Shocked by my childs response to testing...

[battlemaiden]

My 9yo (soon to be 10) son is testing today for the first time. This kid generally breezes through school. He shows up everyday ready to work and completes his work within a normal time frame.

 

For some reason the timed aspect of this process put him over the edge. I don't think I've ever seen him like this. He was in tears.

He didn't finish all the problems in a math section and he ended up frozen in despair. I'm at a total loss. I had him put on his shoes, run around the house, and have some ice water (they are full of protein rich food and have been given fluids throughout the morning).

 

His older, perfectionist brother would do something like this, but this child is far from a perfectionist.

 

Experience? Advice? Valium?

 

Jo

[battlemaiden]

Desperate bump.;)

 

Testing isn't over yet. :glare: Must stay sane, must stay sane, must stay sane....

[Ria]

CAn you tell him you aren't going to time him anymore, and do it secretly?

 

Ria

[newlifemom]

I don't have any advice 'cause dd has managed to escape test thus far. I will give you this though :grouphug: and if we were closer offer a cup of chamomile tea. :D Sorry he and you are so stressed.

[JudoMom]

My 9yo (soon to be 10) son is testing today for the first time. This kid generally breezes through school. He shows up everyday ready to work and completes his work within a normal time frame.

 

For some reason the timed aspect of this process put him over the edge. I don't think I've ever seen him like this. He was in tears.

He didn't finish all the problems in a math section and he ended up frozen in despair. I'm at a total loss. I had him put on his shoes, run around the house, and have some ice water (they are full of protein rich food and have been given fluids throughout the morning).

 

His older, perfectionist brother would do something like this, but this child is far from a perfectionist.

 

Experience? Advice? Valium?

 

Jo

 

Valium would be my choice.

 

I've got no advice, but here's a :grouphug:.

[battlemaiden]

CAn you tell him you aren't going to time him anymore, and do it secretly?

 

Ria

 

 

 

Brilliant Ria! Can you come hold my hand? ;)

 

I wasn't prepared for his response.

 

Time to think outside the box.

 

Lie, and take valium...got it!

 

Thanks.

 

Jo

[Starr]

:iagree: with Ria and valium all around. :) I finally found a test our state will accept that isn't timed.

[Guest janainaz]

My son does this when he's timed, it freaks him out. I stopped timing him on drills, etc. However, I finally just told him to relax and get over it, he's going to have to get used to it at some point and to consider it a game. He did this in math - he's a whiz at math, but the timing aspect froze him up - just like your son.

 

You can do it secretly, I just don't think it does them any favors for the future. If they encounter a situation where they need to be tested and they are being timed, they need to learn to calm down and concentrate.

[Carol in Cal.]

One of the things that I did with DD is tell her that some of the test questions will probably cover material that she is not familiar with. I told her that that is because this is a test for many, many kids who have all been taught different things, and so she probably knows some stuff that others don't, and vice versa. So, I suggested that if there was material that she really didn't understand at all, she should mark those questions by circling the question number, and move on, and then at the end she should go back and try to figure them out. I told her that it's fine to guess on those, and that she should look at this as a chance to be able to figure out something that is new to her, and that she might be able to at least rule out one or two of the 4 or 5 answers by just being logical, and that that exercises her brain so it's useful.

 

It's such a contrast with tests that we might normally give, of material that we have just covered, or that we have covered during the last few months. You don't want him to assume he's dumb just because of some stupid test. Having some questions that are above grade level is how these tests get their nice normal distributions, but it's tough on the kids and, I would argue, really not all that useful.

Edited October 7, 2008 by Carol in Cal.

[Scarlett]

My 8.5 year old freaks like over timed test. For today I say do what Ria suggested...for future reference you now know this is an area you need to work on with him....as someone else said he eventually HAS to 'get over it.'

 

That is what I tell my son...get over it. Suck it up. (I have a big savings account for his future therapy bills. Not really. I'm a terrible saver. He will just have to get over it.):tongue_smilie:

[Scarlett]

This is what I had to do with my son. "Why are you setting the timer, Mom? "Oh, I want to see how many shirts I can iron in 5 minutes. When I am done ironing, we can go outside." He would flash through the problems. But if I timed him, he would freeze.

