Failing Tests

[Anonymous]

My child cannot succeed on in-person tests. DC can write research papers, do labs, accurately complete homework, give oral presentations, etc., but fails close to every single in class timed test (even with extra time). One teacher gave the class a practice test and DC got an A on the practice test only to fail the actual test with identical material. Yes, there is some anxiety component here, I'm sure, but tests are a part of high school, and I'm at a loss here. The school is telling me that DC needs to study more, but this kid goes in and knows the material. One of the teachers even told me that she spoke with DC before returning the test and asked a ton of questions and that it was clear that DC knew that material (and how to apply it) cold. Please help.

[Anonymous]

Ask if the IEP can mandate alternative assessments such as conversation with a teacher.

Is DC visibly distressed or off-task during the test? Blank answers, wrong answers, refusal? Tell us more about how it goes.

[Anonymous]

OP, you don't mention an IEP. You need the help of the disability services office in the form of a 504 or an IEP. That will take testing and time. Then you can ask for accommodations to meet your child's needs.

[Anonymous]

What if it were good enough? Yeah her grade will be lower. Has she ever just lived with the outcome?

[Anonymous]

Op here. It's private school and lower grades mean academic probation or being asked to leave...School will not allow alternative testing approaches (of even a separate room) other than extended time. We're at a point where moving schools is not desirable, especially when I think DC would have this issue anywhere. Tests always have been challenging but in younger grades it was easier to balance out a bad test with other work. Now with fewer graded opportunities, a bad test can tank a grade. School does not allow any retakes, make-up, or mastery work. There has to be a way that DC can figure out the issues. I've looked at time of day, classes that abut lunch, etc. but DC tells me that he simply gets "confused" when the test arrives, regardless of subject.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. It's private school and lower grades mean academic probation or being asked to leave...School will not allow alternative testing approaches (of even a separate room) other than extended time. We're at a point where moving schools is not desirable, especially when I think DC would have this issue anywhere. Tests always have been challenging but in younger grades it was easier to balance out a bad test with other work. Now with fewer graded opportunities, a bad test can tank a grade. School does not allow any retakes, make-up, or mastery work. There has to be a way that DC can figure out the issues. I've looked at time of day, classes that abut lunch, etc. but DC tells me that he simply gets "confused" when the test arrives, regardless of subject.

Have you tested reading comprehension skills specifically in this context?

[Anonymous]

If he truly knows the material cold and can get an A on a precise test but fail the actual test it has to be anxiety or a version of the yips.

If he knows the material cold but can’t show it on tests but can explain it verbally then it is probably a learning disability.

Third option (my kid’s situation) is they FEEL like they know it cold but they don’t. They know it enough to do a practice test right after studying or having it explained, but they don’t retain the material like other kids do and it evaporates between studying one day and the test the next. They worked harder than other kids and understood it as well in the moment…but for him that isn’t enough to perform 24 hours later. He has dyslexia.

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to say to the OP I know how you feel. My kid is in private and DC always fails tests. It is so frustrating for DC to put the effort in when they know the results don't match the effort. DC also has dyslexia and ADHD. The number of times teachers have told me that DC just needs to study more.....
I have come to telling myself that passing is good enough, although currently am very stressed about a D in a class.

[Anonymous]

I’d have a full neuropsychological and work with a CBT specialist. I would also ask for teachers to keep an eye on the kid to see what the behavior looks like during tests. Is the kid staring into space, writing feverishly, erasing a lot? What does the test behavior look like? I’d meet with the principal to explain the situation and ask for help understanding what the problem is. If the kid could do well on a test administered in a private room with a proctor, that would be informative, even if not allowed every time. If an adult reviews the test after it is corrected with the kid, can the kid recognize errors?

[Anonymous]

Sometimes too much time can be detrimental as kids overthink and second guess their answers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child cannot succeed on in-person tests. DC can write research papers, do labs, accurately complete homework, give oral presentations, etc., but fails close to every single in class timed test (even with extra time). One teacher gave the class a practice test and DC got an A on the practice test only to fail the actual test with identical material. Yes, there is some anxiety component here, I'm sure, but tests are a part of high school, and I'm at a loss here. The school is telling me that DC needs to study more, but this kid goes in and knows the material. One of the teachers even told me that she spoke with DC before returning the test and asked a ton of questions and that it was clear that DC knew that material (and how to apply it) cold. Please help.

It’s strange that he wouldn’t stressed out by presentations. If he thinks that his poor test performance is caused by anxiety then you should talk to his psychiatrist about Clonidine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. It's private school and lower grades mean academic probation or being asked to leave...School will not allow alternative testing approaches (of even a separate room) other than extended time. We're at a point where moving schools is not desirable, especially when I think DC would have this issue anywhere. Tests always have been challenging but in younger grades it was easier to balance out a bad test with other work. Now with fewer graded opportunities, a bad test can tank a grade. School does not allow any retakes, make-up, or mastery work. There has to be a way that DC can figure out the issues. I've looked at time of day, classes that abut lunch, etc. but DC tells me that he simply gets "confused" when the test arrives, regardless of subject.

TBC: the bold is illegal. Under the ADA and Section 504, schools are obliged to make reasonable accommodations for students -- even private schools, even private catholic schools (often because they have accepted public money in some way and also because it seems to be a policy of the catholic education structure in any case).

The school must make an individual determination about whether there is a disability that substantially limits a major life activity (that is the 504 standard), and it must individually determine what accommodations are necessary and reasonable.

It is not legally permissible for any school of any type to say, "we only offer 1 accommodation". It is also not legally permissible to make a determination of disability solely on the basis of grades, i.e. to say "student is getting good grades, so there is no disability and/or no need for accommodations". A disability determination must include a number of different sources of info and must be individualized to the student.

As an aside, I'll say that as a tutor who has worked with many students with different kinds of "disabilities," the pattern you describe - knowing the material but failing the test - can be a function of different issues: anxiety, processing speed (can't finish all the test Qs or can't finish without rushing and making inattentive mistakes), working memory (doesn't memorize formulas or concepts or can't remember all steps of a process), ADHD (often see mistakes due to inattention, rushing, impulsivity, doing too much in their head, distraction, miscopying, or poor organization of work, failing to answer all parts of a question, and also dysgraphia is commonly co-morbid with ADHD).

[Anonymous]

Is this across all test formats—paper vs online, multiple choice vs short answer? Do they bring tests home so you can see what went wrong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes too much time can be detrimental as kids overthink and second guess their answers.

This is true as my kid changed his answers on an important test recently and got a terrible score. We talked about it so he is more aware next time.

[Anonymous]

This happens to my son, more in math than other subjects. We specifically asked his tutor for hacks/ways not to screw up since he knows the calculus hard stuff. The tutor had some great practical advice-using color highlighters, spacing out the problems, circling stuff like the equal sign. We’ve also been given advice to do that on other tests. Circle the most important words in the directions (like give 2 examples- my son rushes with the first example and forgets to give the second example). The problem now for my kid is that he still wants to just dive in and not do the prep work that will make test taking easier.

You can also ask Chatgbt for tips. Put in a prompt of where your kid goes sideways (careless errors, not reading directions, not reading his own handwriting for equations) and ask for hacks.