Frequently Asked Questions
Why are some of the questions so hard?
Our quizzes need children to get some questions wrong, so they can determine the ‘ceiling’ of their ability levels. This means there needs to be a range of easy and hard questions. It’s okay if your child doesn’t know the answer, as long as they try their best!
Do I have to take both quizzes?
Yes, the Home Literacy Coach needs scores from each quiz to determine what skills and activities are best for your child.
How do I read the graphs?
After your child completes a quiz the score will appear as a dot on the graph. Once your child has multiple scores their progress will be connected with a line, to show progress! (The scores will also be listed below in a table.)
What does the Age Equivalent score mean?
Vocabulary skills start to develop at birth, so we use a score called the ‘Age Equivalent’ to measure this ability. For example, an Age Equivalent score of 4.5 means that the child who completed the quiz has the vocabulary skills of a typical child who is 4 ½ years of age. View our in-depth description here.
What does the Grade Equivalent score mean?
Reading skills really start to develop when a child starts school, so we use a score called the ‘Grade Equivalent’ to measure this ability. For example, a Grade Equivalent score of 2.3 means that the child who completed the quiz has the reading skills of a typical child who has been in second grade for 3 months. View our in-depth description here.
How often should my child complete the quizzes?
We recommend taking the quizzes approximately every six weeks to get new activities and update your child’s pie chart.
How can I help my child successfully complete the quizzes?
Sit with your child one and one. Make sure you can both hear the questions. Help support your child without giving them the answer. It may also be helpful for your child to tell you their answers.
What does it mean when the pie chart says: “Child-managed” and “Adult-managed”?
Children learn best if they spend some time practicing with an adult and some time practicing by themselves.
1. Child-managed: time child spends by themselves practicing skills
2. Adult-managed: time child spends with an adult learning a new skills
How many students can I add to Learning Ovations’ Home Literacy Coach?
Currently a Home Literacy Coach account can hold up to three (3) children.
How do I use the information on the pie chart?
The pie chart provided by the Home Literacy Coach should be used to help guide how your child spends their learning time! If you have enough time to work on multiple activities (an hour or more) consider dividing up the total amount of time based on how it appears on the pie chart. If you only have time for a quick activity select something from the largest areas of the pie chart to prioritize what type of learning they need most.
Which recommended activity should I pick?
There’s no right-way to use the recommended activities, but there are some characteristics to consider if you want to narrow down the options!
Think about how much time you have available; would a longer activity be better, are you looking for something that could be completed over multiple days, or would something short and sweet work better?
Click on the title of a few activities to preview the directions; does this activity or game sound like something you and your child would enjoy?
The Home Literacy Coach has lots of options so don’t be afraid to pick a few or narrow it down!
What is your privacy policy?
The Learning Ovations Home Literacy Coach is FERPA/COPPA compliant. If you are interested in learning more about our privacy policy click here.
What does it mean when the pie chart says: “Meaning-focused” and “Code-focused”
Early literacy skills can be split into two main categories:
1. Code-focused: This includes areas like phonics, spelling, and fluency; these are skills that focus on turning letter sounds into words.
2. Meaning-focused: This includes areas like vocabulary, comprehension, and writing; these skills that focus on reading or writing for understanding.
Our research shows that children learn best if they receive the right balance of activities, split between these two main categories. Use the pie chart to determine what your child needs most!
Where can I find additional online texts to support my child’s minutes in the pie chart?
There are multiple online texts that can be used with the activities from Home Literacy Coach. Searching the web is great place to start.
Below are a few resources we suggest:
What if I don't have a printer?
We are currently working on expanding our resources that don't involve printing. In the time before this is available we encourage parents or caretakers to:
Review the recommended activities for lessons that require materials you can easily create without printing or don't require additional materials.
Focus on the areas of the pie chart! Many activities can meet you students needs. Reading a book, journaling, or sounding out words on a shopping list or recipe can help your child's learning and count towards meeting the recommendations in the pie chart.
If your child's school is sending resources home for distance learning identify where on the pie chart those activities fall and prioritize areas your student needs the most.