Recall

[BruceRobert123]

My 14 year old son is failing math. He will know the function and process while working with the tutor at home, and then fail the test; especially the unit test. This trait is not new. In first grade he would know his spelling words; even be able to spell all of them in the car on the way to school, and then fail the spelling test.

Question: What are some successful strategies you have used with your children/students over the years to support them in this area? I am desperate, as the new national curriculum mandates four years of successful: A grade of "C" or better to be able to graduate from high school with the type of diploma needed to enter collage.

Thanking you in advance for your help,

Bruce

[Hidden]

Have you considered that it may not be recall so much as the testing environment?

He may just need some test taking accommodations in a 504 or IEP depending on his needs: e.g., more time, test read to him, testing in a quiet room, etc. Or, he may need some help with test taking anxiety. One good place to start would be to ask him to describe what happens when he has to test. And also to talk about classes where he does well (or OK) and figure out what's different.

Hope this helps!

Joyce Mabe

parentcoachjoyce.com

[Crunchby]

Ugh. Sorry for your stress. There is something about the testing environment that is distracting him. Maybe other kids making noises? I'd find out what is going on. See if you can test him at home, just to eliminate the possibility that he may not have the concepts. If you have a 504 they can accommodate a separate room for him... At least once to 'see' if it makes a difference.

[rwish]

It's a difficult age to parent a difficult age to be, trying to figure stuff out

I feel your pain having been there with my three, not so long ago

Perhaps see if you notice him having difficulty with tasks separate from schoolwork, like completing lower interest activities, getting sidetracked when following a series of instructions, being an impulsive interrupter or having trouble sitting still when it's expected or being fidgety compared to other kids his age. All kids do these things,, but if they seem to get in the way of him doing what's needed, you might want to consider having him checked out by a developmental behavioural pediatrician or a psychologist.

As others have suggested, he might have performance anxiety with tests. This would likely show up as anxiety in other stressful situations unrelated to schoolwork. It might be about the teacher's style. He might have peer issues, like being bullied or might struggle with time limited tasks. He could have a problem with written expression, or be smart but process things slower. If you think all these suggestions seem unlikely, it might be a good idea to exclude ADHD/ADD. Kids often grow into a problems as demands increase each year when this is the cause.

An important feature of kids with ADHD/ADD is that they rarely have any problem sustaining attention, avoiding distractions and sitting still when they are doing highly motivating, preferred activities, or when working one on one with a parent, teacher or tutor. All kids, for example, seem to have zero problem sustaining attention for half the day with their face glued to a computer screen whether they have ADHD/ADD or not

On the other hand, the ADHD crowd have big problems when faced with less interesting, required tasks, and it's not about being lazy. Large amounts of mental effort are needed to remain focussed compared to other kids, and this is usually unsustainable. Short term working memory is impaired. Concepts recently learned are gone by the next day.

This confuses we supervising adults, and it's why lots of kids with ADHD are misunderstood by their parents, teachers and coaches. It's why we often think they're not trying hard enough, say they're lazy or think they're disrespectful for not doing as we ask.

Kids with ADHD however, usually try harder than their classmates to do what's expected, usually unsuccessfully. We don't realize how they try and too often reward them with criticism.

Not surprisingly, they eventually become frustrated, angry or anxious. Self esteem and motivation start to slide along with grades.

Now the problem is compounded, and we have inadvertently contributed

"Inconsistent performance" is often reported if a kid has ADHD.

If you or another close relative had similar problems at school or maybe still do, ADHD might Be the answer. It is a highly heritable problem.

I wouldn't wait too long to have him checked because an increasing learning gap in his less interesting subjects usually occurs. If his grades are ok, consider that he might be performing well below his potential.

If you think ADHD/ADD might be a possibility, completing a Vanderbilt Assessment scales and ask the school Counsellor or main teacher do the same will help you and and you health care professional

These scales are not diagnostic but widely used to assist professionals with confirming or excluding ADHD/ADD

You can can download them by searching "NICHQ Vanderbilt Parent and Teacher Scales " instructions for scoring are available.

Be kind to him!