How to recover from bad standardized testing?

[GoVanGogh]

Besides throwing in the towel. :tongue_smilie:

 

First off, we are in a non-reg state so do not have to test. DH wanted me to give DS9 the ITBS, mainly so DS could start getting comfortable with testing. DH keeps saying that he knows testing isn't a good gauge of a child's knowledge and he knew DS would be anxious and, more than likely, not test well.

I have spent 1/2 day a week for the past few months doing two different test prep books, so I really don't think DS could be any more prepared than he was. We both talked to him about doing his best, not being nervous, etc. I broke the test up into small chunks to spread it out over many days, like the manual suggests.

 

DS is, more or less, on grade level. I know he has some gaps in his LA because I have been piecing that together and - knew going in to the test - that I would be revamping our LA come fall. His reading skills are above average. He loves math concepts, but has resisted learning his math facts. We follow LCC and AO, combined, so our "social studies" and science are out of sequence with ITBS.

 

I took the test myself on Sunday so that I grade it ahead of sending it in to be officially scored.

 

As I expected, DS has done very well with math concepts and problem solving, vocabulary, reading comprehension, map reading and science.

 

He totally bombed social studies, which did surprise me but doesn't concern me.

 

What concerns me...

 

1.) The timed math test.

We have spent the past year on multiplication and division. He didn't even attempt those problems on the timed test - just did the addition and subtraction problems. He didn't even finish 1/2 the test in the time allowed and missed six of the problems he did solve.

He does have issues with focusing, but normally really buckles down and loves timed tests. Today he decided to play with his toes instead of looking at the paper.

 

2.) Spelling.

He struggles with spelling, but is very visual and can normally spot a misspelled word a mile away. The ITBS has students select the misspelled word out of four words given. The fifth option is "none of the above." DS picked "none of the above" for 23 of the 32 problems. Out of the 32 problems, he missed 21.

We started using AAS earlier this year and DS has made great strides with spelling, so I don't plan on changing this. We will just continue plugging along.

But looking over the words he missed? I think DS just picked "none of the above" and didn't even look at the words.

 

3.) Capitalization.

DS missed 15 out of 26. He didn't even answer correctly when it was the first letter of a sentence!

 

I really hate to say "He could have done better," but it seems like a focus (and not-caring) issue.

 

DH says he just wants DS to learn from this experience. Fine. But it has really, really, really kicked me in the gut! I feel like a failure. We were planning on taking some time off between the test and our fall session, but now I don't feel like I can afford to take that time off. I have been at a total loss on how to get DS to memorize his math facts and now realize that I really must make that a high priority.

 

DS is very smart and capable - but he wants to study what he is interested in and nothing else. He wasn't interested in taking a capitalization test and wasn't going to engage his mind.

 

What to do now?

We still have another day of testing.

How do we recover from this?

I don't even want to send the form off to be scored. :tongue_smilie:

[Spock]

From your description his mistakes were more of a "don't know how to take a formal test" problem than a "don't know grade level material" problem. Most likely he simply didn't take the test seriously enough.

 

My daughter who is just starting 6th grade this year did something similar on her 4th grade testing. She skipped all math questions that she did not immediately know the answer to without calculations. She ended up scoring around 15 on math computation--which upset her enough that she was VERY careful to answer everything she could as well as she could on her 5th grade test. (Testing is required yearly in our state.)

 

Go ahead and finish the test--maybe with some reminders that he should be doing his very best and not skipping anything he knows how to do, and perhaps with the hint that "None of the above" is only rarely the correct answer even when it is an option. (I always remind my children before one of these tests that they should always check every other option carefully before marking "none of the above".)

 

When you get the results, you might want to show him that he did poorly on the tests where he skipped questions or marked randomly instead of trying his best. Depending on his personality, this might encourage him to take the testing more seriously next time you use it. (If he is more likely to just be discouraged, then you would not want to do this.) Only use the results you think truly reflect his knowledge to make changes in your curriculum.

[Ellie]

Is this the first year you've tested? Well, really and truly, I wouldn't worry all that much about it.

 

You'll be covering English mechanics again, right? Well, he'll learn and remember more next year.

 

And why is it such a bad thing that he didn't see much value in a standardized test? I think that shows he's pretty smart. :001_smile:

 

Seems to me the things you see as problems are the results of a 9yo child who isn't a sheeple. :001_smile:

 

If you think it's important, you could introduce something like "The Great Editing Adventure," which would give him practice in proofreading, which is sort of what that part of the test is (choosing the incorrectly spelled word). I suppose you could also do testing-like activities during the year, if you think those skills are important at this age. Otherwise, I think your educational plans are already on target...IOW, you didn't learn anything really useful about what your ds knows and doesn't know.

