JLaurie wrote:I appreciate the time you all took in commenting. I agree with most of you. If he were meant to be in it, he will. If not, he isn't quite ready. The problem I have with that is...
For the first time he wants to study and do work. (I think I hear angels singing hallelujah in the background). I want to encourage and support that. Telling him to pay attention in class and not to worry about it seems not quite so helpful. Maybe if he studies or does extra work it will reduce his stressing as he is taking action himself.
I know what it is like to have a kid that loves math! I can see that you are supporting and encouraging your son in what he loves.
I think that the point is that he can help himself to be calm about the test by paying attention in class and working hard on the homework his teacher assigns. By the time they are taking the sixth grade math class (in your child's case, the one he will be taking while he is still in fifth grade) they are being taught all they need to know to take the algebra readiness test.
I may be misunderstanding, but I read your posts to say that he doesn't do his homework presently but now that he is worried about the IAAT, you are hoping to find workbooks focused on the IAAT for him to do. If he has not been interested in studying and doing homework up to this point, a perfect starting point now that he is interested is for him to focus on the assigned work and do his best. Even though he gets great grades as it is now, 1) at some point, he may not be able to get those great grades if he is not doing the work, and, 2) learning is not all about the grades: he may find he actually learns more when he pays close attention and does the assigned work.
My children's math teachers sent home lists of online sites that had fun math games that kids could play when their homework was done but they still wanted to do more math. Maybe your son's teacher has a similar list, or you could ask him or her for some suggestions.