ITBS- VERY concerned

[DragonFaerie]

I am administering the ITBS to my kids this week (DS, 3rd and DD, 4th). I have looked over DS's test from this morning and he has gotten a ton of questions wrong. Like over half in each section are wrong. He also has only actually finished two (out of five) sections before running out of time. Ugh! Does this mean he is going to end up scoring way below grade level because he has gotten so many wrong? Or does the test consider half of the questions right to be average? Help! We won't get the results back for weeks and I don't want to stress and worry for that long. :(

[EKS]

I know this isn't going to make you feel better but here are some concrete examples (all of these are from spring administrations so grade equivalents should be 4.9 for the 4th grade test and 5.9 for the 5th grade test):

 

Capitalization subtest on the 4th grade ITBS--a raw score of 46% (12/26) corresponded to the 24th percentile (grade equivalent: 3.3)

 

Punctuation subtest on the 5th grade ITBS--a raw score of 57% (16/28) corresponded to the 51st percentile (grade equivalent: 6.0)

 

Spelling subtest on the 5th grade ITBS--a raw score of 56% (20/36) corresponded to the 35th percentile (grade equivalent: 5.1)

Edited January 2, 2012 by EKS

[DragonFaerie]

You're right. That doesn't make me feel better. :-/ Even without the results, I can clearly see a few things we need to work on more. Ugh.

[MerryAtHope]

How many standardized tests has he taken? Is he very familiar with the test format, filling in bubbles, etc...? So many things can happen on these tests. I'd wait and see the results. Also, make notes on things he has missed on the questions, and see if that lines up with what you think he knows. If the test doesn't confirm what you think he knows and doesn't know, then something else could be going on (test-taking skills, or maybe the questions are worded differently than he's used to, or maybe he wasn't feeling the greatest, or maybe he got one off in the bubbles...)

 

Also check to see if the scope & sequence of material you've covered might be slightly out of line with what the test covered--sometimes that's corrected in another year, depending on what you use.

 

Also, tests tell you more when you compare one year to another, rather than looking at one year in isolation. Certainly see if there are things to work on, but I wouldn't get overly upset if he doesn't score that well, especially if this is his first test.

 

Merry :-)

[Ellie]

Why worry and stress? You should be able to tell why he missed what he did (y'all didn't study it yet, it was the first time he's taken a standardized test, he struggled with it, whatever), and you'll decide whether you need to work on it or you want to wait. It's not a big deal. :chillpill:

[DragonFaerie]

Ya'll make some good points. This is not his first test and he didn't have any trouble with keeping the answer sheet straight. He missed quite a few simply because he ran out of time. My boy just isn't a quick worker. I know that will be an issue later on with the SAT and such but for right now, it's just the way he is. Maybe an untimed test would have been better for him. I also think I did both kids a disservice by doing the test now, right after Christmas break, rather than waiting until the end of the school year.

 

Also, a lot of what he missed were things he usually feels pretty confident on (capitalization and punctuation, in particular). I think he may have either gotten lackadaisical with it (marking questions as "no mistakes" when there definitely were) or he tried to hurry too much. Of course, some of where he did poorly (spelling), I expected.

 

In any case, you're right. There is nothing I can do about this test. All I can do is keep teaching him and work to cover the areas he struggled in. I'm thinking something like Daily Paragraph Editing might be a good supplement. It seems like it covers all the areas he had trouble with (capitalization, punctuation, and spelling).

[rocketgirl]

The first time my oldest took it she did the same on the spelling portion, missed half, despite the fact that she's never had trouble in spelling. The format completely threw her. Now we practice that format & she does better. She also missed a ton in Capitalization and punctuation the first time, but did so much better the 2nd time she took it.

Edited January 3, 2012 by rocketgirl

[DragonFaerie]

The first time my oldest took it she did the same on the spelling portion, missed half, despite the fact that she's never had trouble in spelling. The format completely threw her. Now we practice that format & she does better. She also missed a ton in Capitalization and punctuation the first time, but did so much better the 2nd time she took it.

 

Thanks for this. It give me hope. :)

[cindergretta]

We use the ITBS and I am always a tad tense between returning the test and receiving the results. They have always come back better than I expected. :tongue_smilie:

 

Each year, I go to Barnes & Noble and get the Harcourt Family Learning/Flash Kids Test Prep for the appropriate grade level. It serves as a review of material as well as practice for the actual test. They are inexpensive and help my dc have confidence in themselves and their ability to "test."

