My daughter is currently in 3rd grade and going through state testing at school. For the first time in California’s history, the online assessments to measure how well students are doing on curriculum aligned with the Common Core are done on a computer, where students are expected to type on a keyboard and navigate the online test.
There was a practice test online that she showed me and although I knew the test was taken on the computer, I was shocked when I realized she had to TYPE in some of her answers!
Now, I know this is a totally different day and age, but I didn’t even learn to type until 7th grade, and here my 3rd grader is typing answers in on a keyboard! Crazy!
When I voiced my surprise at what 3rd graders were expected to be able to do on a keyboard to a teacher friend of mine, she said,
“That’s why the best thing you can do for you kids over the summer is have them type, type, type!”