Linda1951 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 She is 11th gr. DOes well on her work. I had her take a GED practice test on the web and she failed the language and the math. on the math she just guesses, does not use her head to figure out the problem first and then the calculator. She does not retain info well. What am I to do. She will go to CC in two years., praying things will change to me is not the complete solution, they have to change. SHe keeps failing test she takes on the web. Her entrance test will be on the computer . sure she can take how ever many times, but to me taking it more than once is not an option. she needs to get it right the first time. Letting adult kids take a test over and over till they get it is just like the public school system. If she fails the test she will not be going to college. She knows that. She has been crying all morning because she failed both test. What do I do. I try to encourage her but she just seems not to care, and she says she does. NOt to me she does not. help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Is she able to take a CC course while still in high school where you live? Is the GED required to go to CC? It is here, but dc can take CC courses in high school, too. Have you worked with any test taking strategy books? Some dc just don't test well. As for retention, it may be that she needs to learn in a different way from what she's doing now, even at her age. What's her best learning style for retention? Would she learn better if she could move while studying, or by putting it to music, or by a combination? Would she do better if she talked it through in detail? Etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 If she's been crying all morning, she cares. :grouphug: What is her daily work like? Does she get most of it right? How about on the tests? If she's doing the daily work, and not doing well on that either, then you may want to get an evaluation. It sounds like you're both frustrated and need some answers so you can help her better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda1951 Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 well, on test very well as a matter of fact. She took one on the computer this morning that will kinda be like the one she would take at the CC TSI test. she failed every bit of it. She cried and cried. She cares but she also thinks it is going to be dropped into her lap and she will not have to do it if she continues to fight us on it. She knows better than that. I have also told her that if she does not want to go to college to say so now. The money is coming out of our pocket anyway. Too bad most places will not let you work and train for a position like they used to. I myself say she does not know what she wants to do., I really do not think she does. she says she does but show no effort to get there. Grades are good , but the stuff she would do in College will be a lot harder and she is not one of these kids being better because she is homeschooled. a trade school would cost a fortune that is why we were going to go the CC way. I have also informed her she needs to get a job. But she is afraid of that also. We are older parents and will not be around as long as she thinks we will. She has showed no interest in independence. I am at my whits end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda1951 Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 she has taken the CAT test and passed , what place has test taking strategy books to order? I need help here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Take a few of her courses, say history and literature, and both of you read (separately) and discuss a few chapters. Tell her when she is reading to try to pick out things that interest her. Try to get her to talk about it. Be patient, tell her she can say anything she wants to about what she read, no wrong answer. Again, take the pressure off. She if she is processing what she is reading. It also helps to have you read to know if its difficult. (Sometimes dd and I just say, oh well, that was, well, we don't know, and just move on). You can prod her along with things you got out of the pieces to get her started and/or to keep her going. She may be like me, my ds, my dd, we get panicked over what is going to be on the test and just try to pick out and memorize snippets, which is impossible. When ds told me they don't give fact type of tests in college, I quit giving tests like that. He is thriving in college, dd is doing much better, and I am relieved that we don't have to figure out how to convert my dc brains to a computer.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 :grouphug: Is there someone she would be more open to listening to and talking with? You're right that it's time for her to take some initiative and responsibility for her future, but obviously that's not where she's at right now. She might benefit from talking with someone as the problem may be her inability to do the work, or it may be her lack of desire to do the work, or a combination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tullia Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 :grouphug:Many community colleges have special programs geared toward helping people pass the GED. You might look into that. The program at our local CC assigns achievement coaches to students who need extra help. Not everyone is a natural test-taker; it's not at all unusual for people to take the test several times. And, I believe that it's now possible to re-take portions of the GED. It used to be all or nothing pass/fail. Here's an online resource that might be helpful. http://www.learningtrends.