It can be just as challenging to receive new students in January or February or even later in the school year.
Here are a few ways Excel Math can help you prepare your students for spring testing:
1. Use the Excel Math Placement Tests.
Excel Math provides FREE Placement Tests to help you determine where your new students should begin in math.
Each Excel Math Placement Test file contains six tests that evaluate a student's preparedness for Excel Math.
The tests are labeled A - F, which correspond to first through sixth grade. Instructions for using the tests are included.
Save the test to your computer and print it for each student.
Download the test (in English or Spanish) from our web store: excelmath.myshopify.com
2. Give Immediate Feedback.
After students turn in an assignment for most classes, they usually have to wait a day or two to find out whether they were on track and did the work correctly.
In that brief amount of time, students can easily forget why they made the mistakes they did. And since they haven't yet discovered where or why those mistakes occurred, they keep making mistakes again and again as they complete their homework.
As a result, the mistakes continue and bad habits begin to form.
With Excel Math, students get immediate feedback so they can easily correct their mistakes switch gears and start tackling math problems correctly.
As a result, students are encouraged to solve the problems, show their work, check their answers, and then go back and fix any errors they've made.
Students don't have wait until the next day to find out which problems they've missed. Read more in our previous post.
Excel Math is designed to be flexible! You may find there is more material each week than you can use, especially if you count in field trips and school holidays.
Use your own judgment to work through the lessons in their entirety or move quickly through a few days of lessons if your class is comfortable with the concepts.
On those days, let your students spend more time on the Guided Practice portion so they can review a number of different concepts.
Students who finish quickly can tackle the Stretch problem (brainteaser) in the Teacher Edition or continue with Basic Fact Practice.
We do not recommend jumping around the lessons in a different order, as all the lessons build upon one another.Download additional Classroom Suggestions here.
4. Use the Test Tables for Assessment.
Excel Math tests are cumulative. There is a test after every five lessons in Grades 1 - 6.
The test tables located in the Teacher Edition indicate the concept covered by each test question and the lesson numbers where each concept was taught.
After your students complete each test, use the tables to see where they need more review and practice.
Use the Score Distribution Charts to see if the class as a whole would benefit from reviewing some concepts together.
If you begin using Excel Math mid-year, be sure to download our Strategies for Mid-Year Success.
This step-by-step guide will help you and your class get off to a running start with Excel Math.
Try these easy-to-follow strategies from experienced educators designed to help you build student success in math.
Also visit our website for lots of free resources and teacher helps: www.excelmath.com
6. If you have questions, we are just a phone call away.
Call us at 1-866-866-7513 Monday - Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (West Coast time) and a friendly person will be glad to start you on the road to success using Excel Math!
You may also like these articles:
A Crossword a Day . . .
It's Super Moon!
Happy 40th Anniversary, Excel Math!Happy 40th Anniversary, Excel Math!
Take a Hike