Preparation for Middle School Math Placement Test Seminar

Title:               Preparation for Middle School Math Placement Test

Presenter:      Dr. Jiayuan Fang, Founder & CEO, Afficient Academy

Where:           Afficient Academy Learning Center

                      19690 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino, CA 95014

Date:              Sunday, Jan 19, 2020

Time:             2:30 pm - 3:15 pm: Presentation by Dr. Jiayuan Fang

                       2:30 pm- 4:30 pm: Student Diagnostic Tests

Diagnostic Test: Each student takes about 20-60 minutes to complete the test. During and after the test, parents can discuss Afficient Academy’s programs, student’s test results, and student's study plans with Afficient Academy teachers who will stay on the site till 6:00 pm. If you are currently enrolled in Afficient Academy's math program, you do not need to take the Diagnostic Test!

Abstract

Most public schools have multiple math tracks starting from the 6th grade. The math placement test usually takes place in the second semester of grade 5 and 6. The outcome of the placement test determines whether a student enters a fast, a middle, or a slow math track as the student enrolls in the following semester. 

The impact of this math placement test is not just for one year in the middle school, but rather can determine the student’s entire math pathway in middle and high schools, including whether the student has AP-Calculus results available when the student applies for colleges in 12th grade. 

Many parents are not aware of the impacts of the math placement test until the placements of their children are determined or even later. This can leave their children unprepared and resulted in an undesirable outcome that has lasting impacts on their children. 

This seminar gives an introduction to middle school math placement tests in nearby school districts. The impacts of the math placement test will be illustrated. The format and style of some popular placement tests (including MARS Performance Tasks, NWEA computer adaptive test, etc.) will be explained. 

The significance of the placement tests necessitates a serious preparation of the tests. To achieve a high score of MARS Performance Task test, students need to deeply understand grade-level materials, able to convert word descriptions to mathematical models, solve the problems mathematically, and very importantly, clearly explain how they figure the problems out. 

To gain competitive advantage and stand out in a cross-grade computer-adaptive NWEA test, one not only needs to be proficient in current grade-level materials but also be able to move the test towards upper-grade content. 

Afficient Academy’s AI-based adaptive math program together with Learning Center teacher supervision has been proven to be very effective to help students build a solid foundation and advance to advanced levels efficiently. In the past several years, Afficient Academy has helped many students significantly enhance their math skills and be successful in their placement tests. 

Math placement tests usually take place in the month of March and April. It is important to start preparing for the placement test as early as possible. Depending on each individual’s situation, each student may need a personalized plan to bring the skills of previous and current grade materials to a proficient level, then learn and master higher grades as much as possible. In addition to our Afficient Math program, we will offer focused classes on preparing paper-and-pencil style MARS test, to specifically train students to build up mathematical models from word descriptions and explain their solutions in writing. 

Parents of 5th and 6th graders are especially welcome to attend this seminar. Please register to save your seat.