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4wildberrys Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 She is 11th gr. DOes well on her work.I had her take a GED practice test on the web and she failed the language and the math. on the math she just guesses, does not use her head to figure out the problem first and then the calculator. She does not retain info well. What am I to do. She will go to CC in two years., praying things will change to me is not the complete solution, they have to change. SHe keeps failing test she takes on the web. Her entrance test will be on the computer . sure she can take how ever many times, but to me taking it more than once is not an option. she needs to get it right the first time. Letting adult kids take a test over and over till they get it is just like the public school system. If she fails the test she will not be going to college. She knows that. She has been crying all morning because she failed both test. What do I do. I try to encourage her but she just seems not to care, and she says she does. NOt to me she does not. help First of all, I totally understand because my dd is terrible at taking tests----and the math portion? Yikes! Does your dd HAVE to take a GED to go to CC? As far as I know, I thought at least 18 was the requirement, but was not aware there were any sorts of pass the test or no admittance sort of rules. And she 'can't' go to college because she can't pass an online test? I doubt it. I would certainly get in touch with the CC she is considering and figure out your options. In fact, CC IS the place where she should be able to get a handle on these issues and there are so many different remedial classes she could take to get her requirements. We are actually going the CC route because my dd is such a terrible test taker and the thought of the SAT or ACT was giving her nightmares. The CC route will allow her to attend college without all that 'preparation anxiety' of "Pass The Test Or Never Go To College"----because this is false! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyce Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 My son was like your Dd, it took all I could do to get him to do his work. He did okay on test but he hated everything he did and was just very apathetic. In his senior year I gave him option of graduating early he said he didn't want to because of his age. We did require him to get a job over the summer and saw a lot of maturing after that. He took one course at CC when he was a junior and almost failed it. He just didn't care. For his senior year I quit fighting and we learned things he loved, like his martial arts. He read books about Korea, the history of martial arts etc and wrote a couple of papers but even those I had slowed way down. He still did math and history but I stopped pushing. Last year he graduated and he agreed to take 3 courses per semester at CC before deciding what he wanted to do. He has matured so much. In fact we were just talking about this. If we had let him graduate and go to CC or whatever he told me he knew he'd have failed. He acknowledged that by his junior year he was just tired of school and being around me 24/7 but also agreed that CC or PS would not have been a better option. He would have failed those as well. He told me the best thing we did for him was require him to get a job in the summer. He acknowledged that it went a long way towards helping him mature and when he graduated he felt better about CC. I still was leary, I just knew he'd fail. He proved me wrong. He has been getting A's and B's in every course incuding math and English (the 2 subjects he hated the most). I have seen more maturing this year and he and I both agree he is now ready for college and will be going to UNCC next fall. All this to say, maybe it's time to back off and give her some space. Let her study those things she wants especially if you know she's going to CC. The worst that will happen is that she will be put in remedial classes. I've rarely seen anyone fail, in fact in my state I'm not even sure they're allowed to unless the person can't read but they do have to have a high school diploma or GED. If she wants her GED go ahead and graduate her and let her work with her local CC to get it. They have courses she can take that are specifically designed to help her pass it. Anyway, maybe it's time to just step back and both of you take a deep breath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaMcC Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 My son was like your Dd, it took all I could do to get him to do his work. He did okay on test but he hated everything he did and was just very apathetic. In his senior year I gave him option of graduating early he said he didn't want to because of his age. We did require him to get a job over the summer and saw a lot of maturing after that. He took one course at CC when he was a junior and almost failed it. He just didn't care. For his senior year I quit fighting and we learned things he loved, like his martial arts. He read books about Korea, the history of martial arts etc and wrote a couple of papers but even those I had slowed way down. He still did math and history but I stopped pushing. Last year he graduated and he agreed to take 3 courses per semester at CC before deciding what he wanted to do. He has matured so much. In fact we were just talking about this. If we had let him graduate and go to CC or whatever he told me he knew he'd have failed. He acknowledged that by his junior year he was just tired of school and being around me 24/7 but also agreed that CC or PS would not have been a better option. He would have failed those as well. He told me the best thing we did for him was require him to get a job in the summer. He acknowledged that it went a long way towards helping him mature and when he graduated he felt better about CC. I still was leary, I just knew he'd fail. He proved me wrong. He has been getting A's and B's in every course incuding math and English (the 2 subjects he hated the most). I have seen more maturing this year and he and I both agree he is now ready for college and will be going to UNCC next fall. All this to say, maybe it's time to back off and give her some space. Let her study those things she wants especially if you know she's going to CC. The worst that will happen is that she will be put in remedial classes. I've rarely seen anyone fail, in fact in my state I'm not even sure they're allowed to unless the person can't read but they do have to have a high school diploma or GED. If she wants her GED go ahead and graduate her and let her work with her local CC to get it. They have courses she can take that are specifically designed to help her pass it. Anyway, maybe it's time to just step back and both of you take a deep breath. :iagree: Sometimes student and parent needs to just take a step back. I feel that a young adult has so many paths they can