WORDS FROM Educators and Parents

The League is an invaluable test prep tool for students, teachers, and parents! This remarkable program makes test prepping a real sport! As league players, students are highly motivated to practice CMT skills independently at their own pace, using scoreboards to show their winnings. Test Prep FUN is exactly that – test prep made fun!
Grade 3 Teacher, Norwalk

Annabelle and, of course, Eye, are amazing! Test Prep Fun is truly that, FUN! What a great way for my students to practice for the CMT's while having fun and earning other incentives. Though the intrinsic motivation of knowing that the children will be ready for their tests is great, the additional extrinsic motivators don't hurt! As the Math Specialist for my school, I enjoy playing the games, too, to find some great practice questions to work with. I have enjoyed seeing not only the students in my own class succeed, but also watching their siblings and friends in other grade levels climb the scoreboards. I can't wait to see the results of this year's CMT's. Keep the questions coming, Guys! You are doing a great job!
Grade 5 Teacher
Highland Park, Manchester
Follow-up :
"My results were amazing! With three ELL and a special ed student in my class, as well as others who had been in Basic or Below Basic in previous years, ALL of my students made Goal."

“The students really do love to strive to get 100% on these games--more so than on anything else I’ve seen.”
Technology Teacher, New Haven Public Schools

"Test Prep & FUN and the League are by far the best tool I have found to motivate children to prepare for the CMT's! It is fun, efficient, and the data tracking features are invaluable!"
Student Services Coordinator
Side by Side, Norwalk

"As the Educational/Technology Specialist in two elementary schools, I was introduced to The League last year. This school year, we started with one fifth grade and quickly moved to all third, fourth, and fifth grades. After the new year began, we found the tracking of tests: those taken, passed, and failed, was invaluable not only for the students learning, but for the teachers to be able to guide the students to games where they were weak and needed extra help. We have since added the second grade classes.

The competition between the students themselves and between the schools has been a healthy way to learn. And, the exposure to the wording of the CMT tests is wonderful. We have had several winners, and have had older siblings helping their younger siblings learn the logon procedure to be sure their scores are counted. I have even had students stay in at recess and those without computers at home coming in early to play.

All in all, it has been a wonderful experience. The learning that is taking place combined with a healthy competition can only result in better CMT scores. What a great way to accomplish that, especially being able to tailor it to each student.

We are all very lucky that Annabelle has created this wonderful resource for our students!"
Educational/Technology Specialist, Region 12

"The students are using it outside of class and on weekends. They enjoy these games. Getting kids to practice CMT on weekends when they don't have to is definitely a plus."
Assistant Superintendent, Middletown Public Schools

“Parents have come into school to say how much their children are enjoying these games at home. Using these games has proven to be an easy way to help strengthen the home-school connection.”
Principal
The Robert W. Carbone School, East Haven

"Finally....online math games completely aligned with the Connecticut Mastery Test strands!  Our students and teachers are enjoying the extra practice, which completely ties in with our District math assessments and our upcoming March CMT test.
The League allows our students to work easily from school or home doing math that is both meaningful and fun!"
K-12 Mathematics Supervisor
Manchester Public Schools

"We have used these games for two years. Our CMT scores have improved due to the focused, strand-by-strand practice. Our kids love playing these games!"
After-School Director, The Columbus Family Academy, New Haven

"Our teachers feel that The League helped us prepare for the CMTs.”
Math Coach, New Haven

"Hello, I have heard from so many students and parents that The League is a great way to build confidence and feel less anxious about the type of questions being posed on the Connecticut Mastery Test."
Principal
Hubbell Elementary, Bristol

   

the idea
When I saw data from video games improving and motivating recreational gameplay, I thought: “What if data from online academic games did that? What if students frequently consulted their own academic data reports, could go up academic levels by beating games, and asked friends to help them master specific academic skills?” Also, “What if we gave every student access to every game at every grade level and left it up to the student to go as far as possible?”

the mindset
When you play online, there’s a surge of optimism . . . you could beat the game. When you take a test, there’s a sense of dread . . . you could fail. Our motivational learning system, the BIG skills Learning League, uses the gamer’s mentality to make students feel optimistic about mastering basic skills in math and reading. Our system scaffolds students towards success and then lets them genuinely stand alone and see if they mastered something or not. The option to go down a level, or to repeat an instructional quiz, is always there. A gamer wants to beat the game. A TestPrepFUN League player not only beats plenty of games, but also feels genuine self-esteem for persisting and being self-directed.

the when
We took two years to develop our motivational learning system and did a lot of this work in a bi-lingual school in New Haven. The first statewide scoreboards and Learning League were launched in January 2009.

