Standardized-test prep hits the elementary level Monday, March 13, 2006 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff Judi O'Hagan isn't worried about how her 9-year-old daughter will do on the standardized state tests this month, but she figures you can never be too prepared. So the Branchburg mother drove to nearby Raritan Valley Community College on four recent Saturday mornings to see that her daughter got an extra hour of tutoring, practice questions, and a little confidence-building. "The more experience and exposure, the better," O'Hagan said from outside the classroom earlier this month. "You have to stay on them. It's a whole different world out there." In the face of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and a fixation by most schools on testing, an increasing number of parents are seeking extra test help for their kids. Through tutoring companies and local classes like the one at Raritan Valley, they are spending $100 and up to give their children a head start on the tests, even for kids as young as 8 and 9 years old. Although the state tests do not determine whether a child moves up a grade, and they don't carry the obvious weight of the SATs, many parents say it's important to get their kids on the right track as early as possible. At a test-prep class at Essex County College Saturday, Omega Nunnelly said better scores can help her daughter Aminah stay ahead. "It's always good to give your child that extra edge," she said. "This will help place her in the more advanced classes later on. "She doesn't mind it," the mother added. "She likes the teacher and the class, and I think she likes the idea of coming to a college." The added attention on top of the regular school day comes as New Jersey last week began its biggest round of student testing ever. As required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the state for the first time will give a complete battery of tests, from third through eighth grade, in addition to the 11th grade test. That means an estimated 700,000 public school students this month will take the three- to four-day tests in reading, math and science. That's almost twice the number as last spring when they covered only third, fourth, eighth and 11th grades. The large tutoring firms have pounced on the action. Kaplan and Sylvan say their programs for young students go well beyond just test preparation, but they don't hide the marketing appeal. Kaplan put out a press release on New Jersey's upcoming elementary and middle school tests as a plug for its 14 SCORE! centers in New Jersey. At one center in downtown Bayonne on a recent Friday afternoon, children and adults knew all about the upcoming elementary school test. Cedric Brown said his nephew, fourth-grader Curtis Brown, started at the SCORE! center a year ago to help with his reading. But he also gets tips on how to manage time on the test and other strategies. "It's probably something we think about more than he does," Cedric Brown said. "But you want him to pass. Somewhere in his file, that test will be a reference point, and you need all the help you can get." Other programs are more explicit in offering help on the test. A large NJASK sign was in the front window of the Academic Resource Center in Maplewood, a small storefront tutoring firm that started the test prep in January. A half-dozen students signed up, and the coordinator, Sandra Gora, said it was mostly for help in their math skills. She said more districts are using a popular series known as Everyday Math, which breaks from the traditional math drills that are familiar to many parents. "Maplewood uses Everyday Math, and a lot of parents can't identify with it," Gora said. "But we try to discourage them from worrying too much. These tests are mostly for the schools to use, and these children are still young." Essex County and Raritan Valley have both offered help for a couple of years now. For $112 for four Saturday sessions at Raritan's North Branch campus, 14 third- and fourth-graders completed practice questions, went over basic testing strategies, and mostly tried to ease the pressure a little. "Filling the class is never a problem," said Anne Kistrup, a former public school teacher who has been teaching this class for three years. "When we started, there were people outside begging to get in." Christina Aharoni brought her 9-year-old daughter from Bedminster, and said schools probably focus too much for her liking on the almighty test score. "By third grade, they've taken one test their whole life, and for schools to place them (in higher classes) based on a single test is ridiculous," she said. "But unfortunately, it does mean something. "It's a skill you need to learn." John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at jmooney@starledger.com or (973) 392-1548. © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.