rachsr Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 DD9 has been registered to take the Explore test thru Duke TIP. I was wondering if we needed to prepare for it. If yes what materials do you use and recommend ? He attends a public charter school and is accelerated in Math because of afterschooling. He is not accelerated in Science so I am wondering if he needs some prep for that. Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 You really don't need to prepare beyond making sure she knows how to use a bubble sheet. Here are some sample questions if you want to get a feel for the test: http://www.act.org/explorestudent/tests/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I would practice using a calculator if that's not something your child has been doing on a regular basis. On the advice of some helpful ladies on this forum, I had my DD practice working through some Singapore CWP 6 with the calculator she was taking to the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachsr Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 Thanks ladies. I actually have a DS 9 not DD9 as mentioned in my first post . He hasnt used a calculator for math learning so far so that is a good idea to get him acquainted with it. He is pretty good with bubble sheets considering that they spent a good part of third grade getting ready for standardized testing. He is not at Singapore math CWP 6 yet - he is starting out on CWP5 hopefully he will not shut down during the test if its too hard for him. I should have probably just waited a year before singing him up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 My son took the Explore last January and he was just in Singapore 4 at the time. I wouldn't think you need to wait longer. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 DD was in Singapore 4B when she took the EXPLORE (though she had read through LOF Fractions and LOF Decimals & Percents) and I was surprised by how well she did on the math section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachsr Posted November 20, 2012 Author Share Posted November 20, 2012 Thank you for the encouragement ladies. Much appreciated! This is my anxious one so I am trying to make him feel comfortable about taking this test. I keep repeating that it is going to be very hard and he just needs to do his best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 My son is taking this in January too ,and a question I had is how long is the exam and do they allow snacks or drinks? I think the length of the exam might be an issue for younger kids, no? There are sample Explore questions on their site, and we also downloaded a Scholastic Math and English test booklet from their Dollar Days sale. It is not an Explore specific test, but the questions look similar and it is geared towards 8th graders. If your son would benefit from a little more "prep" that might be worth a look. For my son, he needs to learn that he wont get every single question, nor will every single question be "obvious" to him, like it was on the grade-level tests he has taken, and he needs to be okay with that and be able to move on. For a perfectionist, that can be an issue!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccolopy Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 DS took the Explore test in 4th grade, and apart from getting comfortable with a calculator and a bubble sheet, all he did to prepare was a few sample questions that we found online. Explaining to him that the test was designed for older kids was enough to convince him that it was okay to guess on some questions. According to DS (whose memory is much better than mine about these things) the test is two hours long, not including the break in the middle. DS had an accommodation so that he could have a snack with him during the test, but the other children were only allowed to eat during the break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachsr Posted November 20, 2012 Author Share Posted November 20, 2012 Any kind of prep will be helpful so thank you for the Scholastic suggestion Halcyon. i was planning on having him go thru the sample questions on their website this weekend. Hopefully the format of the questions will be similar.I wouldnt call my DS a perfectionist, he is ok if he makes silly mistakes like not adding up the numbers right but if he cant figure out how to do a problem in the first few minutes he just shuts down saying he can't do it. I am hoping AoPS will help with this attitude . 2 hours is a long test - this will be a good learning experience for him and me :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 2 hours is actually shorter than most of the state tests now, to put it in perspective. In my state, it comes out to about 8-10 timed hours depending on grade level for grades 3-6, given in a week's window (usually in 3 days, with a couple for makeups). I figured out, my last year of teaching, that my 2nd graders were going to be spending more time on the state test than my brother was going to be spending on the VA Bar Exam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I figured out, my last year of teaching, that my 2nd graders were going to be spending more time on the state test than my brother was going to be spending on the VA Bar Exam. Ouch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachsr Posted November 20, 2012 Author Share Posted November 20, 2012 You are right about that dmmetler. Last year in 3rd grade most of the time was spent either testing or preparing the kids for testing. DS had atleast 4 types of tests last year and I remember they spent weeks in school learning how to use the bubble sheet for each test.Our school has great test scores and now I know why! I dont think DS has taken tests that are are over an hour at a time tho so it will be interesting to see how he does on the last section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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