Q: My daughter, Caroline, is a top student who hates to see school end. She's a rising fifth-grader, reading at a high-school level. What can I do to keep her challenged until school starts? We can't afford camp.

A: You're smart to make challenging her a priority. Summer learning loss is real, even for highly intelligent kids, if they simply "veg out" for weeks on end.

According to the National Summer Learning Association (summerlearning.org), if students do not engage in educational activities to keep up their skills in the summer months, many can lose up to two months of grade-level equivalency in math during that time; in addition, many students will typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning.

Start by celebrating the year Caroline just spent in the fourth grade, says Bill Laraway, a fifth-grade teacher at Silver Oak Elementary in San Jose, Calif.

"It's a milestone and a good time for reflection," he says. "The last day of school can be more important than the first for students."

Discuss what she accomplished in fourth grade that will help her in fifth. What did she achieve? What is she especially proud of?

"You want Caroline to remember the year's total accomplishments -- not just the great report card," says Laraway. "Together, create a document -- scrapbook, video, or time capsule -- to cherish for years to come. Include her best work, titles of favorite books, photos and other mementos that reflect the year's highlights. Let the things she's most excited about guide you to summer activities she enjoys."

Next, tee up activities that will help develop her interests. If she likes a certain book series, check them out from the library. Search for online courses in topics she might enjoy. Give her real tasks to perform around the home such as researching products you might buy, analyzing comparative cellphone plans or checking the grocery list for the best prices. Search garage sales for certain items, such as kits and books she'll like.

Use summer projects to boost planning skills. "There's a big difference between fourth and fifth grade," says Laraway. "There's less hand-holding and more emphasis on becoming independent learners. Build up your daughter's organizational skills by having her help plan summer events. Teach her how to 'backwards map' what needs to be done for each event well before the day arrives.

"She'll need those skills for projects and other multiday assignments come fall."

While she is too young to be hired, you might be able to find her a worthy mentor who'd welcome her into the workplace to perform interesting tasks. That way, she can learn about and contribute to a work environment.

Don't give up on camp. "Many school districts and colleges understand that our brightest kids need summer school, too, and offer a range of free or low-cost enrichment programs," says Laraway. Check with your district and the National Association of Gifted Children site (www.nagc.org) to access its summer camp directory.

Before she enters fifth grade, make sure that she gets every resource your district offers its gifted and talented students.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: Our district tested the Common Core State Standards this spring. One of my son's third-grade classmates refused to take the test on his father's orders. His dad, a high school teacher, thinks the Common Core involves "needless testing." Two other parents disrupted a school board meeting, saying the standards amount to governmental intrusion into schools. The Common Core makes sense to me. Am I missing something?

A: The new Common Core State Standards make sense to most parents who take the time to study them.

A few facts: The new standards were driven by the states -- not the federal government or the U.S. Department of Education.

They are the culmination of a rigorous 20-year process initiated by state governors. The process sought input from parents, teachers, researchers, subject-area specialists, business leaders and policymakers throughout the country and across the political spectrum.

The standards were created in response to trend lines over three decades that showed our schools were not preparing a large segment of U.S. students for college or careers, especially in science, math, engineering, technology and communications.

"The Common Core State Standards are a foundation for a high-quality education," says Bill Jackson, president of greatschools.org, an education resource for parents. "When you're told your son is reading at the third-grade level, you need to know that it means something. Right now, there are 50 different ideas about what 'third-grade level' means. Common state standards will make it easier for parents to really know how well their children are doing in school."

For generations, the U.S. educational system has been a patchwork of different states' learning objectives. What a student is supposed to know by the end of eighth grade in one state was often different from the goals for a child in another. Yet we live in a mobile society.

"At greatschools.org, we hear stories of families moving to another state to find that their child is repeating content taught earlier in their former school. Or their child is far behind classmates in a new school," says Jackson. "Education is the prerogative of states and districts, but mastering fractions should mean the same thing in Alabama as in California or Maine."

The new suggested standards have been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. Full implementation starts in 2014. Some states and districts, to their credit, gave them a dry run this spring to establish a baseline.

The state standards were also built in alignment with state university leaders, meaning that students who meet the 12th-grade level standards are prepared for higher education. The new standards don't change the fact that states and districts are in charge of determining how to accomplish the learning objectives, what curriculum approaches and materials to use, and how teachers and administrators assess students' progress.

"When parents learn more about the states' standards, they'll likely support them," says Jackson. "They provide all students from all states an equal opportunity to reach high academic standards in mathematics and English language arts."

For more on the Common Core State Standards, go to www.corestandards.org.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: My son, Brent, got into his first-choice college and wants to attend the orientation program in late June. It conflicts with a family wedding. How important are these orientations?

A: It depends. At some colleges, orientation offers an extensive campus tour, visits with academic advisers and professors, and an introduction to the institution's culture and expectations. Some colleges offer advice to help helicopter parents detach.

At others, orientation is the time when freshmen meet their roommates, select their side of the dorm room and choose their classes. Missing class selection could cause Brent to lose his top course picks.

"Many colleges follow the airline model, offering only a limited number of spaces, especially in large required first-year courses that, when filled, are closed," says Jeremy Hyman, co-author with Lynn Jacobs of "The Secrets of College Success (Second Edition)" (Wiley, 2013). If you skip the June orientation, see if there's another one later in the summer or see if Brent can sign up online the minute enrollment opens.

Before selecting classes, dig into the college's website. "You've seen the campus videos. Now get familiar with the academic side of things," says Jacobs. "Search for college requirements, lists of majors and minors, and individual departments' home pages, where you'll probably find syllabuses for the courses offered. Look for courses scheduled (what's offered in the fall semester), which are different from the course catalogue (every course ever offered)."

How else can Brent get off to a good start at college? Hyman and Jacobs offer incoming freshmen these tips:

-- Get your hardware. "Tablets are fine for reading, but when it comes to the work of college, they often come up short," says Hyman. "They don't allow for easy use of basic programs such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and so on.

"Get something less than 4 pounds with a 6-hour battery life, a webcam, good speakers and a 92 percent (size) or a full-size keyboard."

-- Install basic software, but hold off on task-specific software. "Every student uses word processing," says Jacobs, "but don't buy the high-priced graphics program for Design 101 until the instructor tells you what you need."

-- Master the academic calendar. Note holidays, breaks and testing periods. Share this with family and friends, so your cousin doesn't schedule a family reunion during finals.

-- Reach out to your roommate; get to know each other. Who will bring the microwave? The small refrigerator? Communication will make it easier to decide "room rules" (such as when the lights go out, what the 'do not enter' signal is, and so on) once you're moved in.

-- Get what's coming to you. If you've taken Advanced Placement (AP) courses or an International Baccalaureate (IB), apply to have them credited to the degree you're working on, says Jacobs: "If your college accepts College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credits, consider taking one of the 33 CLEP exams if you're strong in one of the fields."

-- Do the summer reading. Many schools assign reading for a freshman seminar, the so-called "Common Read" or "Common Book." Arrive having completed your first assignment because you wouldn't want to start a step behind.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)