Princess Peach Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 We began testing today. I am giving the Iowa to my youngest because it is mainly oral and he has had difficulty learning to read and is possibly dyslexic as I've posted about before. Today was vocabulary and reading which are understandably not oral. It was so hard for him, virtually impossible, in fact. He guessed on so much of it. As an aside, I have always given the CAT and the reading portion on the Iowa was so much harder. My average reader 3rd grader would have struggled with some of it. Anyway, my poor sweet boy was in tears because he couldn't do it and I know he felt horrible about himself. At this point I don't care what the outcome of this test is. I guess if he needs to be tested for dyslexia or needs outside instruction we will have to do what we have to do. He is almost finished with level 1 of AAS and is doing the readers too. He was making huge strides and was gaining confidence too. This just feels like a kick in the teeth. Thanks for listening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjgrubbs Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 :grouphug: Said a prayer for you and your son! Hang in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 :grouphug::grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aelwydd Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Here's the thing. I'm pretty new to the hs'ing scene, only been doing it since last October. But, I have an 8 year old who is also working on Level 1. He does well in math and science, but finds reading and comprehension to be more challenging. My thoughts on the whole testing scene are influenced by Texas' ridiculous TAKS mentality. And that mentality is that children need to master x, y, and z and demonstrate this mastery by such and such grade. The problem is that most ps curricula does not go in depth enough to lay that foundation, so that children really grasp the logic underlying writing, and language. So, the ps' push these kids very hard, and they spend 7-8 hours a day prepping the kids for this big EOY test. And guess what? What they learn from this is the logic underlying much of test-taking. That's handy knowledge to have, but it relegates the test to being less of a measure of what they know about literature, comprehension, reading, etc., and more of a what they know about test-taking. Ok, I know this may all seem largely redundant and stuff you've heard before. But, I'm trying to point out that your ds' doing poorly on the Iowa does not mean he is not grasping the concepts of foundational writing and the English language. The Iowa is designed for kids who have been practicing how to take that test for the better part of a year. Your child, in the meantime, has been practicing the mastery of deconstructed parts of the English language, which will equip him later on to not only comprehend the language, and wield it as a tool, but to use that same mastery to deconstruct tests and understand their logic, too. I understand that you're feeling bad, but don't. Would you feel badly if your child did poorly at a piano recital, when he's been practicing the violin for the last year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 We began testing today. I am giving the Iowa to my youngest because it is mainly oral and he has had difficulty learning to read and is possibly dyslexic as I've posted about before. Today was vocabulary and reading which are understandably not oral. It was so hard for him, virtually impossible, in fact. He guessed on so much of it. As an aside, I have always given the CAT and the reading portion on the Iowa was so much harder. My average reader 3rd grader would have struggled with some of it. Anyway, my poor sweet boy was in tears because he couldn't do it and I know he felt horrible about himself. At this point I don't care what the outcome of this test is. I guess if he needs to be tested for dyslexia or needs outside instruction we will have to do what we have to do. He is almost finished with level 1 of AAS and is doing the readers too. He was making huge strides and was gaining confidence too. This just feels like a kick in the teeth. Thanks for listening. Boy do I know how you feel. I gave my ds the CAT about 3 wks ago and was so down afterward. I just go the results back Sat. and he did great! I was shocked! Keep your chin up. Oh, this happened the last time he tested also. I just knew his results were going to be bad. Didn't happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 :grouphug: Said a prayer for you and your son! Hang in there! :grouphug::grouphug: Thank you so much! Here's the thing. I'm pretty new to the hs'ing scene, only been doing it since last October. But, I have an 8 year old who is also working on Level 1. He does well in math and science, but finds reading and comprehension to be more challenging. My thoughts on the whole testing scene are influenced by Texas' ridiculous TAKS mentality. And that mentality is that children need to master x, y, and z and demonstrate this mastery by such and such grade. The problem is that most ps curricula does not go in depth enough to lay that foundation, so that children really grasp the logic underlying writing, and language. So, the ps' push these kids very hard, and they spend 7-8 hours a day prepping the kids for this big EOY test. And guess what? What they learn from this is the logic underlying much of test-taking. That's handy knowledge to have, but it relegates the test to being less of a measure of what they know about literature, comprehension, reading, etc., and more of a what they know about test-taking. Ok, I know this may all seem largely redundant and stuff you've heard before. But, I'm trying to point out that your ds' doing poorly on the Iowa does not mean he is not grasping the concepts of foundational writing and the English language. The Iowa is designed for kids who have been practicing how to take that test for the better part of a year. Your child, in the meantime, has been practicing the mastery of deconstructed parts of the English language, which will equip him later on to not only comprehend the language, and wield it as a tool, but to use that same mastery to deconstruct tests and understand their logic, too. I understand that you're feeling bad, but don't. Would you feel badly if your child did poorly at a piano recital, when he's been practicing the violin for the last year? Thank you so very much. You are right. I am proud of how he is doing with AAS. The testing debacle today does not take that away. Boy do I know how you feel. I gave my ds the CAT about 3 wks ago and was so down afterward. I just go the results back Sat. and he did great! I was shocked! Keep your chin up. Oh, this happened the last time he tested also. I just knew his results were going to be bad. Didn't happen. Thanks for your reply and the encouragement. I hope this is the case for us, too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aelwydd Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Thank you so very much. You are right. I am proud of how he is doing with AAS. The testing debacle today does not take that away. You bet it doesn't. You and he should be proud and excited that he is almost done with level 1. :) Also, like mom4him said, you may find that he scored better on the Iowa than you first thought. But, in the end, I wouldn't give the test that much weight. It's not designed to measure the knowledge you're giving your son. Anymore than a ruler would be useful in measuring the volume of an air tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Oh hon. Remember that the test you gave is for the average student. A child who works below grade level is not going to do well - and we are in the same boat! My son is taking the CAT as we speak and the language portions were a struggle. Just remember the purpose of the test is to compare your son to the average student - it is NOT to measure what your child learned this year or even where he "should" be. Kids with dyslexia or other LDs are *expected* to follow a different timeline to gain skills. You already know your son is on a different timeline, so the only way this test is useful is to point out the areas that need the most attention. (I'm glad I didn't give my son the IOWA this year!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Boy do I know how you feel. I gave my ds the CAT about 3 wks ago and was so down afterward. I just go the results back Sat. and he did great! I was shocked! Keep your chin up. Oh, this happened the last time he tested also. I just knew his results were going to be bad. Didn't happen. This is encouraging. My son is taking the CAT today and I know he got many wrong on the language portion. Do you think that the "average" 50th percentile kid gets a lot wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted June 6, 2011 Author Share Posted June 6, 2011 Thanks ladies, you all are making me feel so much better. I really needed that. :) Andrea - your avatar cracks me up. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyrjoy Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 I am sorry it was rough today....I bet he did fine, and I understand worrying about different parts of that test. My DD took it last year and I was super stressed over the math section, which is the subject she struggles in. But it ended up ok! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 :grouphug: But please don't buy into thinking that test results are the be all and end all!! None of what that test shows negates the wonderful work he's done and progress he's made in his reading. This particular test just doesn't happen to measure that progress. Congratulate your son on all the great work he's done all year long. :) An evaluation would probably be helpful for you as you continue to work so beautifully with your son. You've done awesome work!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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