 

My oldest has always been "slow" in how he works, whether it is school or washing dishes or weeding the garden, even just walking, lol! Anyway, he occasionally didn't finish sections, too. It would frustrate me senseless!!!

 

I agree that the test is only a *tool* and should be used to measure growth from this year to that year and so forth. It can also identify areas that need more work. But it should never be a cause for concern as its purpose is to help you shore up the weak points and see progress each year, from one to the next.

 

:grouphug:

[DragonFaerie]

I agree that the test is only a *tool* and should be used to measure growth from this year to that year and so forth. It can also identify areas that need more work. But it should never be a cause for concern as its purpose is to help you shore up the weak points and see progress each year, from one to the next.

 

:grouphug:

 

Another good point. Thank you for the reassurance.

[Snowfall]

Personally, I think timed tests are a disaster for a lot of kids. Plus, I absolutely do not believe they give an accurate representation of what every child knows. If a kid is an average-to-fast worker, then the results will be accurate. If a kid is not, then they won't. I think it's really as simple as that. My dd has a low processing speed and we have been advised (by the educational psychologists) to never, ever, under any circumstances, give her timed tests or limited time to complete her work, as this will result in a wholly inaccurate estimate of her true abilities or knowledge and unduly stress her out. It seems likely to me that a kid who isn't completing a test might simply be a slower worker, because I don't believe the tests were designed to be impossible for typical kids to complete in the prescribed amount of time. So if it were me and I saw that my kid didn't finish portions of the test, I would assume he needed to take an untimed test. That's all. :) I might be wrong, but that's how I would view it.

 

If your son doesn't "grow out of" being a slow worker, it might be worth having him tested when he's older. If he has processing speed issues that continue to pose a problem, I know accommodations can be made on the SAT, provided he applies for them with documentation of significant performance differences on timed vs. untimed tests (stating that a person has slow processing speed alone isn't enough, apparently).

[....]

Personally, I think timed tests are a disaster for a lot of kids. Plus, I absolutely do not believe they give an accurate representation of what every child knows.

 

:iagree: Also, some kids are just very, very meticulous (I have one of these).

 

How old is your son and is the standardized testing required?

[DragonFaerie]

:iagree: Also, some kids are just very, very meticulous (I have one of these).

 

How old is your son and is the standardized testing required?

 

He'll be nine next month and yes, the test is required. Our state requires standardized testing at the end of 3rd, 6th, and 9th grades (not sure about 12th). The funny part is that we don't have to turn in the results to anyone. I just keep them on file.

 

He is definitely slow with much of his schoolwork. The only thing he is really fast with is math. We'll see how those sections go later this morning. If he doesn't finish the math sections, then I know for sure something is amiss.

[DragonFaerie]

Ugh! This is going so wrong this morning! He has absolutely NO sense of urgency. He's stretching and playing with his shirt and fiddling with his pencil. I know some kids need to do something with their hands while they think but we don't have time for this! And he's starting to get upset. The question was where on the steering wheel would your hands be at 10 o' clock and 2 o'clock and it showed pictures. He said "I don't know anything about driving!" Uh oh...

 

What should I do when it appears that the wording of the problems is a problem??

[EKS]

Ugh! This is going so wrong this morning! He has absolutely NO sense of urgency. He's stretching and playing with his shirt and fiddling with his pencil. I know some kids need to do something with their hands while they think but we don't have time for this! And he's starting to get upset. The question was where on the steering wheel would your hands be at 10 o' clock and 2 o'clock and it showed pictures. He said "I don't know anything about driving!" Uh oh...

 

What should I do when it appears that the wording of the problems is a problem??

 

This sounds more like a test taking issue than a knowledge issue.

 

I have two kids with speed issues. Part of is maturity--understanding that there needs to be a sense of urgency. The other part is just them, meaning that they're slow (it has nothing to do with intelligence, BTW).

 

This next year I'd practice timed test taking. It is important, and the earlier you start the better. My older son (15) has documented issues and does have approved accommodations for the SAT (time and a half) but it is not enough. And a big part of the reason is that he hasn't learned to take a timed test because I bought into the idea that he shouldn't be stressed out by timing things. Big mistake.

[DragonFaerie]

This sounds more like a test taking issue than a knowledge issue.