 

Ooooohhh...I like this idea!

[Hen]

I'd try timing in secret, or- do you have to test? Can you wait till next year?

 

We are in a charter school and are supposed to test 2nd grade and up, our very first year we noticed a little girl who started crying, ended up kind of hysterical and threw up.. (the school let her go home and skip testing)my daughter tried to comfort her and they became friends. The next 2 years the school let her not test, the 3rd year she did test, but was jittery and tearful.

 

Her mom found out around 6th grade that her much older brother had told her some horrible tales about testing before the 2nd grade tests, stuff like being electric shocked for getting the wrong answer. The older she got, she didn't really believe it, but she couldn't shake the panic.

 

The older brother was really horrified when she finally told, he felt really, really bad.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

I would suggest working on different time drills away from the testing situation. I'd start with a subject he likes and a very liberal amount of time- set him up for success.

 

Dd LOVES to take tests because she thinks of it like a game. If your son likes game shows you might want to compare the test to a game show. On game shows, not everyone gets all the answers right. In this situation, there is no winning or losing because what tests are for is to determine the things you need to learn and the best way to help learn them. As long as you answer the questions the best you can, you will come out a winner.

 

ITA with the advice to skip the questions you don't know and come back to those after finishing the ones you do know. This has helped me through some really tough tests.

[RoughCollie]

Okay, this is probably not going to go over well. I tested my kids in 5th grade. Our school superintendent had never asked for testing, but if he did, I would have these results. Mostly, I wanted to know where my children fit in the knowledge arena. So I didn't time them.

 

If I had had to give the results to the PS, I would not have mentioned that the kids were not timed during the tests I gave them.

 

Later, in 7th and 8th grades, they took timed tests and had no problems with being timed at all.

 

RC

Edited October 8, 2008 by RoughCollie

[mommytobees]

Well, I have a different view than the others do on it.

 

Because he's almost 10 and is NOT younger, I think he should know that he's being timed.

 

Children have to LEARN how to be tested. We went through the SAME ISSUES our first few times testing. I always start testing with 2 rules:

 

1) This test is NOT for a grade. I want to see what you remember and how you do. We test to LEARN HOW TO TEST. The FIRST test that will make a difference in your LIFE will be taken when you are 16. (mind, it could be younger...but if my 12 year old takes the SAT it will be because she is ready for it NOT because she has/needs to)

 

2) The most important part of this test is your ability to TRY and DO.

 

I also make sure there is a reward at the end of these tests. We do the CAT testing every year and I think THEY STINK!!! They are a HUGE headache for the child! So, I make sure there is a reward afterwards. Plan a weekend trip! DO something! Last year the kids went camping, a bit issue here because _I_ do not camp and Daddy is rarely home.

 

I don't know what this spring's reward will be. Maybe we'll go to Disneyland Tokyo!!

 

Kris

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

Well, I have a different view than the others do on it.

 

Because he's almost 10 and is NOT younger, I think he should know that he's being timed.

 

Children have to LEARN how to be tested. We went through the SAME ISSUES our first few times testing. I always start testing with 2 rules:

 

1) This test is NOT for a grade. I want to see what you remember and how you do. We test to LEARN HOW TO TEST. The FIRST test that will make a difference in your LIFE will be taken when you are 16. (mind, it could be younger...but if my 12 year old takes the SAT it will be because she is ready for it NOT because she has/needs to)

 

2) The most important part of this test is your ability to TRY and DO.

 

Kris

:iagree:

I expect my kids to go to college. Tests will be given in college. Therefore, I test them on something almost every week. These tests have no pressure - its just part of teaching them a skill they will eventually need. Somtetimes they correct their own tests. My kids are young, so I let them control the timer. They have their test, pencil & timer in front of them. When they feel ready, they start the timer (I even let the younger one look over the first few questions for a few seconds before he presses start).

