Ohio Math 3rd Grade Achievement Test Preparation

What Can I Do to Help My Child Prepare for the Ohio Math 3rd Grade Achievement Test?

Since your child is probably not accustomed to taking high-stakes, standardized tests, it's important that you devote some extra time to preparing your 3rd grader. The results of this test are a good demonstration of your child's skill level and you will want to ensure that he or she is comfortable with the format of the test. To effectively use the time you devote to at-home study sessions, focus on the mathematical standards your child should be able to perform, know the types of questions he or she can expect and how a student can appropriately answer extended-response questions.

Mathematical Standards for 3rd Graders

On the Ohio Math Achievement Test, your student should be able to answer questions related to operations and algebraic thinking, base ten operations, geometry, measurement and fractions. Your child's success on this assessment will depend on his or her ability to solve multi-step problems that involve addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. These problems may also include fractions, decimals and standard units of measurement.

Making accurate calculations using the basic math operations is another important skill that will be tested at the 3rd grade level. Your child must also be capable of rounding whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100, must know how to create mathematical patterns and how to partition geometric shapes into equal parts.

Types of Questions to Expect

The 3rd grade math achievement test will require your student to answer multiple-choice questions, short answer questions and extended response questions. In the operations and algebraic thinking standard, your 3rd grader will be presented with 8 or 9 multiple-choice questions, 1 or 2 short answer questions and an extended response question to answer. For the base ten standard, the geometry standard and the measurement and fraction standards, your student should expect to answer no more than 8 multiple-choice questions, as well as 1 or 2 short answer questions and an extended response question.

How to Effectively Answer an Extended Response Question

An extended response question will require your child to solve a given math problem and then explain his or her process and mathematical thinking in a sentence format. It's also important that 3rd graders can evaluate the reasonableness of an answer and convey this in their response. Teach your student how to include math terms in his or her answer and how to ensure that each part of the question is addressed. Each of these factors will likely help your child receive a maximum number of points on these questions.