 

I have two kids with speed issues. Part of is maturity--understanding that there needs to be a sense of urgency. The other part is just them, meaning that they're slow (it has nothing to do with intelligence, BTW).

 

This next year I'd practice timed test taking. It is important, and the earlier you start the better. My older son (15) has documented issues and does have approved accommodations for the SAT (time and a half) but it is not enough. And a big part of the reason is that he hasn't learned to take a timed test because I bought into the idea that he shouldn't be stressed out by timing things. Big mistake.

 

How do you practice taking timed tests? Are there resources or sample tests to work with or something?

[Ellie]

Ya'll make some good points. This is not his first test and he didn't have any trouble with keeping the answer sheet straight. He missed quite a few simply because he ran out of time. My boy just isn't a quick worker. I know that will be an issue later on with the SAT and such but for right now, it's just the way he is. Maybe an untimed test would have been better for him. I also think I did both kids a disservice by doing the test now, right after Christmas break, rather than waiting until the end of the school year.

Oh, yeah, you got that right. What were you thinking? :D Not only are their minds just not there what with sugar plum fairies and Santa and whatnot, but that test assumes that it's at the end of the school year (or at least, late spring). Also, that your ds doesn't work quickly now doesn't necessarily mean he won't work quickly when he's older. Don't make it a self-fulfilling prophesy, KWIM? :-)

 

In any case, you're right. There is nothing I can do about this test. All I can do is keep teaching him and work to cover the areas he struggled in. I'm thinking something like Daily Paragraph Editing might be a good supplement. It seems like it covers all the areas he had trouble with (capitalization, punctuation, and spelling).

There you go. You know how to fix it. :)

 

:grouphug: It's only a test. It will be fine. You're a good mom. :)

[DragonFaerie]

Oh, yeah, you got that right. What were you thinking? :D Not only are their minds just not there what with sugar plum fairies and Santa and whatnot, but that test assumes that it's at the end of the school year (or at least, late spring). Also, that your ds doesn't work quickly now doesn't necessarily mean he won't work quickly when he's older. Don't make it a self-fulfilling prophesy, KWIM? :-)

 

 

There you go. You know how to fix it. :)

 

:grouphug: It's only a test. It will be fine. You're a good mom. :)

 

Thank you, Ellie. You're sweet to say that. One reason I chose ITBS is because I thought it took the time of year into consideration. I originally chose to do the test now because I thought I could then do it again at the end of the year to get a better assessment. Now I'll be happy if we never have to do this again!

[In the Rain]

:grouphug: I decided to test my dds for fun this fall. :001_huh: What was I thinking?? It wasn't fun at all. :lol: It was great learning opportunity though.

 

This first test is a good opportunity to see what your ds's issues are. I was really thankful I could look over my dd's test, and pinpoint the reasons for various errors.

 

To help with the fidgeting, could you let your ds do something very active in between the sections. Maybe he could sit still and concentrate if he knew it was only for 20 minutes. This is something I've been working on with my dd.

 

BTW, when you mail in your scores make sure they measure it against winter norms. When I mailed in our tests last November, they were automatically measured against Spring norms. I had to email and have them run again.

[DragonFaerie]

:grouphug: I decided to test my dds for fun this fall. :001_huh: What was I thinking?? It wasn't fun at all. :lol: It was great learning opportunity though.

 

This first test is a good opportunity to see what your ds's issues are. I was really thankful I could look over my dd's test, and pinpoint the reasons for various errors.

 

To help with the fidgeting, could you let your ds do something very active in between the sections. Maybe he could sit still and concentrate if he knew it was only for 20 minutes. This is something I've been working on with my dd.

 

BTW, when you mail in your scores make sure they measure it against winter norms. When I mailed in our tests last November, they were automatically measured against Spring norms. I had to email and have them run again.

 

Thanks, I'll make sure to include a note to that effect. DS does take short breaks between each section to run laps around the house. He calls it his "confidence run." :D

[EKS]

How do you practice taking timed tests? Are there resources or sample tests to work with or something?

 

The easiest way is to time him when he does his regular work. Certain things lend themselves to being timed, such as math and grammar worksheets or tests. I like using a visual timer.

[DragonFaerie]

The easiest way is to time him when he does his regular work. Certain things lend themselves to being timed, such as math and grammar worksheets or tests. I like using a visual timer.

 

How do you know how long to allow for any given assignment, though?