With growing importance being placed on standardized testing, parents and educators alike are finding that adequate preparation for state-mandated tests and in-classroom exams is critical. The U.S. Department of Education reveals that while most students make steady progress during the school year, they tend to fall behind during holidays and summer months. A solution is needed that helps students continue academic progress during their breaks and achieve higher scores on crucial tests when school is back in session. Come January, schools across Georgia will begin preparing for CRCTs, and the pressure is on principals and teachers to produce.

Qwizzy’s World ( www.qwizzysworld.com ), an online study tool that focuses on comprehension instead of memorization, has become a reliable resource for zapping test anxiety and improving scores in the classroom. QW helps students of all ages better prepare for tests, whether they are classroom quizzes/tests or standardized statewide tests like Georgia’s CRCTs. It’s also a fun way to keep kids from losing valuable knowledge they have learned up till the holidays. QW was founded by Forsyth County resident and mother of two, Julie Wilson, who began finding homework time more and more frustrating. As she explains it, homework time at the kitchen table brought on anxiety for her and her son, who was struggling with a couple of subjects. “Endless hours of verbally quizzing, creating quizzes on Microsoft Word and making flash cards left no time for the activities that my son should have been engaging in after a long day at school – like playing sports or playing outside with his neighborhood friends,” said Julie Wilson.

Online quiz sites Wilson explored offered ‘generic’ tests and didn’t correspond with what was being taught currently in her children’s classrooms. Plus, she had no idea how dated the test material was that was being presented online. That’s when the light bulb went off and Qwizzy’s World came together.

Besides helping kids study more efficiently, Julie wanted to make parents’ lives easier, too, alleviating the stress of study time. “The creation of Qwizzy’s World attempts to provide parents and students a web-based self-quizzing tool that reduces preparation time necessary for in-class testing,” explained Wilson. The use of fun and age-appropriate characters makes the site fun to navigate.

Also available is a tutorial called “Wilson the Whiz Kid,” which teaches users how to organize their study materials and create quiz questions from those materials. “Students often have a hard time figuring out how to prepare for a test. By learning how to organize their materials, they will use their time more wisely – as most teachers and homes choolers could tell you. Creating quiz questions is an art, and our tutorial helps users get started in the right direction,” said Wilson.

Here’s how it works. Anyone can establish an account on Qwizzy’s World by activating a 30-day free trial. Then they can begin creating their own tests using study materials, which only have to be entered one time. ‘Qwizzy’ randomizes questions so that quizzes are challenging and exciting, and several quiz formats are available, including multiple choice, matching and others. “You can take a series of quizzes and create an ‘Ultimate Quiz,’ perfect for studying for finals. Both of my kids have had fun doing this, and I have seen their efforts consistently reflected in their grades,” commented Wilson. All quizzes are stored and can be used multiple times when brush-ups are necessary, like winter break.

Some of Qwizzy’s World’s unique features include:

The ‘Buddyshare’ feature is great for teachers and students, as they can create a quiz and share it with other select account holders.

By students entering their own material to create quizzes, they are seeing the material again, and typing it, which helps in retention of information.

It’s great for working parents who don’t have much time to help their kids study. In many cases, parents need to get involved just one time, when students are learning how to use QW.

QW creates efficiency for teachers, as they can divide up material, create a multitude of quizzes for a particular grade, and then share them. The randomizing feature is especially good, as it can help eliminate issues concerning “wandering eyes.”

QW is a great tool for tutors and suits home schoolers perfectly.

Families who use QW help build their students’ test-taking confidence, relieving test taking anxiety.

QW can be accessed from anywhere, any time, making study time and test-making convenient for all.

“Educators I have invited to try Qwizzy’s World have given me nothing but glowing feedback, and they see this tool as an asset to their respective school systems,” commented Wilson. Via Wilson’s newest division, the QW School Campaign, several Forsyth County, GA schools have incorporated QW, utilizing in the classrooms and making available at a discounted price to students. Participating schools earn a percentage back from all enrollments.

Schools in Georgia, Texas and Michigan have embraced the QW School Campaign, and Wilson’s goal is to take the program national. An essay-writing section will roll out in early 2010.

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