them it’s not the worst, and can even be fun if you let it! A huge part of the frustration and fear students feel with math has to do with working above their skill level. We will be giving them questions they are capable of answering, and like magic you can see their demeanor change and confidence grow. It’s okay to not know how to do something in math! We are also all capable of figuring it out with compassion and good foundations.
Q: How is this different from any other test? We already know that my kid is struggling/is great in math and can bring their school work and testing results to show you.
A: Great! Bring along whatever you have! It’s all good information to help customize your child’s plan for success. We’ll still need to do our assessment to make sure that we are getting a full understanding of where your child stands. This often means digging deeper than grades and check-in results. If your kid is missing questions, sloppy or skipping around, do they really not know how to answer? Or do they just need a little nudge or reassurance to get started? Do they rush because they are bored? Is there a deeper misconception of how something works?
We’ll get to the bottom of it! When the assessment is completed we will have a very detailed picture of where your child’s skills are, down to whether or not they can only go from 2/4 to 1/2, but not from 1/2 to 2/4. It happens more than you think! And it has huge impacts on a student's abilities to use and extend the knowledge that they have. We use the assessment to develop your child’s completely individualized learning plan, to help them to build off of the skills they already have, and grow in their understanding of math.
Q: What comes next?
A: If you want to learn more about our assessment process, give us a call, or to get an assesmment scheduled for your child, you can Schedule a Free Assessment Today!
