California Department of Education

California Department of Education
Information about the test, sample test questions, and how to use the information.

READING HELP

  1. The Compact for Reading Guide is a user-friendly handbook designed to walk your family-school compact team through the steps of building and implementing a Compact for Reading. It provides information, strategies, examples, and checklists to help parents, educators, and community members develop effective, workable compacts that can improve your school, increase family involvement, and increase student skills and achievement in reading.

  2. Early Childhood Activity Calendar - filled with helpful tips and special activities that promote reading and language skills for young children. Calendar sheets for June 1998 to May 1999. Calendar may be old but activities are still fresh!

  3. Family Times - Scott Foresman says that you are your child's first and best teacher. To help you, they provide activity sheets which you can print for use at home. Kindergarten | First Grade | Second Grade | Third Grade | Fourth Grade | Fifth Grade | Sixth Grade

  4. Helping children learn about reading - from the National Association for the Education of Young Children

  5. Helping your child learn to read - A parent's guide

  6. Helping Children with Learning Disabilities to Succeed - Learning To Read/Reading To Learn

  7. Is your child ready for Kindergarten? - The Get Ready to Read! Screening Tool - sample question and 20 items. Each item is a set of four pictures and a question. Read the question aloud while your child looks at the pictures. Your child answers by pointing to or clicking on one of the 4 pictures and then clicking the Next button. When you've finished all 20 items, the screener will be scored automatically.

  8. Literacy and numeracy tip sheets for parents - suggestions from the Peel school district in Ontario, Canada

  9. Parental Involvement - 100 School-Home Links activities for the kindergarten level. The activities are organized by reading and literacy skills appropriate to this grade. Under each specific skill, there are varying numbers of activities to help children develop their ability to read and write. From the U.S. Department of Education. (for first grade parents) (for second grade parents) (for third grade parents)

  10. National Center for Family Literacy - Literacy is a legacy that can be passed from parent to child. But the barriers associated with low literacy - poverty, unemployment, low self-esteem, school failure - are also handed down from generation to generation. Children whose parents lack basic literacy skills often grow up to face similar challenges, perpetuating a cycle of disadvantage.

  11. Parents helping children learn to read (tips provided by Irvine Unified School District in California)

    1. Tips for Reading to Your Child

    2. Phrases that Encourage

    3. Questions that Encourage Conversation about Reading

    4. Concepts about Print

    5. Phonemic Awareness Activities For 4-5-6 Year Olds

    6. Phonemic Awareness Activities For 6-7 Year Olds

    7. Bibliography: K-3 Phonemic Awareness

    8. Ten Tips: Helping Your Child Read Effectively

    9. Breaking the Sound-It-Out Barrier

    10. Reading Tips for Parents, Primary Caregivers, and Educators

  12. Simple Things You Can Do To Help All Children Read Well and Independently by the End of the Third Grade.

  13. Tutor Training Activities [from NWREL] - Parents, consider yourselves tutors and look at some of the activities that the North West Regional Educational Laboratory suggests.

MATHEMATICS HELP

  1. Advice for Parents - from Math.com

  2. Cool Math for Parents has some suggestions for helping with homework and suggestions to help little ones get ready for Kindergarten.

  3. Drilling Multiplication Tables of 2, 3, 10, and 5 - teaching guide from HomeschoolMath

  4. FunBrain - [this link opens on a new page] links to many math games

  5. Helping Children Learn at Home - math and science tips for young children

  6. Helping Kids to Thrive on Math - for teachers and parents from Math Cats

  7. Helping Your Child Learn Math

  8. Helping your child learn math - A parent's guide

  9. How to Teach the Multiplication Tables to Your Child - from wikiHow

  10. Learning Times Tables - advice for parents and teachers from Cool Math

  11. Literacy and numeracy tip sheets for parents - suggestions from the Peel school district in Ontario, Canada

  12. Little Scientists - tips for teaching children math and science through hands-on experience

  13. Math and Young Children - a list of links classified by age level

  14. Math for Elementary School Kids - from Teach R Kids

  15. Math for the Fun of It

  16. Math, Science, And Girls - Can We Close The Gender Gap? From the National Network for Child Care's Connections Newsletter.

  17. Math Tricks to Learn the Facts - from the About network

  18. Math Worksheets - from ABC Teach

  19. Multiplication Idea Bank - from Math Cats

  20. Talk About Math - a guide to raising children who can do math [several videos are included]

  21. Teaching Math to Young Children - This is one of a series of web pages to help students understand math, and to help parents teach their children math.

