Resource unpacks meaning of Common Core aligned scores;
helps parents support kids’ learning

SAN FRANCISCO (December 7th, 2015) — GreatSchools, a national nonprofit helping parents guide their kids to successful futures, and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) announced today their new collaboration to assist parents in supporting their kids’ learning by unpacking PARCC test scores through the new GreatKids Test Guide for Parents.

“At GreatSchools, we know parents simply want to understand what the test scores mean and how they can use that information to guide their children to academic success,” said Bill Jackson, CEO and founder of GreatSchools. “Our guide breaks down the scores in a way that is easy to understand and provides concrete tips so teachers and parents can work together to support their children.”

Twenty math and English Language Arts (ELA) teachers from states using Common Core aligned assessments were part of the development process behind the GreatKids Test Guide for parents. Through the lens of their experiences in the classroom, they provided insight into what supports parents need to make the best use of their child’s test results to improve their academic growth. These teachers included members of the PARCC Educator Leader Cadres, teacher fellows from America Achieves, and teachers affiliated with Educators for Excellence.

“The PARCC Tool is a fantastic resource for any parent interested in specific suggestions to support their student’s progress towards college and career readiness at home,” said Jessica Moore, elementary English Language Arts teacher and one of the twenty teacher leaders who gave feedback on the Test Guide. “The Standards are unpacked in a way that ensures the information reads like a conversation between parent and teacher, with accessible suggestions for questions, activities and resources that can be used to help children be successful at home and at school.”

GreatSchools developed the Test Guide as a roadmap for parents. The Guide explains, in plain English and Spanish, what students are expected to learn in grades 3-8 and how the PARCC test assesses student learning. It explains what knowledge and skills are needed for each area of the test and which parts are especially tough for kids; and it offers easy ways to boost a child’s skills at home. The guide breaks down PARCC test scores in a way that is easy to communicate, interpret and understand so teachers and parents can collaborate to ensure children’s success.

The Guide — which has also been created for parents with kids in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) states — will support parents in states using PARCC, including: Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio and Rhode Island.

About GreatSchools 

Founded in 1998, GreatSchools is a national nonpartisan nonprofit helping millions of parents find quality schools, support great learning and guide their kids to great futures. GreatSchools offers thousands of articles, videos and worksheets to help parents support their children’s learning. Last year, more than 59 million unique visitors accessed the GreatSchools website including more than half of all U.S. families with school-age children. Headquartered in Oakland, California, GreatSchools partners with cities and states across the country. Through its GreatKids initiatives, GreatSchools promotes teacher-parent collaboration and supports parenting for education success.

About PARCC

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers is a group of states working together to develop a set of mathematics and English language arts assessments that measure whether students are on track to be successful in the next grade and, ultimately, in college and their careers. These assessments were designed from the ground up by educators to be different than previous state tests and to evaluate not only knowledge, but also important skills like critical thinking, problem solving and effective communications. The assessments provide critical information about whether students are on track in their learning and for success after high school, and tools to help teachers customize teaching and learning to meet student needs.

Tool to Explain Test Results & Provide Learning Tips to Parents Released by National Non-profit Education Organization

September 9, 2015 — Oakland, CA — With today’s release of California state test scores tied to Common Core State Standards, GreatSchools, a national nonprofit helping millions of parents support learning, launches the GreatKids California State Test Guide for Parents, an innovative tool designed to help parents and teachers understand the new scores and use them to support kids’ learning.

“The GreatKids Test Guide for Parents will help California parents and teachers bolster their children’s learning,” said Alyson Brauning, Vacaville Teachers Association Vice-President, middle school teacher and parent of a 6^th and 11^th grader. Sam Blanco III, member of Woodland, CA’s Joint Unified School District school board and father of 7th and 11th graders said, “It’s so very important for me as a school board member and parent to understand not only what these scores mean for our kids, but how we can use them to help them master school curriculum.”

California is part of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), which has developed new tests tied to the Common Core State Standards. Today, the California Department of Education releases statewide scores from the SBAC tests taken by California schoolchildren last spring. Over the next few weeks, parents in the state will be receiving their own children’s results on the tests. Parents are likely to have many questions, including: What was my child being tested on? If my child did not meet a standard, why not? And perhaps most important: How can I use these test results to help my child do better in school?

“We aim to support California parents and teachers by breaking down what these scores mean for their kids and helping them support their children in school,” said Bill Jackson, CEO and founder of GreatSchools. “Parents might wonder how to respond when receiving their children’s results,” continued Jackson. “Our guide demystifies the scores so teachers can explain them to parents and parents can discover simple, powerful ways they can support their children’s academic success.”

