How to make sure your child succeeds in school

“E very child’s potential is a reality.”

For parents and educators, those six words are much more than the Colorado Parent Teacher Association’s slogan: they’re a mantra for the commitment they make every day to help their children succeed.

Parents want their children to be happy and healthy. They want to be sure their children learn everything they need to be successful. They want to know that their children are on track to succeed in the future. In fact, more than seven in 10 parents nationally expect their children will someday get a college degree, according to a recent poll, Parents 2017: Unleashing Their Power & Potential, conducted by our partners at Learning Heroes.

As the president of the Colorado PTA and the executive director of Climb Higher Colorado, we know that Colorado parents want to be very involved in their children’s education. In fact, 84 percent of parents report they can make a significant difference in their children’s learning and academic progress.

To best support their children, parents need an accurate picture of where their children excel and where they need more support. Parents often rely on report cards and parent-teacher conferences to keep tabs on these ambitions for their children. But while grades and teacher comments are valuable sources of information, they don’t always give parents the fullest picture of whether their children are performing at the level they need to be.

For example, even if a child receives an “A” grade on a book report, he or she may not score proficient — the baseline for what a child should know in that grade — in reading on statewide benchmark assessments such as the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), which tests students in grades three through eight to gauge their progress in meeting grade-level expectations in English language arts and math.

Results recently released from the 2017 spring administration of the CMAS showed more students are meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations in English language arts and math than in the two previous years, but there is still work to do. Statewide results for fourth graders found 44 percent met or exceeded expectations in reading and 34 percent met or exceeded expectations in math. Yet across the country, nine in 10 parents believe their children are performing at or above grade level.

That’s why it’s critical to have conversations about the importance of providing all parents with an accurate picture of their child’s academic success. It is time that we address the widespread disparities between parents’ high expectations, the lack of information for many parents, and the pressures of raising academically and emotionally successful children

As parents should be receiving their child’s CMAS score reports, there are several resources available to help parents better understand the results and how to support learning at home. Learning Heroes offers several resources for parents, including the Super 5 Back-toschool Power Moves, which provide some easy steps parents can take to begin having these important conversations with their child’s teacher. For example, parents can bring their child’s state test results to their first meeting with the teacher and ask what they mean for the year ahead. Parents also can use the Readiness Roadmap to understand what their child is expected to learn this year and how they partner with teachers to support their child.

We know that Colorado parents want their children to be able to realize their potential. Whether you’re a parent, educator, policymaker, or community member, you play an important role in ensuring that our students receive an education that prepares them to make their potential a reality.