  22. Teach multiplication - resources from Multiplication.com

DISCIPLINE SUGGESTIONS

  1. Discipline Help - A discipline model for handling over one hundred different misbehaviors.

  2. Discipline for Young Children

  3. Family Fun - this magazine from Disney has tips on raising kids.

  4. Positive Discipline - Yes, they want to sell you a book. But, they also offer some free suggestions that are worthwhile.

  5. Top 6 Child Discipline Techniques to Try - child experts indicate that there are some common basics of effective discipline

  6. Twenty Alternatives to Punishment - from the Aware Parenting Institute

FAMILY LIFE RESOURCES

  1. Bibliotherapy - the use of books to help children experiencing difficult times.

  2. Family Education - offers help for parents of children from age 0 to age 18.

  3. Family Fun for Summer - Crafts, backyard activities, recipes, print outs and more!

  4. Family Summer Fun - Summer safety tips and safety links

  5. Helpful Tips for Parents and Caregivers of Elementary School Students

  6. Including Your Child - All children can succeed with the right supports. And when you are raising a child with special needs, finding the right supports and information can make all the difference in your child's learning and development.

  7. Kidsource - articles and information that will help you raise your child from who is from 6 to 18 years old

  8. Listen Up! - a site for the parents of hearing impaired children

  9. Museums and Learning - A guide for family visits.

  10. National Parent Information Network

  11. Parents Guide to the Internet - Good introductory on topic; is intended to help parents--regardless of their level of technological know-how--make use of the on-line world as an important educational tool. The guide gives parents an introduction to the Internet and suggests how parents can allow their children to tap into the wonders of the Internet while safeguarding them from its potential hazards.

  12. Partnership in Parenting - articles to help you master parenting skills

  13. Self Determination - suggestions from the University of Washington

HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH SCHOOL WORK

  1. 106 Ways Parents Can Help Students Achieve - an article from Education World

    1. Link to the 45 page document discussed in the article above

  2. Helping Your Child Be Successful in School - suggestions from the Peel school district in Ontario, Canada

  3. Helping your Child Series - Pamphlets from the US Department of Education - Office of Educational Research and Improvement. The Helping Your Child publication series aims to provide parents with the tools and information necessary to help their children succeed in school and life. These booklets feature practical lessons and activities to help their school aged and preschool children master reading, understand the value of homework and develop the skills necessary to achieve.

  4. Helping Students Get the Most out of Homework - suggestions from the NEA

  5. Helping Students Learn Social Studies

  6. Help Your Child Improve in Test-Taking

  7. Helping Your Child With Homework - A US Department of Education Article

  8. Helping Your Child With Homework - For Parents of Elementary and Junior High School-Aged Children

  9. Link4Learning - a blog produced by a teacher (Penny Ryder) designed to strengthen the partnership between parents and teachers in education

  10. Parent's guide to helping kids with learning differences, and disabilities.

  11. Parents: Let's Talk - Links to articles about how parents can help their children learn.

INTERNET SAFETY

  1. CyberAngels - helping you to parent your online child (a short video is available)

  2. Disney's Doug - Safety Tips from Doug's Adventures Online

  3. GetNetWise - four areas of assistance; Online Safety Guide, Tools for Families, Web Sites for Kids, and Reporting Trouble

  4. Kid Safety on the Internet - presented in a "slide-show" fashion, containing questions and answers to help kids protect themselves and handle emergencies (Parents may wish to help guide younger kids through the pages and discuss how these ideas apply to them around the home and at school.)

  5. Kids' Rules for Online Safety - (from SafeKids.com) This would be good to print and post near your child's computer.

  6. KidsCom - The Idea Seekers want you to Play Smart, Stay Safe and Have Fun while you're on the Internet. (Internet safety games included)

  7. Internet Safety - from Kids Health for Parents

    1. Seguridad en la Internet - En español

  8. Internet Safety - from the New York Missing and Exploited Children Clearinghouse

  9. iSafe - a congressionally funded foundation whose mission is to educate and empower youth to make their Internet experiences safe and responsible

  10. NetSmartz - several videos about cyber bullying and other internet safety issues

  11. Parent's Guide to Internet Safety - from the FBI

  12. Privacy Playground - designed for ages 8-10, the CyberPigs play on their favourite Web site and encounter marketing ploys, spam and a close encounter with a not-too-friendly wolf.

  13. SafeKids.Com where you'll find tips, advice and suggestions to make your family's online experience fun and productive!