Created in collaboration with assessment designers, teachers, parents and community organizations, the GreatKids California State Test Guide for Parents is designed to answer these questions and more. Guide content was informed by best practices in parenting for education success and has been carefully vetted by education experts.

To use and/or share the guide, go to CaliforniaTestGuide.org.

About GreatSchools

Founded in 1998, GreatSchools is a national nonpartisan nonprofit helping millions of parents find quality schools, support great learning and guide their kids to great futures. GreatSchools offers thousands of articles, videos and worksheets to help parents support their children’s learning. Last year, more than 59 million unique visitors accessed the GreatSchools website including more than half of all U.S. families with school-age children. Headquartered in Oakland, California, GreatSchools partners with cities and states across the country. Through its GreatKids initiatives, GreatSchools promotes teacher-parent collaboration and supports parenting for education success.

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GreatSchools Partners with Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
to Create Social Emotional Learning Tools for Parents, Children

OAKLAND, CA — June 23, 2015 — GreatSchools, a national nonprofit that helps millions of parents guide their kids to great futures announced today in collaboration with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, the launch a new set of tools called “Emotional Smarts.” These tools will help parents help their children develop emotional intelligence, build character, and shape valuable life skills such as independence, resilience, confidence, gratitude, courage, empathy, and grit.

Research shows that students with higher levels of emotional intelligence are more engaged in the classroom, and do better academically. They are also most likely to find success later in life in the workplace and at home.

“Every year at GreatSchools, we help millions of parents who want to guide their child’s success in life,” said Bill Jackson, CEO and founder of GreatSchools. “We support parents through every stage of their child’s education — whether it’s finding the right school for their child, demystifying national education trends and policy, or surfacing new ways for parents to engage in their child’s learning. This new partnership with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence is designed to translate cutting-edge research into practical steps that parents can take to help support their child’s social and emotional learning.”

Based on research conducted at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, home to the original scientific theory of emotional intelligence, the new content and tools that will help parents teach their children how to resolve conflicts, foster positive relationships and build emotional intelligence.

“The sustainability of a strong society requires each of us to use our emotions intelligently.  Research in the area of social emotional learning has shown us that the skills of emotional intelligence impact a person’s ability to thrive personally and academically,” said Dr. Marc Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. “The valuable content created through this project will support families in equipping their children with the skills of emotional intelligence they need to succeed in all aspects of their lives, in and out of school.”

The end result of this collaboration is a series of social, emotional learning tools including articles, videos and features, hosted on GreatSchools.org to help parents facing challenges such as homework battles, sibling rivalry, discipline, friendships, bullying and competition.

Among the tools you will find at GreatSchools.org are:

• Through a child’s eyes — A series of videos that help parents see issues like homework, friendships and sibling rivalry from their child’s perspective.
• Do you feel me? —  A game that helps children understand and recognize emotions by allowing them to guess the “feeling word” they are watching in a series of videos.
• Emotional toolbox — Videos, articles and expert advice on parenting challenges and building character in your child.
• Yale Center For Emotional Intelligence tools — Tools to help your family resolve conflicts, foster parent relationships, and build children’s emotional intelligence.
• Mad-Sad-Glad Libs — Explore “feeling words” in a fun way!

About GreatSchools:

Founded in 1998, GreatSchools is a national nonpartisan nonprofit that helps millions of parents find great schools, support great learning, and guide their kids to great futures.

The Webby award-winning website, GreatSchools.org, is the nation’s leading guide to preK-12 schools, with profiles of about 200,000 public and private schools and more than one million ratings and reviews by parents, teachers, and students.  In addition, GreatSchools offers thousands of articles, videos, and worksheets to help parents support their children’s learning.  Last year, GreatSchools had more than 59 million unique visitors, including more than half of all U.S. families with school-age children.  Headquartered in Oakland, California, GreatSchools partners with cities and states across the country.

About The Yale Center For Emotional Intelligence: 

The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, co-founded by Dr. Marc Brackett, is home to the original scientific theory of emotional intelligence. The Center conducts research on emotions and the role of emotional intelligence in important life outcomes. The Center also develops innovative approaches to teaching emotional intelligence in school systems and other organizations, and studies the influence of emotional intelligence training on student, teacher, and leader effectiveness. RULER, the Center’s signature approach to teaching emotional intelligence has been adopted by hundreds of public and private schools across the United States, including, most recently large districts such as Bridgeport, CT and Seattle, WA. RULER has been shown to enhance teacher effectiveness, reduce problem behavior, positively shift school climate, and boost academic performance. The Center also works with Facebook on efforts related to both preventing and reducing bullying and state level departments of education and justice to promote the adoption of evidence-based approaches to social and emotional learning.

CONTACT:

GreatSchools
Steve Padilla, Director of Communications
spadilla@greatschools.org
707-330-6559

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