More and more parents in America are expressing frustration over mathematic achievement standards. We are reminded almost weekly that our children rank lower on standardized tests than last year’s students. Or lower than students from many other countries. This trend has been underway for years. Social media accounts abound with posts exemplifying confusion about today’s teaching concepts and models, including the example below from a 3rd grade student assignment. The issue here is that … [Read more...]
GPA More Important than SAT for Success
In the Spring of 2016, the SATs creator, the College Board, will release the revised SAT together with revised scoring mechanics. The intent of this revision is to make the test more aligned with the course work encountered by our students in their everyday high school, and to eliminate test tricks. The revised test will no longer penalize students for choosing incorrect answers. Currently, students’ grades and the academic rigor of their courses weighs more heavily in college admissions … [Read more...]
Information versus Knowledge
As a parent, perhaps you have come to that point where you realize that your child needs extra help with one or more classroom subjects. Perhaps one area that needs attention is mathematics. As you explore ways to best help your child, you begin to focus on the distinction between information and knowledge. Recently, a New York Times article1 addressed this distinction and concluded that our schools need to change from merely “downloading content into students’ minds” and focus more on … [Read more...]
A Customized Path for Your Child’s Success
Welcome to the Hometown Learning Centers blog and news section! Here we will be frequently posting periodic articles, news items, event information and more. We welcome your comments, ideas and feedback. Our goal for every student who crosses the Hometown Learning Centers threshold is: To see them have that transforming “lightbulb” moment To help them experience the exhilarating sense of accomplishment To increase their confidence To help them develop the tools they need for future … [Read more...]