[Mrs Twain]

If that happened to my kid, I would be bothered, too, even though I would tell myself logically that the test doesn't really matter, that it was his first one ever, it was merely an effort issue rather than lack of knowledge, etc.

 

I can think of two options. First, instead of sending in these results which you know are inaccurate, you could order another test (or is it possible to retest using what you have?) and have him repeat it now. I would tell him before the test that you are going to plan his studies based on the test results. If he does poorly, that means he will have to do extra work in those areas that have low scores. If he scores well and appropriately, then he will only have the standard amount of work to do. This way he may have a lot more motivation to give it a good effort.

 

Secondly, you could just forget about it this year since it was only the first time ever took a test like that, and retest next year, including giving him some incentive for doing well.

[Mommy22alyns]

I would probably have the same reaction here, so :grouphug:.

 

That said, I would then tell myself that I don't have to test anyway and the results are more indicative of not taking the test seriously than not being at an appropriate grade level.

 

Toss the test and forget about this experiment. Maybe add in a little supplemental work on math facts, editing, whatever his "weaknesses" were. But don't freak out too much!

[BlessedMom]

:grouphug:

[Chris in VA]

I'd try not to freak out, but honestly, I'd be mad at my dear child for not caring, and view it as a discipline issue.

YMMV.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Not much advice, but I would highly recommend calculadders for the math facts! Dd started those last year in 3rd grade and I can not even tell you the difference! Those are amazing :001_smile:

 

 

I would not panic. It sounds more like your son is just not a test taker. Maybe he is to young? I don't remember his age if you told but just work with him. Every year it will get better :grouphug:

[MerryAtHope]

Is this the first year you've tested? Well, really and truly, I wouldn't worry all that much about it.

 

You'll be covering English mechanics again, right? Well, he'll learn and remember more next year.

 

And why is it such a bad thing that he didn't see much value in a standardized test? I think that shows he's pretty smart. :001_smile:

 

:iagree:

 

Seems to me the things you see as problems are the results of a 9yo child who isn't a sheeple. :001_smile:

 

:lol:

 

I would probably have the same reaction here, so :grouphug:.

 

That said, I would then tell myself that I don't have to test anyway and the results are more indicative of not taking the test seriously than not being at an appropriate grade level.

 

Toss the test and forget about this experiment. Maybe add in a little supplemental work on math facts, editing, whatever his "weaknesses" were. But don't freak out too much!

 

:grouphug: and :iagree:

I have spent 1/2 day a week for the past few months doing two different test prep books, so I really don't think DS could be any more prepared than he was. We both talked to him about doing his best, not being nervous, etc. I broke the test up into small chunks to spread it out over many days, like the manual suggests.

 

He may have been over-prepared or even bored with tests by that point. I wouldn't focus on it that much. Over the years you'll have opportunities to teach strategies for taking multiple choice tests. I wouldn't let it be such a big part of your curriculum.

 

 

DS is, more or less, on grade level. I know he has some gaps in his LA because I have been piecing that together and - knew going in to the test - that I would be revamping our LA come fall. His reading skills are above average. He loves math concepts, but has resisted learning his math facts. We follow LCC and AO, combined, so our "social studies" and science are out of sequence with ITBS.

 

This is what you use tests for--to confirm what you already know, or maybe to help you see how serious an issue might be, to encourage you to know what to work on more the next year--and to track progress from year to year. In fact, while I'd be sorely tempted to just toss this test as others said above, I might send it in just so I could see the progress the next time we tested. If that will encourage you, do it. But...there's also a freedom in letting it go, so weigh that out.

 

You know your son well--you know his strengths and weaknesses, and mainly the test didn't hand you any surprises in how he would do on certain types of problems--so, use the information to help you as you decide what to focus on next year.

 

As I expected, DS has done very well with math concepts and problem solving, vocabulary, reading comprehension, map reading and science.

 

I really want to highlight this statement--look at all the things your son did great at! Why, as homeschool moms do we look at the things our child struggles with and then beat ourselves up over those struggles as if that's the entire sum of who our child is? Celebrate your child's strengths and giftings! We all have things to work on and become better at, that's ok. Don't miss this though, enjoy it!

 

 

What concerns me...

 

1.) The timed math test.

We have spent the past year on multiplication and division. He didn't even attempt those problems on the timed test - just did the addition and subtraction problems. He didn't even finish 1/2 the test in the time allowed and missed six of the problems he did solve.

