Sponsored by Mathnasium of Southlake
By Meredith Jones, Center Director Mathnasium of Southlake
April and May used to be two of mybrfavorite months when I was in school. Classes were coming to an end and mybrfriends and I were already making plans for a fun summer break. Unfortunately,brApril and May are now two of the scariest months to many students due to STAARbrtesting and the potential for a summer-school boot camp. STAAR is the state'sbrstudent testing program and is more rigorous than previous state tests. Thebrmajority of new STAAR assessments test material students learn in their currentbryear of school. In contrast, TAKS high-school level tests were required by lawbrto test content studied over several previous years. Also, for the first time since the statebrbegan its standardized testing program, the STAAR tests have a time limit.brUnless a student is eligible for an accommodation, each student has four hoursbrto complete each assessment.
One of the biggest complaints we hear isbrhow scared students are of the STAAR test and how they feel like they havebrfailed before they have even started. An enormous amount of pressure is beingbrplaced on our students to perform well. Larry Martinek, the creator ofbrMathnasium, describes the scenario well: Thebrbell rings and everyone takes their seats. The teacher passes out the test and,brwith sharpened pencils, everyone prepares to turn the page and begin. Thebrstudent next to you flips open the first page and seems to begin answeringbrquestions with ease. Time seems to speed up, nervousness kicks in and you starebrat the first test question but forget how to complete it, even though you'vebrstudied the material over and over. Panic rises and before you know it, thebrhour is done and the test is over, but the innate fear of it all hasn't subsided.brParents, this is what we call “math anxiety.” Numbers on a page not only confuse somebrchildren but also potentially give them full-blown anxiety. This “math anxiety”bris intense and feels similar to stage fright.
Seeing our students feel defeated is notbrwhat we want, but how do we fix this? AtbrMathnasium, we have been preparing students for these types of tests for nearlybr12 years. In many cases, math anxiety comes frombra student's memorization of the correct procedure and routine to solving abrproblem, as opposed to developing a core understanding of the problem. Whenbrthis happens, children quickly forget what they've learned, and anxiety setsbrin. One way to sharpen thesebrskills and avoid math anxiety is through math instruction outside of school. Notbronly do we want our students to be successful in their current grade, but webralso want them to be successful on all standardized tests and future grades. Tobrdo this, we have been taking math anxiety out of the picture and replacing itbrwith “math confidence.” We want the students to be able to understand why mathbrworks the way it works and not simply memorize steps to solving certain typesbrof problems. We are not bound by TEKS and grueling timelines; rather, we allowbrstudents to learn at their own pace, focusing on their weak areas while reinforcingbrtheir strengths.
It is a misconceptionbrthat extra help is only for children falling behind in school. Whether your student is making A's or F's throughoutbrthe school year, this is no guarantee how they will perform on the STAAR. Consistent,bradditional lessons and preparation are not onlybrbeneficial for kids struggling with the material, but they also benefit thosebrstudents who understand the material and want to strive for further concept andbrskill development. We want to see our kids keep up with the expected standards,brnot just try to catch up with daily lessons. Bybrgiving them every opportunity to learn math in a way that makes sense and gainbrconfidence, you will be setting your students up for future success — on STAARbrand in life. Join us at Mathnasium, and make the long-term commitment to takebrmath anxiety out of the picture and help your student become a SuperSTAAR!
For more information on Mathnasium and our curriculum, please visit our website at Mathnasium of Southlake, call (817) 421-1900 or drop by the center at 1251 E. Southlake Blvd., Suite 305 and see how we make learning fun.