Son bombs standardized testing - recs for improving?

[Anonymous]

My DS is almost 13 and continues to struggle with math SOL testing. He has improved on the foundational concepts of math through tutoring and is more successful than not when working on paper. But when it comes to standardized testing, he struggles. I was the same way with SATs and my test scores were always crap, even if I was good in the subject otherwise. Some people do well in that environment, others don't.

Is there a way to help him to better perform under the pressure of standardized testing structures? Do tutors specialize in this? Are there any online resources that mimic the structure and can help a student to better perform organizationally? Really want to help set him up for success as he begins to transition to middle school. TIA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is almost 13 and continues to struggle with math SOL testing. He has improved on the foundational concepts of math through tutoring and is more successful than not when working on paper. But when it comes to standardized testing, he struggles. I was the same way with SATs and my test scores were always crap, even if I was good in the subject otherwise. Some people do well in that environment, others don't.

Is there a way to help him to better perform under the pressure of standardized testing structures? Do tutors specialize in this? Are there any online resources that mimic the structure and can help a student to better perform organizationally? Really want to help set him up for success as he begins to transition to middle school. TIA!

There are a few things I'd recommend over the summer in my experience as a middle school teacher (home on mat leave now).

First, take the time to get your son checked out for learning disabilities. Middle school is around the time a lot of students can't compensate for processing issues or other disabilities. It happens more than people think and many times in middle school, they aren't looking terribly closely at the kids and will attribute issues to maturity.

Second, look into some sort of structured tutoring like Mathnesium. I would also try to get your son reading through a summer program with the library. This will help with the summer loss.

Third, don't freak out and don't let him freak out. This is also an age that students lose confidence and I've seen so many kids develop school anxiety when they struggled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is almost 13 and continues to struggle with math SOL testing. He has improved on the foundational concepts of math through tutoring and is more successful than not when working on paper. But when it comes to standardized testing, he struggles. I was the same way with SATs and my test scores were always crap, even if I was good in the subject otherwise. Some people do well in that environment, others don't.

Is there a way to help him to better perform under the pressure of standardized testing structures? Do tutors specialize in this? Are there any online resources that mimic the structure and can help a student to better perform organizationally? Really want to help set him up for success as he begins to transition to middle school. TIA!

There are a few things I'd recommend over the summer in my experience as a middle school teacher (home on mat leave now).

First, take the time to get your son checked out for learning disabilities. Middle school is around the time a lot of students can't compensate for processing issues or other disabilities. It happens more than people think and many times in middle school, they aren't looking terribly closely at the kids and will attribute issues to maturity.

Second, look into some sort of structured tutoring like Mathnesium. I would also try to get your son reading through a summer program with the library. This will help with the summer loss.

Third, don't freak out and don't let him freak out. This is also an age that students lose confidence and I've seen so many kids develop school anxiety when they struggled.

OP here, thanks. Yes, he has ADHD. He's also been going to Mathnasium 3x per week for the past year, that's been very helpful but I'm looking now towards an individual tutor approach as I think he could benefit from more one-on-one assistance. I'm thinking he could use some skillset training on organizational skills so that he can process test-taking more effectively, but I'm not entirely sure and that's really where I'm hitting a wall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is almost 13 and continues to struggle with math SOL testing. He has improved on the foundational concepts of math through tutoring and is more successful than not when working on paper. But when it comes to standardized testing, he struggles. I was the same way with SATs and my test scores were always crap, even if I was good in the subject otherwise. Some people do well in that environment, others don't.

Is there a way to help him to better perform under the pressure of standardized testing structures? Do tutors specialize in this? Are there any online resources that mimic the structure and can help a student to better perform organizationally? Really want to help set him up for success as he begins to transition to middle school. TIA!

There are a few things I'd recommend over the summer in my experience as a middle school teacher (home on mat leave now).

First, take the time to get your son checked out for learning disabilities. Middle school is around the time a lot of students can't compensate for processing issues or other disabilities. It happens more than people think and many times in middle school, they aren't looking terribly closely at the kids and will attribute issues to maturity.

Second, look into some sort of structured tutoring like Mathnesium. I would also try to get your son reading through a summer program with the library. This will help with the summer loss.

Third, don't freak out and don't let him freak out. This is also an age that students lose confidence and I've seen so many kids develop school anxiety when they struggled.

OP here, thanks. Yes, he has ADHD. He's also been going to Mathnasium 3x per week for the past year, that's been very helpful but I'm looking now towards an individual tutor approach as I think he could benefit from more one-on-one assistance. I'm thinking he could use some skillset training on organizational skills so that he can process test-taking more effectively, but I'm not entirely sure and that's really where I'm hitting a wall.

