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The Eufaula Indian Journal

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 Henryetta Free-Lance

Jun
14
Smarter Snails and
2019 Academic Standards
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 ing time with a parent. Slightly older
A004 CEO of Alpha Plus
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60% By now, you’ve likely read your
child’s OSTP results. You have the
scores, and you know, generally, how
your child did on the test.
So what’s next?
With May’s chaos now in the rear
view mirror, it can be tempting to
slide into summer nice and slow.
Parents and kids should certainly
enjoy the lazy days of summer. But
smart parents know that maintaining
even the steady, seemingly nonpro-
ductive pace of a snail is still progress
when it comes to academic endeav-
ors.
Smart snails … er… parents …. are
looking ahead at their child’s academ-
ic standards for the next school year.
These standards are readily avail-
able on the Oklahoma State
Department of Education’s web-
site.  Oklahoma’s standards are bro-
ken down by grade level, subject and
specific objective.
For example, if you have a child
entering the third grade, you can find
the entire list of third grade math
objectives in one place.
Once you’ve identified the objec-
tives for your child, it’s time to get to
work.
Setting aside a small window of
time for academics each day can help
your child develop a study habit that
will last a lifetime.
Most kids should focus on reading
and math.
Reading is easiest – young children
need at least 20 minutes a day of read-
Property of OPS News Tracker and members of the Oklahoma Press Association.
children can read by themselves, but
parents should ask for a play-by-play
of what the child read each day.
Math is a somewhat different story.
There comes a time in every child’s
academic life when parents start
struggling to be of much help on
homework - particularly when it
comes to math. Luckily online study
options are plentiful and many times,
free.
Khan Academy is a nonprofit dedi-
cated to helping students meet aca-
demic standards. Simply create an
account for your child, enter their
grade level and choose from a list of
subjects you’d like your child to
study.
In addition to Khan’s free online
course, videos on specific standards
are available on YouTube, so your
child can learn new techniques simply
by watching a video.Moms and dads
can watch too, so there are new skills
to be learned for the whole family.
With just a little work, parents can
help their children put basic building
blocks in place for the next school
year. Spending just 30 minutes a day
can make all the difference in a
child’s academic life.
While a sudden stop to schoolwork
can certainly be tempting in the sum-
mer, inching forward at even a snail’s
pace can help students in their race to
the top. You don’t have to be a chee-
tah to win. Summer is meant to be
savored, after all. But a slow, steady
summer study habit just might make
the next academic year go a little
smoother. And wouldn’t that be nice?