Toucan: Calm Test Rehearsal For kids who worry about tests
Toucan is an iPad app: a rehearsal for the tests young children take at school. It reproduces how the real test feels: the kinds of questions, how many there are, the voice that reads them aloud, and the run of hard questions that every adaptive test throws at every child.
Nothing about the day is new. It is made for children who find tests stressful, and for the grown-ups who want to help without adding pressure. There is nothing to pass or fail. No timer, no lives, no score shown to the child. They see a count of the questions they got right on the first try, and that is all.
For iPad only, with iOS 17 or later. Free to download, in the United States.
What's inside
Each module rehearses one test, for one grade and one subject.
- Pre-K and K Early Literacy — prepares for Star Early Literacy. Free.
- Grade K–2 Math — prepares for Star Math. In-app purchase.
- Grade K–2 Math — prepares for MAP Growth. In-app purchase.
- Grade K–2 Math — prepares for i-Ready Inform, formerly the i-Ready Diagnostic. In-app purchase.
Every question was written for Toucan. Toucan is not affiliated with Renaissance, NWEA, Curriculum Associates or any state department of education.
How it works
Every module has the same four modes, and a walkthrough of the real test.
- Warm Up
- Three easy questions that teach how the screen works. Do this first.
- Let's Practice
- Questions that get harder and easier as the child goes, with a second try after a miss. Only the first try is recorded.
- One Thing
- One skill at a time, to work on the one they find hard.
- Just Like School
- A practice test. No help, no second try, and nothing that tells them whether an answer was right, the way the real one works.
- The real one
- A spoken walkthrough of what the day will be like: what they will see on the screen, and what they will be asked to do.
For grown-ups
- The grown-up panel sits behind a multiplication question. It is where you add children, assign modules, change settings and make purchases.
- It shows each child's practice history and a trend on Toucan's own scale, which is not a test score and predicts nothing.
- Nothing leaves the iPad. No account, no ads, no tracking. Purchases go through Apple.
- It works with no internet connection. Every question, picture and recording is inside the app.
Toucan is practice, not a curriculum or tutoring. It does not replace anything a child does at school, and it does not raise or predict a score.
Questions and answers
What is Toucan?
Toucan is an iPad app that rehearses the tests young children take at school. It reproduces how the real test feels, from the kinds of questions and the voice that reads them aloud to the run of hard questions, so that nothing about the day is new.
Who is Toucan for?
Toucan is for kids who worry about tests, and for the grown-ups who want to help without adding pressure. There is nothing to pass or fail: no timer, no lives and no score shown to the child.
Which tests does Toucan prepare for?
Toucan has four modules: Pre-K and K Early Literacy, which prepares for Star Early Literacy, and three Grade K–2 Math modules, which prepare for Star Math, MAP Growth and i-Ready Inform (formerly the i-Ready Diagnostic). Every question was written for Toucan. Toucan is not affiliated with Renaissance, NWEA, Curriculum Associates or any state department of education.
Does Toucan collect any data?
No. Toucan collects nothing: each child's profile, settings and practice stay on the iPad, with no account, no ads and no tracking. The only thing that leaves the iPad is a purchase, which goes through Apple.
What does Toucan cost?
Toucan is free to download, and its Pre-K and K Early Literacy module is free. Each Grade K–2 Math module is an in-app purchase, made by a grown-up in the grown-up panel.
Is Toucan a curriculum or tutoring?
No. Toucan is practice, not a curriculum or tutoring. It does not replace anything a child does at school, and it does not raise or predict a score.
Does Toucan need the internet?
No. Toucan works with no internet connection, because every question, picture and recording is inside the app. Only buying or restoring a module talks to Apple's App Store.
What age is Toucan for?
Toucan is for children from Pre-K to grade 2. The free Early Literacy module is for Pre-K and kindergarten, and the math modules are for kindergarten to grade 2. On the App Store, Toucan is Made for Kids, ages 6–8.
Get Toucan
Start with the free Early Literacy module and the Warm Up. Nothing needs an account.
For iPad only, with iOS 17 or later. Free to download, in the United States.