Common Core Test Prep

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - November 2nd, 2013

If your child is faced with an upcoming common core test, you’re undoubtedly interested in common core test prep. Since the common core is a relatively new standardized test, many parents feel confused over how best to help their children prepare. Thankfully, there are many resources available, many of them for free. 

What is the Common Core?

The common core test battery is a series of standardized tests based on the State Standards Initiative. The Initiative is a collaboration of several organizations, notably the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA), along with many educators and academic experts nationwide. The Initiative’s main goal is simple – ensure that graduating high school students are fully prepared for life after high school. The Initiative aims to accomplish this goal by testing several subjects, which have been identified as ‘core’ or central to a thorough education, at each grade level. This yearly testing helps to ensure that if an area of difficulty is identified, it can be tackled early and each student advances through grades only after having learned the curriculum properly.

Common core test prep should focus on the subjects tested. English language arts (ELA) are a main focus of the common core, but not the only focus. Core subjects also include math, history (and social studies where a distinction is made) and science.

How to Help Your Child

Common core test prep can take many forms. You can find free online practice questions, such as the ones at this site. You can also find many reliable and quality ready-made study guides, in both hard-copy and software-based versions. Another option, since the common core tests are based on what your child should have already learned in school, is to use your child’s’ current textbooks. Simply choose pieces of text that offers both ELA questions and fact-based questions.

Before you purchase any study materials, check to determine which of the common core aspects your state has accepted, and be sure to purchase a study guide tailored to your child’s grade and learning level.