choose to reach a destination. I am thinking that I will need to re-evaluate the path my Ds#1 is on. He has decided that he his career path will be something to do with compueters. He LOVES doing all sort of things with computers and he is excited about it. This year has been horrendous for Ds (and Dh and I). But we all have been feeling less stress when we decided to back off of trying to give Ds the intensive high achieving high school education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 (edited) There are a lot of things that can lead to this. Of course you know her better than any of us, so what we say may not fully apply. I agree that it sounds like she does care. It also sounds like you're pushing her to succeed on these tests and when she doesn't you consider her a failure! Just that fact would make it nigh to impossible for me to do well....because I've been told I'm a failure, so I'd doubt myself and my answers! Some kids are very sensitive to those kinds of things. My oldest ds reads very slowly. He usually did fairly well on tests, but also usually didn't finish them because he worked so slowly. He could've done better if they were not timed tests. My 2nd is a fast reader. He charges through things as fast as he possibly can and doesn't take the time to evaluate what he answers, so he misses things because of that. He could do better if he'd slow down a little bit! My dd developed a phobia about math about 3 years ago, and doesn't do as well on the math protions of tests, mainly because she thinks she can't. We've been struggling with her on that, and hopefuly as she matures she'll "get it" and be able to move forward more quickly! She'd do better on tests if she would come around to believing she CAN do math! I was NOT a good test-taker when I was younger. I felt I knew most of the information, but I'd freeze up on tests and get poor grades on them. But because I was not a good test-taker, did not mean I was not a good person or didn't care......because I very much DID care! My parents allowed me to take the High School Equiv. Test (I was 17 and we lived in CA), and I took classes to become a CNA and worked at a Retirement Home. THAT was my passion! I did very well there! I have NEVER based the possibilities of my childrens' futures from testing! I know my kids better than any Standardized test, and I know the variables when they take the tests. Tests cannot tell what a persons goals, dreams and abilities are! Working with a child where they're at and finding things that "click" for them is a way to help them improve. I don't mean this rudely, it's just an observation, it just seems like you have a defeatest attitude where your dd is concerned. You you seem to be taking these test results to define her as an uncaring person who is failing in general because she doesn't pass these tests! I agree with others who suggested to find her passions, find some outside sources that will help her pursue these passions, ENCOURAGE her, help her realize that these tests do NOT define her as a person! Best wishes to her and to you! Edited March 1, 2011 by Brindee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda1951 Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 she has to take a test the college gives in order for her to get in and it involves two different math test , essay and english. she did the practice test of the GED and failed it. she is very discouraged. I would love for her to get a job this summer, but we live in a very small town and all the summer jobs are already taken. I donot consider her a failure. but she has to past the test, period to get in. that is my concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 she has taken the CAT test and passed , what place has test taking strategy books to order? I need help here. I'm not sure about GED test prep, but I bought dd PSAT test prep material on Amazon. You'd have to check around for this. I got recomendations for which ones here. There are test prep books for a variety of tests, and I'd be surprised if there wasn't one for GET. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 They should have GED prep books in your local library. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Barnes & Noble have test prep books for many different types of tests. It may be worth a look! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I want to also encourage you that when I entered university (after homeschooling and taking a 4 year break from academics for employment experience), I had to take exams (as everyone did). They were to *place* me in the proper math and English classes. I had one remedial math class (taken at university but not for college credit) and was able to place right into college level English. Perhaps the exams are less to determine who is accepted and more for placement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 :grouphug:Many community colleges have special programs geared toward helping people pass the GED. You might look into that. The program at our local CC assigns achievement coaches to students who need extra help. Not everyone is a natural test-taker; it's not at all unusual for people to take the test several times. And, I believe that it's now possible to re-take portions of the GED. It used to be all or nothing pass/fail. Here's an online resource that might be helpful. http://www.learningtrends.com/ I agree. I would look for help there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 The worst that will happen is that she will be put in remedial classes. I've rarely seen anyone fail, in fact in my state I'm not even sure they're allowed to unless the person can't read but they do have to have a high school diploma or GED. If she wants her GED go ahead and graduate her and let her work with her local CC to get it. They have courses she can take that are specifically designed to help her pass it. Anyway, maybe it's time to just step back and both of you take a deep breath. :iagree: There is no shame in your child having to take remedial cc classes. I do wonder if the OP's dd has ever been officially assessed for a learning disability? She sounds like there is some working memory or processing deficits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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