He does have issues with focusing, but normally really buckles down and loves timed tests. Today he decided to play with his toes instead of looking at the paper.

 

When I was in 3rd grade we did timed multiplication tests and it drove me nuts. My dad and grandpa drilled me and drilled me on these so I could complete them in the time allotted--lots of tears over that! It's great that your son normally enjoys them. But I would just say...don't sweat this and make it a big deal. You just know this is something to keep working on (and that focusing issues can play a part in his struggles). By 7th grade I loved math and did long division problems just for fun--kids can change, abilities can change--don't sweat the bumps like this, just do what's next.

 

2.) Spelling.

He struggles with spelling, but is very visual and can normally spot a misspelled word a mile away. The ITBS has students select the misspelled word out of four words given. The fifth option is "none of the above." DS picked "none of the above" for 23 of the 32 problems. Out of the 32 problems, he missed 21.

We started using AAS earlier this year and DS has made great strides with spelling, so I don't plan on changing this. We will just continue plugging along.

But looking over the words he missed? I think DS just picked "none of the above" and didn't even look at the words.

 

You've got a great program in place. Again, I wouldn't sweat this one. Just keep working on. It's tough to pick out some of those words, and he'll get more skilled at that as he reads more and gains more experience with spelling.

 

3.) Capitalization.

DS missed 15 out of 26. He didn't even answer correctly when it was the first letter of a sentence!

 

I really hate to say "He could have done better," but it seems like a focus (and not-caring) issue.

 

I think you have your answer there. And really...why should a 9 yo care about this test? He just doesn't have the life experience to understand why you would find it important, plus it's new... I think you'll find that as you do these tests over time, some of these problems will go away.

 

DH says he just wants DS to learn from this experience. Fine. But it has really, really, really kicked me in the gut! I feel like a failure. We were planning on taking some time off between the test and our fall session, but now I don't feel like I can afford to take that time off. I have been at a total loss on how to get DS to memorize his math facts and now realize that I really must make that a high priority.

 

 

What a great DH. Don't let it get you down...you are NOT a failure. You are a loving mom who wants the best for her son. Re-read aforementioned section where you highlighted your son's giftings & strengths. :001_smile: It may be you need a nudge in some areas to improve on, but if that's the case, just take it for what it's worth. You have this wonderful opportunity to learn and grow with your son, to spend time with him and walk with him through life--this test is just one bump in the road. Don't give it more power or more credence than it deserves.

 

A couple of things occur to me as I think through this experience you've had:

 

1, you mentioned focus issues several times. It might be worthwhile to look into ADHD. There are strategies and supplements that can be helpful even if you don't want to think about meds. Look at this as a time for you to learn how to teach your son, and to learn more about how he learns.

 

2, The constellation of things you mentioned where he struggled--spelling, math (even though he is good in math), even the social studies section--do make me wonder if there could be something going on besides focus issues. Often kids who are very bright can have a glitch or struggle in some area, and it may be worthwhile to look into that if you suspect this is more than just a test issue. One that popped into my mind was to see whether vision processing might be an issue (not the same thing that eye exams check for). Take a look at www.covd.org and see if any of the things on the symptom list sound familiar.

 

Dyslexia was another possibility I thought of. All About Spelling is a great program for kids with dyslexia because it's based on Orton Gillingham methods, it's multi-sensory and incremental, mastery-based. If that seems like a good teaching method for your son, you might look for other curriculum with similar attributes. AAS has a great resource section, and all kinds of articles including a section for struggling learners--you may find additional help there too.

 

Just some thoughts! Hang in there! Merry :-)

[my2boysteacher]

A couple of things occur to me as I think through this experience you've had:

 

1, you mentioned focus issues several times. It might be worthwhile to look into ADHD. There are strategies and supplements that can be helpful even if you don't want to think about meds. Look at this as a time for you to learn how to teach your son, and to learn more about how he learns.

 

2, The constellation of things you mentioned where he struggled--spelling, math (even though he is good in math), even the social studies section--do make me wonder if there could be something going on besides focus issues. Often kids who are very bright can have a glitch or struggle in some area, and it may be worthwhile to look into that if you suspect this is more than just a test issue. One that popped into my mind was to see whether vision processing might be an issue (not the same thing that eye exams check for). Take a look at www.covd.org and see if any of the things on the symptom list sound familiar.

 

Dyslexia was another possibility I thought of. All About Spelling is a great program for kids with dyslexia because it's based on Orton Gillingham methods, it's multi-sensory and incremental, mastery-based. If that seems like a good teaching method for your son, you might look for other curriculum with similar attributes. AAS has a great resource section, and all kinds of articles including a section for struggling learners--you may find additional help there too.