the how
We watched how long a student would work before needing some recognition: about 3 minutes. So, that’s the average time it takes to play most of the League games. Games won appear on the live statewide scoreboards. We watched to see if a message like “You beat the game!” or “You worked hard. You’ll do better next time.” made students play harder: it did. We watched to see how much feedback students could take when they got something wrong: not much. We needed a system that would increase their tolerance for frustration. When students knew that getting 70% correct equaled a win on the scoreboard, they upped their game. Even 3^rd graders quickly saw they could get 2 wrong, but then they had to slow down and work more carefully -- and they did. Students liked playing the same game as a friend and talking about which answer was correct. Parents told us that friends would call each other at night and continue playing together while at home. We encouraged that and made it clear that our site was a place where they could learn and then show what they had learned.

the who
Annabelle Howard taught in England, France, and New York City before coming to Connecticut. She previously created Classic Theatre for Schools, interdisciplinary learning materials that included adaptations of classic plays and a board game called "Break A Leg!"

Forrest Stone, aka Eye on the Scoreboard, is a graduate of Harvard and of the Yale School of Drama, and was the executive editor of Weekly Reader, where he created Science Spin. At Scholastic, Forrest created Storyworks magazine.

The students at our school are determined. All students recieve free breakfast and lunch. These students struggle each and everyday to attend school. Yet, many students sneak to the local library or stay afterschool to "steal TestPrepFUN time." These students are working to go to college and make their dreams a reality.
Grade 4 teacher, Hartford

Thanks for creating The League. This has been a wonderful learning tool for our 4th grader. She enjoys playing the games and at the same time she is learning and improving her CMT scores. If a game is a little challenging for her, she plays it a few times until she feels confident.  There is a positive peer competition which motives the kids to try harder and play more games in order to see their names on the scoreboard. It takes hard work and determination to play every day, but it's worth it and very rewarding. Of course the laser tag passes, the wristbands, the t-shirts, and the recognition at school are huge incentives for the kids who have been working hard on their CMT skills throughout the state. Ms. Howard is always very prompt and kind responding to questions.
Parents of a 4th grade player
Manchester, CT

"The League has been a 'big deal' in our household.  Our 5th  grader and 2nd grader have eagerly played it each week.  Both of them say  it is a lot of fun and it has certainly brought out their competitve  sides!  Of course, the laser tag passes were a huge incentive.  They  talked with their friends from another school and they set a goal for all 4 of  them to get the laser tag passes so the 2 families can go together!  This  has been an educational, but fun way to prepare for the CMTs.  Regarding  our 2nd grader, I think it will alleviate some of the stress for him when he  takes the CMTs for the first time next year.
Parent

Since my children have started playing The League, I've noticed a change in both of them. Now in their free time they go on the website and play games instead of watching TV. I think the program is absolutely wonderful! I will be utilizing the program stratight through the summer months. Thanks, TestPrepFUN!
Parent, North Haven

Our students have worked hard at the different activities and keep a journal of areas they passed and which need to be redone to work at their own pace. It has made them motivated and independent in the TestPrepFUN work.
Grade 4 Teacher, New Haven

The combination of student achievement and teacher dedication at our  school is unique. In the most pure form, our school is about teamwork. It's about a learning community that comes together to do whatever it takes to support students Student Achievement: Our student performance on the Math portion of the Connecticut Mastery Test has skyrocketed over the past six years. From a low of 55% of the students scoring "proficient or above" in math in 2005-06 to a high of 89% of the students at "proficient in math" on the 2009-10 assessment. Scores for students at "goal or above" were equally impressive with students at a low of 25% scoring at "goal or above" in 2005-06 to a high of 68% at "goal or above" in 2009-10. Such incredible performance gains (surpassing city and state averages) are a tribute to our teachers, our students, their families and, of course, to TestPrepFUN.
Principal, Middletown Elementary School

"As a parent of a second-grader, I figured The League would provide a good introduction for the CMT. It has done that and much more. It not only offers students a glimpse into the CMT, it prepares them by offering an innovative way to learn practical test-taking skills. Using reading and analysis to answer questions, kids are actually learning how to use process of elimination and critical thinking, which will serve them well on the CMT and all tests. This is accomplished through a fun and challenging manner. Ms. Howard has created a fabulous game system that rewards kids for trying their best. It has become a family affair for us to see my son work hard each week, increase his learning, and have fun at the same time. It's been a positive experience that will carry over when he takes the CMT next year. He is actually looking forward to it!"
Parent
Manchester, CT