PP here. Yes! I've had parents get their insurance to cover the costs of executive functioning therapy (not coaching -- therapy). It does wonders, OP. Look into this.

Additionally, make sure his IEP is effective. Is he running out of time? Does he need breaks? Reading aloud? Supports might help him as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is almost 13 and continues to struggle with math SOL testing. He has improved on the foundational concepts of math through tutoring and is more successful than not when working on paper. But when it comes to standardized testing, he struggles. I was the same way with SATs and my test scores were always crap, even if I was good in the subject otherwise. Some people do well in that environment, others don't.

Is there a way to help him to better perform under the pressure of standardized testing structures? Do tutors specialize in this? Are there any online resources that mimic the structure and can help a student to better perform organizationally? Really want to help set him up for success as he begins to transition to middle school. TIA!

There are a few things I'd recommend over the summer in my experience as a middle school teacher (home on mat leave now).

First, take the time to get your son checked out for learning disabilities. Middle school is around the time a lot of students can't compensate for processing issues or other disabilities. It happens more than people think and many times in middle school, they aren't looking terribly closely at the kids and will attribute issues to maturity.

Second, look into some sort of structured tutoring like Mathnesium. I would also try to get your son reading through a summer program with the library. This will help with the summer loss.

Third, don't freak out and don't let him freak out. This is also an age that students lose confidence and I've seen so many kids develop school anxiety when they struggled.

OP here, thanks. Yes, he has ADHD. He's also been going to Mathnasium 3x per week for the past year, that's been very helpful but I'm looking now towards an individual tutor approach as I think he could benefit from more one-on-one assistance. I'm thinking he could use some skillset training on organizational skills so that he can process test-taking more effectively, but I'm not entirely sure and that's really where I'm hitting a wall.

PP here. Yes! I've had parents get their insurance to cover the costs of executive functioning therapy (not coaching -- therapy). It does wonders, OP. Look into this.

Additionally, make sure his IEP is effective. Is he running out of time? Does he need breaks? Reading aloud? Supports might help him as well.

Thanks so much!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is almost 13 and continues to struggle with math SOL testing. He has improved on the foundational concepts of math through tutoring and is more successful than not when working on paper. But when it comes to standardized testing, he struggles. I was the same way with SATs and my test scores were always crap, even if I was good in the subject otherwise. Some people do well in that environment, others don't.

Is there a way to help him to better perform under the pressure of standardized testing structures? Do tutors specialize in this? Are there any online resources that mimic the structure and can help a student to better perform organizationally? Really want to help set him up for success as he begins to transition to middle school. TIA!

There are a few things I'd recommend over the summer in my experience as a middle school teacher (home on mat leave now).

First, take the time to get your son checked out for learning disabilities. Middle school is around the time a lot of students can't compensate for processing issues or other disabilities. It happens more than people think and many times in middle school, they aren't looking terribly closely at the kids and will attribute issues to maturity.

Second, look into some sort of structured tutoring like Mathnesium. I would also try to get your son reading through a summer program with the library. This will help with the summer loss.

Third, don't freak out and don't let him freak out. This is also an age that students lose confidence and I've seen so many kids develop school anxiety when they struggled.

OP here, thanks. Yes, he has ADHD. He's also been going to Mathnasium 3x per week for the past year, that's been very helpful but I'm looking now towards an individual tutor approach as I think he could benefit from more one-on-one assistance. I'm thinking he could use some skillset training on organizational skills so that he can process test-taking more effectively, but I'm not entirely sure and that's really where I'm hitting a wall.

PP here. Yes! I've had parents get their insurance to cover the costs of executive functioning therapy (not coaching -- therapy). It does wonders, OP. Look into this.

Additionally, make sure his IEP is effective. Is he running out of time? Does he need breaks? Reading aloud? Supports might help him as well.

Thanks so much!

I'm happy to help, OP. But one thing to know is that there is this whole self-advocacy approach that starts in middle school. Lazy bad schools use this as a way to avoid having fidelity to an IEP (not that magic word fidelity). But if you haven't help your kid develop the executive function skills to even do this, it's a complete house of cards. So, keep on eye on weather your son is actually using the supports that he is entitled to -- some kids find it embarrassing and I hate to admit this but some teachers shame kids who advocate. Just be careful.

