Common Core Standards testing has become a hot topic of debate among teachers, administrators, students, and parents. Over the past two years, educational content developers at LearnerPal have worked with NYS-licensed teachers, principals, department heads, and — most importantly — students to develop online content to help students learn and enhance knowledge across several academic subject areas in order to excel during these challenging times.

However, with all of the concern around the impending Common Core testing, as the content team at LearnerPal worked more closely with teachers and administrators, they heard repeatedly that there was a need to help students with the NYS Regents exams. The common theme across many schools was that current prep materials aren’t so current. LearnerPal responded by creating online Regents Review prep courses. These prep courses were piloted for hundreds of students from several schools. Student and teacher feedback was used to continually improve the content and technology.

Here are some of the LearnerPal questions, answers, and explanations. How do these compare with other test prep material you might be using with your students?

Consider the graph of the equation y = ax² + bx + c. when a ≠ 0. If a is multiplied by 3, what is true of the graph of the resulting parabola?

With LearnerPal, Common Core Algebra and Integrated Algebra videos clearly explain answers. Answers are demonstrated through the use of at TI graphic calculator. Wrong answers are explained in an easy to understand manner.

The inferred temperature at the interface between the stiffer mantle and the asthenosphere is closest to?

Here you can see that Earth Science reference tables are displayed as part of the explanation. Visual aids, such as highlights, arrows, and zooms draw attention to areas of focus to help explain how to use the reference table. Easy to understand explanations and key glossary terms are defined as part of each explanation.

A student in New York State looked toward the eastern horizon to observe sunrise at three different times during the year. The student drew the following diagram that shows the positions of sunrise, A, B, and C, during this one-year period.

Which diagram represents the relative sizes of the structures listed below?

In the previous two examples, the LearnerPal explanation contains easy-to-understand audio and a clear visual aid. There is a glossary definitions provided right below the explanation. The visual aid is enhanced with arrows to draw attention to the important areas of the diagram.

Base your answer on the statement below and on your knowledge of social studies.

Speaker A: We want a strong national government to provide order and protect the rights of the people.

Speaker B: We want a weak national government so that it will not threaten the rights of the people or the powers of the states.

Speaker C: We want to add a bill of rights to the Constitution to protect the people against abuses of power.

Speaker D: A bill of rights is unnecessary because the new government’s powers are limited by the Constitution.

A common theme in the statements is a concern about…

Social Studies questions in LearnerPal will require reading passages, referencing political cartoons, and DBQs to test critical thinking skills. As with the other explanations, there is audio and a glossary of key terms.

The diagram below shows a section of a meander in a stream. The arrows show the direction of stream flow. The streambank on the outside of this meander is steeper than the streambank on the inside of this meander because the water on the outside of this meander is moving…

As you can see from these examples, LearnerPal provides comprehensive, easy-to-follow explanations for all questions across subject areas. In addition, there are hints, and students can add notes and tag the questions that they want to review later.

What digital tools are you’re students using for test prep?