The Placement Exam

Our Placement Exam operates in a “test out” mode. This means that we assign a series of subjects based on your child’s age and then ask the most challenging questions from each subject. If your child answers all the questions correctly, we move on to new subjects. If they answer questions incorrectly or skip questions, we register that your child needs additional teaching in that subject.

Because of our approach to placement, if your student is significantly ahead of other students their age, the Placement Exam will take them longer. This is actually a good thing because (1) it confirms that your student is already excelling at mathematics, and (2) it allows us to provide customized, targeted learning that will keep them more engaged once they move out of the placement test.

It is important that your student understands that using the Skip option in our system, especially during the Placement Exam, should be reserved for questions that are too challenging. Our system treats skips as incorrect answers. If a child encounters a question that is too difficult during the Placement Exam, it is much better for them to skip it and review that material than to try to power through.

You can determine if any subject is in test out mode by accessing the Overview tab on the Dashboard. In the Active Curriculum section, any subject in test out mode will have a star next to its name.

When doing the Placement Exam, your student’s usage of the app should mirror the planned usage after the exam. To reiterate, we recommend using the app no more than 10 minutes per day, 3 days per week.

Our Placement Exam is intended to be seamless for your child so they do not feel like they are being tested. Our technology automatically switches from the Placement Exam to coursework when your child is ready, and they will not be able to notice the difference. The puzzles are all activities that have been proven to teach math concepts, and children learn by solving them.

Sometimes, children answer incorrectly or skip questions accidentally during the Placement Exam. If that happens, you can put any subject back into test out mode by going to the Overview tab on the Dashboard. In the Active Curriculum section, click on the subject, and you will see a button that says Test Out. This is a great way to allow your student to pick right back up where they left off.‍

If you helped your child during the placement exam, or you need them to retake the exam for any reason, you can do this by logging in via a web browser at https://v2.elephantlearning.com. Navigate to the Manage Account option using the menu in the upper-right corner of the screen (click on the icon showing a stack of three lines), and click on the Students tab.

If you want to remove the old data, you may remove the student and then add them back. When you do this, the previous answers will be eliminated and the student will be assigned the default Placement Exam for their age.

To set a new assignment, you may click Change Assignment.

Note: It is important to ensure that the placement exam starts behind their level, so the system can "catch up" to them. Doing this avoids the student needing to fail back to the desired level.