Q: Our school is urging parents to give their kids more access to computers at home so that they can practice their keyboarding skills for tests given this spring. My middle-school-age son is an accomplished Minecrafter and gamer, but a really poor typist. Why does he need to know how to type to do well on a computer-based test?

A: If your son excels at Minecraft, he'll do fine on test items that require a student to "drag and drop" a correct answer, but he needs to polish his typing skills for the short answer and essay responses.

The old "fill in the bubble" multiple-choice tests are now as rare as carbon paper. Today's computer-based assessments make use of a range of digital capabilities to help kids "show what they know."

Created to align with Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the new tests are more nuanced and don't look for one right answer. They are packed with open response questions constructed to test whether students can think critically, analyze and solve problems, write a cogent essay and provide thoughtful, short responses to questions.

In other words, the tests give students opportunities to demonstrate their thinking -- something everyone agrees is hard with multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank items.

Most states assessing the CCSS use one of two test providers: Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC, parcconline.org/for-parents) and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (smarterbalanced.org).

Each organization provides sample practice items for each tested grade on their websites. For example, a sample seventh-grade PARCC English test item asks students to read two passages about electricity, watch a short TED Talk video about building circuits with Play-Doh, and then write an essay, explaining their thinking with evidence from each source.

California educator Corinne Burton visits school districts around the country in her capacity as president of Teacher Created Materials, an education publisher. She says teachers are pushing to get students up to speed in keyboarding.

"We're seeing this all over," she says. "After years on the decline, keyboarding classes are coming back. Schools are setting instructional standards for keyboarding and beefing up their programs to get students ready for digital testing. Parents can help."

Burton has successfully used Typing.com and some online games with her own kids to prepare them.

She suggests that parents ask their kids' teachers which test provider their school is using.

"Go to the provider's website and try out with your kids the sample test questions at the appropriate grade level," says Burton. "You'll not only get a sense of how they'll fare at typing with time constraints, you'll see what skill and concept mastery the new standards expect of students."

In life, there are no multiple-choice answers, says Jeff Nellhaus, director of policy, research and design for PARCC. "You have to construct your own answers from your own knowledge and drawing on other sources to get information."

The new tests are designed to measure students' ability to do just that. It would be a shame if poor keyboarding skills prevented your son from demonstrating what he really knows.

(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 fifth-grade son loves reading and science and does well in them, but he has always had trouble in math. His teacher says he's "working below capacity." The trouble is, she really can't describe what "below capacity" means. Does that mean he's below grade level?

A: You say he's always had trouble with math, so it could mean that he's working below fifth-grade level and has been promoted from grade to grade without fully mastering math content each year. Or it could mean that he knows the material but doesn't love the subject and simply doesn't apply himself.

Whatever the reason, you're right to be concerned, says San Jose, California, fifth-grade teacher Bill Laraway.

"When students do well in most subjects but lag in one, parents and teachers sometimes assume that they'll just catch up," he says. "But math is one of those subjects requiring a strong early foundation. Students must master one set of skills before moving to another. Your son will need to up his math game to be successful in middle school math and science."

Schedule another conference with his teacher, suggests Laraway.

"Ask her to pinpoint areas where his skills and understanding are weak," he says. "Create a plan to help him quickly come up to speed. This could mean working with a resource teacher who suggests practice activities that you monitor. You could also consider a tutor. If he truly lacks skill mastery, you have to help him catch up."

If he knows the material and just doesn't apply himself, "show him that math can be useful in his day-to-day life, that he can have fun with it and it can be a lifelong tool to make life easier," says Laraway.

Find fun math-related games and puzzles to challenge him.

"Since he loves science," Laraway says, "show him how key math is in higher-level science. There are no successful scientists who fail at math."

Many parents want tangible ways to understand if their child is on track in school, says Bill Jackson, president and founder of GreatSchools.org, an organization that supports parental engagement in their children's education.

"Report cards don't tell the whole story," he says. "With the new state learning standards, parents are demanding easy ways to know if a child is working on grade level."

To demonstrate what skill proficiency looks like, GreatSchools created a series of short Milestone Videos to help parents assess their child's progress in reading, writing and math in grades kindergarten through five. Click on the fifth-grade math milestones, for example, and you'll see a teacher guiding a student through key skills such as adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators and estimating answers to word problems.

The videos in English and Spanish highlight three to five key elements of the standards in each subject. Before meeting with your son's teacher, go through the fifth-grade math videos to learn what "on grade level" means in math, says Jackson.

"Does the son appear to understand the concepts?" he asks. "If not, try the fourth-grade math videos, and so on. You'll get a sense of what he may still need to learn."

To access the Milestone Videos, go to greatschools.org/milestones or check out the YouTube channel: youtube.com/greatschools.

(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 son turns 5 in August. My sister suggests we hold him back a year from kindergarten. He's shy and not as academic as her 5-year-old daughter, who reads picture books. Will the school give him a readiness test? What factors determine if we should hold him back?

A: Some parents hold back a child to give "the gift of time" to catch up to today's higher levels of kindergarten readiness. A few do it to give a child a leg up for later participation in sports. But don't do it because your sister tells you to.

There is no clear data on the academic, social and emotional benefits of holding a child back. After reviewing studies, Deborah Stipek of Stanford University concluded that whatever gains might exist in the early elementary years disappear by the end of upper elementary school. There is data from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggesting that an average kindergartner actually benefits from exposure to more mature peers.

Consider the following factors, says Robin Obey, an experienced K-1 teacher in North Bellmore, New York:

-- Each child develops cognitively, socially, physically and emotionally at a different pace.

"Kindergarten teachers expect a wide range of ability and behaviors in each class and are prepared to accommodate each learner," Obey says.

-- Kindergartners aren't expected to be able to read when they enter school. A few may be emerging readers, but most are not.

"Don't compare him with his cousin," says Obey. "She's the exception, not the norm."

-- If your son is in preschool, consult his teachers.

"Their observations can be invaluable in your decision," Obey advises.

-- A kindergarten screening is essential.

"Each school has one and he'll be assessed for speech or cognitive delays," says Obey. "The results can offer guidance."

-- Accelerate your son's readiness.

"Parents don't realize how much they can do with simple activities, says Obey. "The most important? Read to him every day. Include some of the wonderful books about starting kindergarten."

Play word games such as, "I say cat. You say rat." Play I Spy and Categories: "Let's think of things that are red ..." Encourage storytelling: "Tell me what happened when we went to the zoo." Take photos and have your son dictate captions. Have him draw a story; dictate what's happening while you write the words.

Give your son simple tasks, such as sorting laundry or setting the table, to build one-to-one correspondence, number sense and independence. Provide multistep directions to develop listening skills and ability to focus.

Boost his fine motor skills: Sculpt with Play-Doh; tear up junk mail; use scissors; draw.

Provide opportunities to socialize in small and large group settings.

"His shyness can be a personality trait or just how he is right now," Obey notes. "One year, the youngest child in my class barely spoke. She's now the president of her high school class."

Unless the screening tests reveal a problem, Obey advises you to focus your energies on getting your son excited about going to kindergarten this fall.

"Reinforce simple readiness skills every day," she says. "Your school can provide a list of those skills, or find them online at state education department websites."

(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.)