Dynamic New Tool Gives Parents a Gut Check of How Prepared their Child is for the New School Year

USA - English

• USA - español

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Learning Heroes announces the launch of its Readiness Check, an innovative, digital tool to help parents and guardians have a better understanding of how well their child has learned foundational skills that they need to succeed in the next grade.

The Readiness Check was designed in response to Learning Heroes' research, which found that nine in ten K-8 parents believe their child performs at or above grade-level in reading and math, despite the reality that a little more than a third of students are achieving at that level, according to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress data. Furthermore, the "summer slide" puts school-aged students at risk of losing up to two months of reading skills and two and a half months of math skills over a single summer.

Available in both English and Spanish, the Readiness Check was designed by leading experts in reading and math specifically for K-8 students and their parents. The student is asked just 3-5 questions in each of the two subject areas, and the tool instantly provides parents with important information about their child's grade-level progress with reading and math skills. The Readiness Check also connects parents to information, videos, and activities to support specific skills at home.

The Readiness Check is made possible with philanthropic support from Carnegie Corporation of New York, and is available at www.bealearninghero.org.

"Learning happens everywhere – at home, in the community, and in the classroom. The Readiness Check is a terrific new tool to help parents get a more complete picture of where their child is on track, and where more attention and focus may be needed," said Bibb Hubbard, founder and president of Learning Heroes. "Aside from a helpful gut check, the Readiness Check provides resources to help build a strong partnership with the child's new teacher."

The Readiness Check is the centerpiece of a robust back to school campaign—in collaboration with Scholastic, National PTA, National Urban League, UnidosUS, and National Summer Learning Association—to help parents start their child's new school year strong. The campaign includes five tips through the Super 5: Back-to-School Power Moves, as well as free, high-quality resources from trusted partners:

1. Get a gut check: Use the Readiness Check to see how prepared your child is for their new grade. Pay attention to how easy or hard it is for your child to do grade-level tasks, and look at the annual state test results from last year. If you haven't received the results yet, ask your child's teacher.
2. Partner up: At your first teacher meeting, bring your child's state test results and ask what they mean for this year. Find out what's expected of your child and how you can help at home. Help the teacher get to know your child by sharing their interests and strengths.  
3. Make learning fun: You are the expert on your child and can make learning exciting. Read together on topics that interest your child. Find math in everyday life and turn it into a game. These small learning moments add up to a lot.
4. Celebrate effort: Help your child see that hard work is what leads to success. Focus on effort and what your child is learning. This will help your child feel less nervous with new tasks or subjects. 
5. Support life skills: Strengths such as communication, problem-solving, and confidence will help your child in school and life. Talk openly with your child about how they feel and how they handle situations, especially tough ones.

About Learning Heroes
Learning Heroes inspires and equips parents with information, resources and opportunities to help support their child's education. Using key insights from qualitative and quantitative research, we empower parents with easy-to-understand parent friendly materials delivered through multiple channels and trusted messengers. To ensure a broad reach, we partner with education, parent, and community and civil rights organizations including National PTA, National Urban League, GreatSchools, UnidosUS, National Summer Learning Association, and others, as well as states and districts. Learning Heroes is a project of the New Venture Fund. For more information, visit www.bealearninghero.org.

SOURCE Learning Heroes