I've taught middle school for 8 years and spent 5 in high school and 3 in elementary and I think middle is so freaking precarious. Parents need to understand that these years are like preschool in that they set a trajectory and if a kid has an issue, it will snowball thanks to hormones and the hands off nature of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is almost 13 and continues to struggle with math SOL testing. He has improved on the foundational concepts of math through tutoring and is more successful than not when working on paper. But when it comes to standardized testing, he struggles. I was the same way with SATs and my test scores were always crap, even if I was good in the subject otherwise. Some people do well in that environment, others don't.

Is there a way to help him to better perform under the pressure of standardized testing structures? Do tutors specialize in this? Are there any online resources that mimic the structure and can help a student to better perform organizationally? Really want to help set him up for success as he begins to transition to middle school. TIA!

There are a few things I'd recommend over the summer in my experience as a middle school teacher (home on mat leave now).

First, take the time to get your son checked out for learning disabilities. Middle school is around the time a lot of students can't compensate for processing issues or other disabilities. It happens more than people think and many times in middle school, they aren't looking terribly closely at the kids and will attribute issues to maturity.

Second, look into some sort of structured tutoring like Mathnesium. I would also try to get your son reading through a summer program with the library. This will help with the summer loss.

Third, don't freak out and don't let him freak out. This is also an age that students lose confidence and I've seen so many kids develop school anxiety when they struggled.

OP here, thanks. Yes, he has ADHD. He's also been going to Mathnasium 3x per week for the past year, that's been very helpful but I'm looking now towards an individual tutor approach as I think he could benefit from more one-on-one assistance. I'm thinking he could use some skillset training on organizational skills so that he can process test-taking more effectively, but I'm not entirely sure and that's really where I'm hitting a wall.

PP here. Yes! I've had parents get their insurance to cover the costs of executive functioning therapy (not coaching -- therapy). It does wonders, OP. Look into this.

Additionally, make sure his IEP is effective. Is he running out of time? Does he need breaks? Reading aloud? Supports might help him as well.

Thanks so much!

I'm happy to help, OP. But one thing to know is that there is this whole self-advocacy approach that starts in middle school. Lazy bad schools use this as a way to avoid having fidelity to an IEP (not that magic word fidelity). But if you haven't help your kid develop the executive function skills to even do this, it's a complete house of cards. So, keep on eye on weather your son is actually using the supports that he is entitled to -- some kids find it embarrassing and I hate to admit this but some teachers shame kids who advocate. Just be careful.

I've taught middle school for 8 years and spent 5 in high school and 3 in elementary and I think middle is so freaking precarious. Parents need to understand that these years are like preschool in that they set a trajectory and if a kid has an issue, it will snowball thanks to hormones and the hands off nature of school.

Pot, meet kettle.

[Anonymous]

Does he have an IEP? My DS takes the SOLs either in a room by himself with a teacher or with only a few other kids to limit distractions. He has ADHD.

[Anonymous]

Also, if he has an IEP, he might be able to have a paper/pencil accommodation, if you feel that he'd do better with a paper test.

[Anonymous]

OP here, he does have an IEP but I wasn't assertive enough in ensuring that there could be a pencil/paper option. I'll definitely push for that in 7th grade, though.

And to the PP who gave insights into self-advocacy in the middle school years, thank you. I found it to be very helpful. This is all unchartered territory for me and I appreciate your insights and expertise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, he does have an IEP but I wasn't assertive enough in ensuring that there could be a pencil/paper option. I'll definitely push for that in 7th grade, though.

And to the PP who gave insights into self-advocacy in the middle school years, thank you. I found it to be very helpful. This is all unchartered territory for me and I appreciate your insights and expertise.

PP here! I'm happy to have helped!

Oh and to the PP being shady about the typo in my post, I did that post via voicetexting with a baby nursing. So, have a zillion seats, jerk.

OP, I hope your son has a fantastic year next year! Middle school is such an interesting, important time. I actually think it rivals early childhood education where if you can get the foundation set right, high school (and college) will be easier to build toward.

[Anonymous]

My child with ADHD has a 504 which includes the option to test in a small group setting and have extra time if needed. We haven't needed either of those accommodations yet but appreciate them being available.

There are people out there called ADHD Coaches who might be able to help with some of the organizational stuff. Otherwise in your shoes I would just look for a math tutor who can really work with your son on review, test strategy etc. My child's main issues with testing are working memory and retaining/recalling the information as well as making impulsive errors and/or not reading the question thoroughly due to impulsivity.

Fwiw we first started looking into the possibility of learning disorders after my child completely failed the first go at standardized testing in 3rd grade when the results did not match the knowledge of the material.