Parents are always curious to know their child's progress academically, both in the classroom and on standardized tests which measure them against other students in the same age group. In school exams like state tests, we see the overall performance of the school, but don't get a good grasp of the individual performance of the student.

Getting straight A's in class is totally different from taking a standardized test. In this competitive world, lot of weight is being given to the standardized tests. Whether that is a right or wrong approach, we can never avoid the tests. There are so many instances where a kid who gets straight A's gets low scores in the standardized tests. It is shocking for parents, who are expecting high scores. There are various reasons for that. Test taking strategy along with preparation, depends on the state of the mind. If the student is under pressure , mistakes can occur even for the questions where the student knows the answer. To be successful on standardized tests, one can make calculated guesses where there is a toss up between a couple of choices. To avoid all of this, parents needs to follow certain practices.

1. Have a long term approach which allows for incremental progress. Results will not come overnight.
2. Which ever grade your student is in currently, evaluate the performance.
3. Building vocabulary is a slow process. Get the child learning one word at a time so there is a feeling of achievement each day.
4. Have the child take a time test once in a while as a way to teach time management and to be comfortable taking timed tests.
5. Every child is equally talented. Hard work and persistence, presented by you in a positive, enjoyable way, will achieve success.

How to improve your child's vocabulary

    Since building vocabulary is a painstaking process, start building vocabulary now, before it is too late. Encourage your child to read books of all kinds, writing down words he or she does not understand. After finishing reading for that day, ask your child to refer to the dictionary to find the meanings of the noted words. Keep your own record of the words, and ask a few days later if your child remembers the meanings of the words.
Making kids read the words starting from A to Z from a dictionary is a boring exercise for them. When it is not interesting, kids will be hard pressed to remember this "rote" learning without context. Learning words should be fun and interesting for them. Looking up words allows your child to understand a story in progrss and gives him or her a sense of independent achievement.
    Our practice quizzes and vocabulary builders will help your child in acquiring good vocabulary.

 

You can try our Vocabulary builder to practice vocabulary. We offer vocabulary practice for all levels.

-