WORDS FROM Players

Dear EYE, I truly enjoy Test Prep FUN because it really prepares you for the CMTs. Each week, I aspire to play many games because while it's fun to experience the thrill of competing, I know that it is helping me achieve the best score I can get on the CMTs. After playing a certain level on a strand, The League makes me feel secure and confident that I've mastered the taught concept. I believe that the prizes that come with practicing your CMT skills are fabulous because some children neglect their school needs, and the goal of recieving a laser tag pass, or even just a wristband can urge the students to try even harder to succeed. Also, the intriguing quiz format with one-by-one questions really keep you on task, and helps you understand the question being asked. For example, if you get an answer wrong, a bubble pops up and is a tutorial of your mistakes, and the correct way to answer the question. In addition to that, many children get bored of answering what feels like millions of questions. With this program, you practice the lesson learned, and stay interested with a step-by-step procedure for each example. Overall, I personally love what a wonderful job this program is doing to help us achieve, and hope that the EYE will keep up the great work! Sincerely, HebronT30S06

This site is very educational and fun. It gives lots of practice from what I learned in school. I am getting better at my math when I do this test practice. Thank you so much for this wonderful site!
VerplanckT01S07
Manchester

MORE WORDS FROM Players

Our school works hard on The League. We always get better scores on our CMT's when we study on TestPrepFUN to improve are skills on the subjects math, science, writing, reading,etc. Thank you for reading this :)
BA6T17S05
 

We are a hard working school and we really like TestPrepFUN. Our princapal and our teachers encourage us to help us get better scores on quizzes and tests. Also they encourage us on TestPrepFUN to try again so we could get to be pretty high on the scoreboard.
Wolf3T2S05

Our whole school plays and loves TestPrepFUN all the time. Our students are always on the scoreboards, whether it's in last place or first place, we are always on the scoreboard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:):):)
HES5T19S19

Every week we have many kids being recognized on the announcements for their hard work and effort on TestPrepFUN. In my 4th grade class we spend all of our computer time on TestPrepFun, and most of us are sad when it is time to put the computers away for another class to use. ... Students that study at Buckley School learn more from this amazing website everyday, all year round.
BK4T10S07

Dear EYE, this testprepfun.com website is helping me a lot. By now I know all the answers to every question. And thanks to you, I'm going to ace my CMT's.
Your pal, CarboneT10S13
East Haven

"TestPrepFUN has helped me very much for the CMTs. I just wanted to say thank you. The thing is, is that you are basically studying for the test but still having fun at the same time!"
HubbellT8S22
Bristol

"I wanted to say to all the players that everyone did a great job on TestPrepFUN . I bet everyone who got a wristband is wearing it. Hope everyone has fun durning the CMTs and open season. Talk to all of you on the scoreboard. Hope you are also having fun wih the laser tag passes. I hope you people who won 1st will be wearing the shirts to school maybe during the CMTs."
RoxburyBoothT1S02
Region 12

Thanks for creating the website! It has helped a lot. The League gave me a lot more confidence to do well on the CMT's. I used to be nervous but now I am not and I think that I am going to ace the test.
RoxburyBoothT1S13
Region 12

Hey EYE! The League has made me much more confident about the CMT's. It's so much easier than having hundreds of CMT practice pages in a packet. The prizes make it fun for us and the fact that we enjoy learning makes it satisfying for parents. I love how we can play the educational games freely instead of being stressed on completing each page of practice. Thank you, Ms. Howard, for helping us prepare for the big test and teaching us to be confident in ourselves while taking it.
Your pal, HubbellT5S19
Bristol

"The League is a great learning experience. I have learned lots from this website and am excited to continue to learn more. The fact that it's on the computer makes it lots more fun than workbooks or packet upon packet. It's lots of fun to see me and my friends' names on the scoreboard. It's a great feeling to be recognized on a website that is active throughout the entire state!!"
HighlandT8S02
Manchester

Also from HighlandT8S02: "Have you ever heard the saying 'killing two birds with one stone?" Well, that's what The League is. Your CMT scores will improve and you are having fun while playing the games. Good luck and have fun in week 8!"

Dear EYE, Your games are wonderful. They make kids get smarter. I've learned a lot and I'm still learning from it. Sometimes, I make mistakes but I always try my best to get them correct. Have a nice day, EYE!
SpencerT14S05
Middletown

It's almost time for the CMT's and I'm pretty nervous, but I am trying to practice on Test Prep Fun all I can. I'm trying to play a lot this week so I can stay on the score board!
WaddellT10s20
Manchester

"I think my brain is getting bigger, I think this is helping me!"
1st grader, home player