I have a third grade daughter who does great in school. They are getting ready to do the standardized testing to see where the kids are and see if they are ready to move on to fourth grade. My problem is that my daughter will not do the test she will sit infront of the computer and mess around until her time is up then she will just pick an answer. I sat in the classroom one day last week after school to see this for myself. It took an hour and a half but she got a 95% on the test. It was just a parctice test but she how now proven she can do the work. How do I get it through to her that is she does not do good when the real test comes up she wont go on with her frinds but will be left behind.
Thank you for all the responses to my problem. I now know I am not the only one dealing with tests and Jaden not wanting to do them. She has done better got an 80 on the math practice in the classromm I did not have to go sit with her to get the passing grade. I have told her if she gets at least an 80 on both the math and reading I will get her a new bike for her birthday which is just a few days after school gets out. That seems to have gotten to her. Her teacher has also come to me asking if it was OK to have her tested as gifted to see if this is just bordum for Jaden. Of course I said get me the papers to sign and lets get going on it.
Thank you again everyone!!!! I was not sure abot this group at first but it is nice to see I am not alone here and others have dealt with the same issuses. I am glad I signed up.
This may be a case of tough love. Tell her if she doesn't pass she doesn't move up. If she chooses not to take the test and fails then let her pay the consequences.
Hi W.,
Unless there's something else going on, it sounds as though your daughter may be just a little bored and she'll do absolutely fine on her test. Sounds like you're doing a great job as she got a 95 on her practice.
Does she have something special that she could do after the test as a reward... nothing much, but maybe rent a movie and have popcorn or go get an ICEE. Rewards for our kids when they have done a good job for something was always encouragement to them. We don't spend much money on it, maybe even just a trip to the park. But it always worked for them. Get excited about the possible reward with them and then wait for the results to come in! Good luck!
W.,
What a tough situation. I have to agree that it is better for her to face the consequences. I know as a mother that this is difficult, but would you rather her to learn now the cost of not doing your work...or later when she is in college and not doing her work will prevent her from graduating? A poor college transcript will continue to affect her adult lift. Explain to her what will happen if she doesn't do her work, then if she fails, she will have to repeat the same grade. My friend's son did this in the 7th grade and now is much wiser about it and does his homework without complaint. I have even heard him tell a classmate that if he doesn't do his homework, he will fail! Good luck!
Gurl when I was her age I knew everything...can I tell ya.
If she is anything like me she wants a challenge... she seems bored. Chin up girl.. she, with a lil boost from mom will be alright..
I have similar problems with one of ours. Sometimes, the only way to learn a lesson is the hard way. You can explain the consequences, but there's really no way to "make" her perform to her potential. Good luck!
W. - I have a son in the third grade with the same problem. He is in private school so he does not have the pressure of the standarized test, but he does just the same. He will sit and stare at the work or test for hours. The teachers know he knows the work because when he does it he makes all A's. A standarized test woul be my worst nightmare.It does not seem to bother him when we tell him that he may be left behind if continues not to do his work. He says he is to smart to be left in the 3rd grade. My main problem is every year the teachers grow more and more impatient with him.
Hi W.! I don't know how it is there, but our 3rd graders take the i-LEAP test but it is NOT a test to determine if they move on to 4th grade. The test to determine if they move on is given in 4th & 8th and then the 12th graders take a graduation exam. I don't think she's taking something that will determine whether or not she moves on to 4th grade...the 3rd grade test is to score the school & see how/where the school ranks in the national average.
Hi W.! My name is C. and I am a first time mother (at 34) of a beautiful and smart 2 year old. My advice is to have her tested through another source. When I was in 2nd grade, my teachers wanted to put me into the "slow kids" class because I did not complete my homework in a timely manner. When I was tested, they discovered that I was smart and bored, not stupid. Maybe your child needs to be challenged in other ways. Boredom is often diagnosed as slowness. Keep trying to explain to your child that the tests are for HER and not her teachers. Encourage her to challenge herself for better grades and not worry about school staff!! My personal advice...
What we are doing this year to get our twins ready for there test is for every minute that they spend truly working on there worksheets and homework we let them have the same amount of time to do fun stuff.....there pick . we also made a deal with them---if you pass the test or even made higher scores than required then they get to pick what the family will do together for the whole weekend ... you could even make a deal that her and her friends (i would probley limit it to two good friends ) have a big girls night out .... going out to eat , going to a movie , then everyone spend the night with some really fun things planned . make sure that you make all the practice test and classroom work has to be done for the deal . It has worked wonders for us. Both of them have really changed the behaviors in the classroom and at home when it is time to do homework and all there worksheets. This has also worked for six other families that are in the girls classrooms. Teachers send home notes daily letting us know just what and how they did that day in school . I hope this gives you some help or ideas to work with your daughter . T. R.
First, I'm confused... Is the test on the computer? Or does she just have access to one in the classroom and is playing with it rather than doing her test?
Second, if she is smart, she may be shutting down because she's bored. You will have to find some motivation to get over the immediate hurdle (the upcoming standardized testing) and then address the boredom issue separately.
Behavior modification is difficult when you don't have an incentive to dangle in front of the child. Think of something she wants: a new toy, a trip to the zoo, a movie rental, whatever... and offer it to her as a reward for a job well done. When you have a behavior you need to change, you should always look at it in an "If...then..." statement. If you take you test and do well, then I will take you to the zoo on Saturday. WORD OF WARNING: If you offer these type incentives, you MUST keep your end of the bargain!!! If she does well and you promise a trip to the zoo and then don't take her, it will likely backfire on you and it will take a lot more stimulus to get action the next time around.
To address the issue of boredom, is she in public school? Have you requested they give her an assessment for "gifted" services? This will take several weeks, but if she tests as "gifted", then the school will make arrangements to place her in programming that will be more of a challenge for her.
I hope this works! Good Luck!
C. K.
