Brainworks® - Alicia Blows the Top Off the Kindergarten Readiness Test
Success Stories
Alicia Blows the Top Off the Kindergarten Readiness Test
"Knee high to a jack rabbit." "Bundle of energy." Those are the words that the staff at Brainworks used to describe Alicia Magee. Her confidence and enthusiasm for learning made a lasting impression on the entire staff. Our task was to evaluate her cognitive, social, and motor skills and make recommendations for her curriculum in the fall.
Alicia had scored higher on her kindergarten readiness test than any teacher at her preschool had seen. Brainworks confirmed her high cognitive skills through diagnostic testing, but also recognized that her handwriting could be a problem. Her thoughts came to her so fast that she could not get all her thinking on paper. Also, her awkward pencil grasp made her hand hurt. (Children in pain usually try to avoid doing written work.) An incorrect pencil grasp can even cause muscle spasms.
"Alicia enjoyed her time at Brainworks so much. And the concerns of the teachers as to her motor skills were relayed to you. Fortunately, you and your staff had exercises for that," Sherryl, Alicia's mother, wrote to Carla. The staff at Brainworks taught her a relaxed way to hold her pencil. After exercises for strengthening her muscles and repetitive writing activities, Alicia found that her hand didn’t hurt as much, and she was performing better on her writing assessments.
"Brainworks corrected Alicia's handwriting problems in the summer, so they were not an issue in the fall," Sherryl also told Carla. "Our issue was how to keep this extremely intelligent 5 year old challenged," Sherryl added. "You recommended that she skip Kindergarten and enter Grade One."
By the end of her time at the Brainworks Summer Camp, Alicia was reading second grade material and also solving grade two word problems. Smiling and curious - always. Her teacher at Brainworks recommended spending 30 minutes each day before school started in the fall practicing her skills. She could work on handwriting, alphabetizing, writing sentences, practicing math facts, learning sight words or working math problems. As a result, Alicia entered grade one in the fall feeling secure in her placement. And so did her parents.
Fast-forward eight years. "Alicia is now a very well adjusted 13 year old in 8th grade at the top of her class," her mom reports. "She is a confident girl and a leader. The teachers do not even know she is the youngest in the class until we tell them. In fact, she takes two high school electives!"
After 2nd grade, Alicia switched schools to attend one with an advanced classical curriculum using a university model. Her parents report that they are so grateful for the support Brainworks gave them at a pivotal time in Alicia's life. It paid off. For all of us.