Help for MS Standardized Tests?

[Anonymous]

DS does extremely well in classwork, essays and class tests, all As and takes honors math, English, humanities etc. However, the standardized test scores are all over the place. Sometimes in the high 90s (both math/reading) sometimes as low as the 60s. I know he does better when he doesn't have a lot of advanced warning about the tests. So I don't know if we need to pursue therapy for anxiety or if we need a test prep place (it would need to be for both reading and math).

Anyone have suggestions for either/both? We are in the greater Olney area.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

This was my kid, and she ended up being diagnosed as 2e in high school: highly gifted with Inattentive ADHD. It was a matter of any little distraction derailing her attention and tanking the whole test. Could be an itchy sock, the kid next to her having a cold with an audible nose whistle, whatever.

Nobody realized it for years, because she was really good at pretending to pay attention in school so she didn’t get in trouble. All those little things like hair/clothes-chewing, skin-picking, compulsive origami-folding, etc. weren’t anxiety, they were the “stims” that kept her able to sit still in class and at least seem like she was paying attention.

She was smart enough to get all the concepts the first time, or she already knew the material, so she needed some way to hold it together for the rest of class, and not run screaming down the hallway. Things were much better once we got her into magnet programs. She still always does better in more challenging classes, and has a lot more trouble keeping up in the super-easy ones. Her only B in high school has been in one of her best subjects, in freshman year (pre-diagnosis).

We ultimately found that almost all her true anxiety issues were related to her dread of being in situations (like standardized tests) where she knew she’d struggle to focus and perform at her best. Or social situations where she’d have trouble focusing on the thread of conversations, or be likely to experience sensory overload.

I’m absolutely not saying your kid definitely has ADHD, just saying I recognized my own kid in your description. It’s something to keep in mind as you work through solutions first your own. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Start with how long has this been going on? Is it something recent or a trend? Ask the kid how they feel during standardized testing and if they are truly trying their best or getting distracted? Do they feel the test is too long? Etc.

Once you get some answers you can determine if you need to do anything else or if it’s just a phase. Schedule a meeting with the counselor, and ask to have the math resource teacher and English resource teacher review the kids test scores and strains.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Start with how long has this been going on? Is it something recent or a trend? Ask the kid how they feel during standardized testing and if they are truly trying their best or getting distracted? Do they feel the test is too long? Etc.

Once you get some answers you can determine if you need to do anything else or if it’s just a phase. Schedule a meeting with the counselor, and ask to have the math resource teacher and English resource teacher review the kids test scores and strains.

Thank you, this has been going on the entirety school career. He has spoken with the counselor and the math teacher suggested a psychologist so I am going to ask Pedi for referral.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was my kid, and she ended up being diagnosed as 2e in high school: highly gifted with Inattentive ADHD. It was a matter of any little distraction derailing her attention and tanking the whole test. Could be an itchy sock, the kid next to her having a cold with an audible nose whistle, whatever.

Nobody realized it for years, because she was really good at pretending to pay attention in school so she didn’t get in trouble. All those little things like hair/clothes-chewing, skin-picking, compulsive origami-folding, etc. weren’t anxiety, they were the “stims” that kept her able to sit still in class and at least seem like she was paying attention.

She was smart enough to get all the concepts the first time, or she already knew the material, so she needed some way to hold it together for the rest of class, and not run screaming down the hallway. Things were much better once we got her into magnet programs. She still always does better in more challenging classes, and has a lot more trouble keeping up in the super-easy ones. Her only B in high school has been in one of her best subjects, in freshman year (pre-diagnosis).

We ultimately found that almost all her true anxiety issues were related to her dread of being in situations (like standardized tests) where she knew she’d struggle to focus and perform at her best. Or social situations where she’d have trouble focusing on the thread of conversations, or be likely to experience sensory overload.

I’m absolutely not saying your kid definitely has ADHD, just saying I recognized my own kid in your description. It’s something to keep in mind as you work through solutions first your own. Good luck!

Thank you! this is really interesting, this is a boy who couldn't stand tags, seams in socks etc. for a very long time. It's as you described dread of being in situations - not knowing ahead of time = scoring really well on the tests. I will talk to the Pedi about this as well.