Ask an Expert: Jim Cox and Pat Puleo
Measuring Up: A Parent's Guide to Testing, Grades, and Assessments

What is the CAT-6 test? What can I do to help my fourth-grade daughter prepare for it?

The CAT-6 is a nationally norm-referenced standardized test, similar in scope and format to the SAT-9. In fact, it is its replacement. It will be given in the spring, just like the SAT-9 used to be. It currently tests elementary students on reading, language, spelling, and math. Like the SAT-9, the CAT-6 will make up only a portion of the overall spring testing. The other test has taken on greater importance than the CAT-6, however, because it directly tests the California grade-level content standards. It's called the California Standards Test, or CST.

If you want to help your daughter prepare for the CAT-6, there are commercially prepared practice materials available at most school supply stores, and they will soon be available at our online bookstore.

But the best preparation for all parts of the test, of course, is a quality education. Speak to your daughter's teacher about how he or she teaches the information outlined in the state standards. If you'd like to do a little research of your own, you can read the fourth-grade standards. Choose one subject at a time and click on your child's grade level.

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