  14. State of Online Safety - 2008 Report - a 104 page document that covers several countries

  15. Surf Swell Island - Adventures in Internet Safety from Disney

  16. Teen Safety on the Information Highway - Guidelines for Parents of Teens

  17. Web Surfing Safety - five Family Fun strategies for keeping kids safe online

PLANNING FOR YOUR CHILD'S FUTURE

  1. Funding Your Education - provides general information about the U.S. Department of Education's federal student financial aid programs. It is designed for high school students and others considering entering a post secondary school for the first time.

  2. Getting Ready for College Early - a`guidebook to help you and your children understand the steps you need to take during the middle and junior high school years to get ready for college.

  3. How can parents help students make life and work decisions after high school?

  4. Preparing Your Child for College - It's never too early to think about college--about the benefits of a college education and about ways to put college within reach academically and financially. Throughout their school years, students make academic and other decisions that affect whether they will be eligible to enter college. You working with others can help your child make these decisions wisely.

SUMMER TIME LEARNING ACTIVITIES

  1. Learning Activities for the Growth Season - Seven weeks of activities for parents of elementary school children designed for the summer months.

  2. School's Out; Explore, Learn, Grow - Activites for students and teens to explore reading and writing during the summer months.

  3. Summer Fun Activities - from Thinkfinity

  4. Summertime Fun time Activities from the US Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement Summer can be more than just vacation time for kids; it's also a great opportunity for parents to spend more time participating in learning activities with their children. Includes a calendar of daily activities for June, July, and August 1999.

  5. Summer Home Learning Recipes - for parents and children. Suggestions for four age groupings; K-3, 4-5, 6-8, and 9-12

  6. Summer Learning - How to stop the summer brain drain and make learning a fun part of your everyday routine.

SPANISH LANGUAGE PAGES

  1. The Internet - A Parent's Guide (El Internet Una Guía Para Padres de Familia) pdf document

  2. Activities for Reading and Writing Fun (Cómo Divertirse Leyendo y Escribiendo)

  3. Early Childhood Digest: Helping Parents Communicate Better with Schools (Ayudando a los padres a comunicarse mejor con las escuelas)

  4. Early Childhood Language Growth Chart (Cuadro de desarrollo y crecimiento para la primera infancia y niñez)

  5. A guide of practical advice on reading for parents (Una guía de consejos prácticos sobre la lectura para los padres)

  6. Education Resources for Spanish Speakers from the U S Department of Education (Recursos en español)

  7. White House pages

    1. Preschool - the different stages of cognitive development from birth to five years of age - (Preschool Esta sección ofrece orientación e información sobre las diferentes etapas del desarrollo cognitivo de su niño desde la primera infancia hasta los cinco años de edad.)

    2. Primary Grades - The key to educative success in the first years is in learning to read. (La clave del éxito educativo en los primeros años está en aprender a leer.)

  8. Frequent questions and answers on education from the U S Department of Education (Preguntas y respuestas frecuentes sobre educación)

  9. How to help your child to be a good reader - Here you will be able to find an ample variety of services, as much for parents as for educators.(Cómo ayudar a su hijo ser un buen lector)

  10. Helping your child learn science (Cómo ayudar a sus hijos a aprender ciencia)

  11. How to help your child have success in school (Cómo ayudar a su hijo a tener éxito en la escuela) - pdf document- MS Word document

  12. How to help your child with homework (Cómo ayudar a su hijo con la tarea escolar) - pdf document -

  13. Helping your preschool child prepare for school (Cómo ayudar a su hijo durante la edad preescolar) - pdf document -

  14. Helping your child through early adolescence (Cómo ayudar a su hijo con la temprana adolescencia)

  15. Internet Safety - Seguridad en la Internet - (En español)

  16. Slide show for teachers helping them to offer advice to parents on homework (Guía del Maestro: Consejos para los padres sobre la tarea escolar)

  17. Suggestions for Students (Sugerencias Para Estudiantes) from the Bernardsville Public Library

  18. Tips for Reading Tutors (Consejos para los Tutores en Lectura) pdf document

  19. Practical advice for parents on homework (Consejos prácticos para los padres sobre la tarea escolar)

  20. Additional Educative Services: Fast reference for Parents (Servicios Educativos Suplementarios: Referencia Rápida para Padres) pdf document

  21. Publications and materials of the Publication Center (U S Department of Education) (Publicaciones y materiales del Centro de Publicaciones)