We go through the incorrect answers at the end. We always look for the "good mistakes." Good mistakes are mistakes you learn from. Every mistake is a good mistake at this point. Either learn how to do the problem correctly, learn to read the question more carefully, or learn that we need more practice on certain kinds of questions. I also teach them test strategies and hope by the time they're in college, these will be "second nature" to them.

[gardening momma]

I expect my kids to go to college. Tests will be given in college. Therefore, I test them on something almost every week. These tests have no pressure - its just part of teaching them a skill they will eventually need. Somtetimes they correct their own tests. My kids are young, so I let them control the timer. They have their test, pencil & timer in front of them. When they feel ready, they start the timer (I even let the younger one look over the first few questions for a few seconds before he presses start).

We go through the incorrect answers at the end. We always look for the "good mistakes." Good mistakes are mistakes you learn from. Every mistake is a good mistake at this point. Either learn how to do the problem correctly, learn to read the question more carefully, or learn that we need more practice on certain kinds of questions. I also teach them test strategies and hope by the time they're in college, these will be "second nature" to them.

Sounds good. I don't know exactly what we're going to do yet, since mine are both so young still, but I do want to introduce testing to my girls so that they will be used to it when standardized testing time comes, as well as preparing them for later in life when testing is a reality. My husband is always studying for an insurance exam. The subject matter helps him do his job better, and passing the exams leads to bonuses, pay increases and promotions.

[lovemyboys]

Brilliant Ria! Can you come hold my hand? ;)

 

I wasn't prepared for his response.

 

Time to think outside the box.

 

Lie, and take valium...got it!

 

Thanks.

 

Jo

 

My perfectionist ds here drives me totally around the bend during testing. But then he does well and actually enjoys parts of the tests. He has major test anxiety, especially anything timed.

Drives me bonkers! :auto: (car headed to bonkersville)

 

Secret timing is an excellent idea! Thanks, Ria and PJ.

 

One of the things I found worked for us was getting him to a very comfortable space...of his choice. It was completely unorthodox, not at the kitchen table in a straight-backed chair with good lighting and fresh pencils lined up next to him.....but it worked for him largely because he chose it and controlled it.

 

Fwiw, I figure that life involves tests so I'd rather dc figure out how to deal with them now when the pressure isn't huge, the results aren't crucial and the environment is friendly.

 

Hope the rest of your testing goes more smoothly!

[klmama]

This is what I had to do with my son. "Why are you setting the timer, Mom? "Oh, I want to see how many shirts I can iron in 5 minutes. When I am done ironing, we can go outside." He would flash through the problems. But if I timed him, he would freeze.

 

 

Totally off topic, but how many can you iron in 5 minutes? Maybe I'm just slow, but I think it takes at least that for only one shirt! Must be the perfectionist in me.

 

I found that my perfectionistic dc freaked out with the timed aspect, too. Fortunately, we found that out with practice tests the week before, so we were able to work them past that point. The only part that really threw them on the real test was the math computation, because they asked how long they had and I foolishly told them. They knew they couldn't possibly get all the problems done in that time, so they slowed way down. Note to self - keep working on math computation speed!

[KatieJ]

I do remember those testing days..and I remember when my sister came for a visit with her kiddoes and then set them at the table and proceded to do timed tests with them..ruined the trip for all of us! I have never seen so many tears shed over paper and pencils!

Ugh.

 

I agree that someday our kids will have to take timed tests and therefore was something we needed to conquer. However, there is no reason why tests have to be timed from the get go. First learn how to take the test and then add in the timed factor.

 

Hewitt Homeschooling Resources has a test called PASS they developed for homeschoolers. That's where we started and eventually moved on to some Iowas Basics or something similiear.

Baby steps here..they don't need to learn it all at once.

[lovemyboys]

I agree that someday our kids will have to take timed tests and therefore was something we needed to conquer. However, there is no reason why tests have to be timed from the get go. First learn how to take the test and then add in the timed factor.

 

Baby steps here..they don't need to learn it all at once.

 

Right. That's why I think the secret timing is good in this situation. Sounds like Jo's ds is on his first tests.