Options. Enrichment. Opportunities. Advancement. Like all parents, I want the very best education for my kids. I’m fortunate to live in the county where the school system is on the rise academically. About 5 years ago, our school district surpassed a neighboring county’s test scores. This change was monumental for our county.
If you know anything about education, you won’t be surprised that the list of top schools in this country is based on the all-important test scores in reading and math. In order for students to score well on these tests, students need to have the have a strong grip on the fundamentals of reading and math that are the foundation for all subject areas. Without knowing how to read with a critical eye, a child will not be able to comprehend a historical document or follow a recipe. The same is true for math. Learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide is necessary before embarking on higher level math classes in geometry, algebra, and trigonometry.
Parents with middle and high schoolers know how critical math is to current and future education, as well as career opportunities. I read an interesting quote from Sylvan while preparing to write this review:
A critical gateway subject, algebra is the foundation for higher-level mathematics and science courses in high-school, which in turn can open doors for college and lead to better careers and lifetime earning potential.
According to Sylvan, American students are failing algebra at an “alarming rate.” Algebra is a foundation course that is critical for your child’s future school success. Tweens and teens with low algebra skills could encounter difficulties with the ACT and SAT standardized tests.
Do you have a 7th or 8th or 9th grader who is about to or taking algebra this school year? Sylvan in partnership with Let’s Go Learn is offering a FREE 21-question Algebra Readiness Check-up. I was asked to review a site that will assess your child’s readiness for algebra.
After finding out that I needed to review the math site — Fit 4 Algebra — I enlisted my daughter’s help. I needed her expertise on the finer points of algebra. Over the years, I have forgotten quite a bit of the algebra I was taught in school. She was willing to do the screener for me as she is taking algebra this year. The screener, given to me by Sylvan Learning, is a tool that evaluates your child’s knowledge of algebra.
The process for accessing the algebra diagnostic test was straightforward. I set up an account on LetsGoLearn.com for our family using my email address. I chose a password that I shared with my children. I have one child who has completed Algebra 1, one child who is taking the class, and one who will take the class in a few years. I added all 3 children to our family account.
After my daughter completed the Fit4Algebra diagnostic tool — which took her about 15-20 minutes — I asked her what she thought about Fit4Algebra by Sylvan. Here’s what she said:
- She answered all the questions on the Fit4Algebra site, but she was able to use scratch paper to work out her answers. Her math teacher always require that students hand in their scratch paper to see how they solved the problem.
- She liked she would be getting a reward for reviewing this site.
- She liked that the site helped her work out algebra problems.
Once she completed the Fit4Algebra Algebra Readiness Check-up I hopped on to the site to access the results of her check-up. The Results page showed her school grade level, for instance, 7.1 , 8.4. By clicking on “Results,” I was able to see my daughter’s algebra readiness level.
The Fit4Algebra “AlgebraMeter” listed not only her overall fitness level, but broke down her algebra readiness by topic areas showing whether her grasp of the material was STRONG, MODERATE, or whether she needed to BUILD her skills:
- decimal operations
- comparing and converting
- fractions
- ratios and proportions
- coordinate graphing
- geometry
- integers
I would highly recommend using the Fit4Algebra Readiness Checkup with your middle and high school children. Since the test is only 15-20 minutes, students shouldn’t be averse to doing the screening.
I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Sylvan Learning and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.
