Timed math tests in kindergarten

[Anonymous]

Our son has passed his first "math minute" (20 addition facts in 60 seconds). He has the facts down pat but writing the answers is slowing him down. It's stressing him out. Is this a normal thing for kindergartners. He's on the autism spectrum and his self stimulating habits (humming, hand flapping, lip picking) have noticeably worsened since these daily tests started.

[Anonymous]

That's not something we had in K. Doesn't seem appropriate to me, especially every day!

[Anonymous]

Not okay at all. Have his IEP changed so he doesn't have to do this. If he doesn't have an IEP tell the teacher you don't want him to do this and emphasize the stress he feels. What kind of school is this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not okay at all. Have his IEP changed so he doesn't have to do this. If he doesn't have an IEP tell the teacher you don't want him to do this and emphasize the stress he feels. What kind of school is this?

All of this and not appropriate for NT kids in Kindergarten!

[Anonymous]

Not appropriate! My NT kindergartner wouldn't be able to write that fast either, and would also get nervous or act out. That time limit is way over the top, unless it's some kind of optional game.

[Anonymous]

Wow. That makes my blood boil.

[Anonymous]

No! They start that crap in second grade, which is bad enough. Go to the principal.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the responses. I'm meeting with his team on Friday and will request that he not be time tested. I thought this was over the top for kindergarten but I hear parents with first graders also complaining about all the pressure, and not just SN kids.

[Anonymous]

That's terrible! It's bad enough for my 3rd grader who started being timed in 2nd. He finds it very stressful. His 2nd grade teacher stopped timing him once she picked up on the issue. Thank goodness she recognized how much anxiety it was causing (I didn't even have to tell her!). Later she timed him but gave him longer than the other kids. That helped. His 3rd grade teacher doesn't give him extra time (even with a 504 extra time accommodation). He's pretty much given up. If I just mention them, he becomes upset. I have told him to just do what he can and it doesn't matter if he finishes (don't think he ever has finished one).

[Anonymous]

I had in 2nd grade. I hated it.

[Anonymous]

Not appropriate for at all. Seriously. The research is against this.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/07/03/36boaler.h31.html

From the article:
"In Beilock’s recent research conducted with children in 1st and 2nd grade, she found that levels of math anxiety did not correlate with grade level, reading level, or parental income. For the most capable students, the research confirms, stress impedes the functioning of their working memory and reduces achievement. Research conducted at Stanford revealed that math anxiety changes the structure and workings of the brain."

[Anonymous]

^^^Sorry. Meant to add that timed tests cause math anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Former elementary math teacher here.

Timed tests are not appropriate for any student. It does not help students learn facts any faster. In fact, the only thing it does (beside cause undo anxiety) is to cause students to use inefficient strategies faster and with increased errors. If a child is counting on his/her fingers, that child will still count on fingers when taking a timed test. And, as a result, will make more errors.

Students who know the facts don’t need these tests. Students who are learning the facts are not going to do well and will only learn that math is not fun.

There are so many better ways for kids to practice their facts with the goal of committing them to memory. Engage them with games in which they need to use the facts. Make it a challenge for a student to master an additional fact each week. But, above all, make sure the student is making sense of the operations when they are learning to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.

And, to be doing this in kindergarten borders on abuse, IMO. This is not teaching. Shame on this teacher.

[Anonymous]

In KINDERGARTEN? Oh my word that's not appropriate for any kid that age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No! They start that crap in second grade, which is bad enough. Go to the principal.

In the 80's I did this in 2nd grade. I was in the top math class (I'm not bragging - it didn't get me anywhere in life) and it was only our class that did it. We loved it.