 

Just some thoughts! Hang in there! Merry :-)

 

 

 

:iagree: The areas that were more challenging for him, timed math facts and spelling, are also very difficult for my oldest son. He is an extreme Visual Spatial Learner, and I suspected Dyslexic as well. It turns out he had vision problems and is currently undergoing VT. If a child does have vision issues, it can manifest as ADHD often times, making it hard to detect.

Due to my son's 'whole to parts' learning style and VT, I know he will test poorly, even though he is a very bright kid. Just something else to consider. :)

[Aludlam]

I just wanted to jump in on the math facts thing... We have started using xtramath.org for math facts. It is totally awesome and free. My kids love it. It only takes a few minutes a day. They love getting on the computer for school. It's a big deal to see their score everyday. The program will email you reports and reminders. I TOTALLY love it!

 

hth

[Susan in TN]

If it makes you feel any better, I "failed" the standardized test when I was in 3rd grade. I did so badly that they thought I must have been sick and had me take it again.

 

I never went through any special school lessons or programs - today they probably would have diagnosed me with ADD or auditory processing disorder. But I went on to become an excellent "tester" and graduated from high school a national honor student and from college suma cum laude.

[rocketgirl]

Mine aren't required to test or have scores reported either, but I just wanted to know where they were (when I removed them from public school). My oldest had similar results the first time she took the ITBS (at the end of ps 4th grade). She is a very good speller, but completely bombed the Spelling section, I couldn't believe how badly she bombed it. But the format was different than what she was used to. So we practiced that format from time to time this year (our first in hs) with her regular words & she did much better this year. I noticed too that she didn't seem to notice 1/2 of the capitalization errors or any punctuation errors if they were not at the end of the line. But again we did some practice with both of those this year and she did much better. Hang in there!

Edited August 13, 2011 by rocketgirl

[Lori D.]

1. DS is young -- about 3rd grade? Most students don't "settle down" into grade level until 5th grade, especially when it comes to testing, so, frankly, test scores prior to 5th grade really don't mean a lot. I think it is hard to even use these tests from young students to even determine if there is something I've missed teaching them... So just chalk this one up as some good "first time experience"; it will get easier and more accurate as DS gets older.

 

 

2. Consider a practice book next time for the 2 months prior to taking the test -- something like the "Scoring High" series for whatever specific standardized test you administer. These types of books give great age-appropriate tips for taking tests, and having the practice in advance really helps the student feel more confident, work faster, and have familiarity with what to do, so they do tend to score higher. (ETA: OOPS -- sorry! Just re-read your original post and just saw you did use a test prep book!)

 

 

3. Realize that the science and social studies info will build each year; you may just have covered material that wasn't on the test. In a few years, you will have covered most of the science areas and history time periods, so your DS will have familiarity with more "standard" science and social studies knowledge and will test better.

 

However, If you are concerned, consider including a page or two a day from the "What Your ______ Grader Needs to Know" series; start with grade 2, and you'll probably whiz through 2 books a year, and finish up the 6th grade book in grade 6. You can also keep a general guideline of what "the average public school grades" cover -- see these "typical course of study" lists from World Book -- DON'T use it as something to whip yourself with or force your family to do 2 complete programs -- just keep it to help you realize, "Oh, we didn't get to that topic yet, but we will next year. No big deal being tested on something he hasn't seen yet."

 

 

4. Don't worry about the guessing, or selecting "nothing wrong" answer repeatedly -- seeing and recognizing errors AS errors is a very mature skill and your DS will "grow into it." :) If concerned, you could consider practicing editing skills with the Editor in Chief series, the Write Source student workbooks, or other grade-level worksheet, maybe 2x/week for practice. BTW, I would be careful about assuming these were errors due to lack of caring or carelessness -- from what I have seen from the many homeschoolers around us, boys really do tend to "kick in" later than girls on things like noticing misspellings and capitalization. If this was 8th grade, I would be concerned at these errors; but this is 3rd grade -- your DS is still learning what a simple sentence even LOOKS like (in terms of capitalization, punctuation, subject/verb agreement, etc.), and is just starting to get into spelling! Seeing these subjects apart from the familiar daily programs is NOT going to make it easier for him to pick out the errors.

