The assessments are state exams given in an area of curriculum for different levels of knowledge. They are designed to help implement the NY Standards which are skills the State feels need to be mastered at a variety of levels from elementary to commencement. Most individuals are familiar with the ELA Assessment in grades 4 and 8. ELA stands for English Language Arts and was designed to assess learner knowledge in 4^th, 8^th, and high school level.

To take a closer look at the test, as well as see what tasks your child is being asked to do, click here: nystandards.edutech.org/p_c/tests.htm

Commissioner Richard Mills was featured on a PBS special. To see what his comments were concerning the new assessments, and to listen to discussions concerning the new assessments, click here: http://video1.edutech.org:8080/ramgen/nyl/nyl111998.rm

Some basic FAQ's can be answered by visiting the State Web page with concerns about the assessments. To find out some general information and assessment schedules, visit www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/assess.html

If you have any concerns or questions and would like to address or chat about them, subscribe to the ParentTalk listserv. You can share study tips and parent strategies with other parents across New York State, and help other families be successful with the new standards.

There are several resources out there to help you and your child do better on the assessments. Knowledge of the Standards and Assessments are the first step. Keep in mind your children's teachers are very valuable resources as well, ask them what would be some study skills to focus on for improvement.

We found some free resources listed below:

• www.ed.gov/free/new.html
• http://homeworkhelp.about.com/education/homeworkhelp/mbody.htm

Keep an eye open as to what is going on with assessments and your child through school and local news.