 

 

5. Don't worry about the math and not attempting/finishing. Actually, that was pretty test-savvy of your DS to go for the problems he knew he could do (add/subtract) and put aside the harder ones if he had time at the end. ;) Also, some children really "shut down" when timed, and esp. if it is a "scary important test" type of timed event. (That was our younger DS; he could DO the math -- very slowly -- as long as there was no clock involved. So, we didn't even *attempt* standardized testing with him until grade 5; he only got halfway through that math calculation section. The following year (grade 6) -- and every year thereafter -- he finished the entire section, and with no problem. BUT, he was 12yo by that time and had *matured* past the "panic at being timed" thing.) Just a thought, but being timed for a standardized test may feel VERY different to your DS (and more stressful) than the timed math sheets he does daily.

 

Again, at this age, I would rely MUCH more on the daily math worksheets to gauge his actual knowledge and ability with math. I bet by grade 5-6 you will see MUCH different kinds of results. And he is still young re: math facts. IF that truly is an area of struggle (and that will be clear by the end of 4th grade or so), then your DS may not be connecting with "drill and kill" methods such as timed math fact sheets, but may do much better with an alternate type of math fact learning such as:

- practice with games in a weekly fun family game night (Yahtzee, Sequence Dice, Muggins, Fill or Bust, Mille Bourne, etc.)

- triangle flashcards (fact families -- reduces the amount of "facts" to learn by 75%, because each fact family contains 4 math facts!)

- a visual picture and story (such as Times Tables the Fun Way and Addition the Fun Way (both by Judy Liautaud)

- hand-held electronic drill (Flash Master)

- computer game drill (Quarter Mile Math; Number Muncher; etc.)

 

 

I know it is hard not to take this as a personal failure -- but, from your post, it sounds like you are doing great in your daily homeschooling -- and it sounds like your DS was just being a typical 9yo goofy boy. Seatwork and tests are pretty low on their list of priorities. Again, I would chalk this one up to experience, and next year discuss in advance the need to be more focused. Seriously: consider having him test outside the home (a "stranger" administering the test!) with a group of homeschoolers -- that may add a "spice of competition" to it for DS so that he DOES focus more! ;) BTDT, and I guarantee, it will get better over time. Hang in there, and don't worry about it. :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited August 14, 2011 by Lori D.
added info to point #4 and #5

[Meriwether]

I'd try not to freak out, but honestly, I'd be mad at my dear child for not caring, and view it as a discipline issue.

YMMV.

:iagree:This is me, too. I don't care if standardized testing isn't important and I really don't care if my kids don't think testing is important. If I give a standardized test to my kids, they better do their best. And I mean exactly that. If their best is a 20, so be it.

[GoVanGogh]

Thank you, ladies, so much.

I feel better after a good night's sleep and reading your comforting posts.

 

And why is it such a bad thing that he didn't see much value in a standardized test? I think that shows he's pretty smart. :001_smile:

 

Seems to me the things you see as problems are the results of a 9yo child who isn't a sheeple. :001_smile:

I'd try not to freak out, but honestly, I'd be mad at my dear child for not caring, and view it as a discipline issue.

I have been waffling back and forth, emotionally, in regards to the two posts quoted above.

My DS has always done things in his own time. And he certainly marches to the beat of his own drummer.

On the other hand, we had tried to stress to him that we felt this was important and he needed to try his best.

The first three days, I really think he tried his best.

Maybe by the fourth day, he was just spent?

I don't know, but it sure left me upset and frustrated yesterday!

 

 

The constellation of things you mentioned where he struggled--spelling, math (even though he is good in math), even the social studies section--do make me wonder if there could be something going on besides focus issues. Often kids who are very bright can have a glitch or struggle in some area, and it may be worthwhile to look into that if you suspect this is more than just a test issue. One that popped into my mind was to see whether vision processing might be an issue (not the same thing that eye exams check for). Take a look at www.covd.org and see if any of the things on the symptom list sound familiar.

I had not thought about vision processing issues affecting the testing in this regard. I have long suspected that he does have vision processing issues, but... Long story short - DS has had a number of medical problems and DH has been leery of getting DS tested for this. DS had eye surgery a few years ago. I have asked his doctor several times about tracking issues and whether DS needs some sort of vision therapy. He hasn't been concerned. But I recently attended a workshop on penmanship (a horrible issue at our house!) and the OT giving the talk mentioned - out of the blue - that she no longer recommends a certain doctor in our area because he never recommends vision therapy after eye surgery and that is now considered common procedure. I asked later what doctor she was referring to and she said the name of the doctor that performed our son's surgery. I told DH that after, but he still hasn't been concerned. He's not the one working with DS day in and day out, though. Anyway. You gave me something good to think more on.

 

Thanks again, ladies. :)