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My gifted 3rd grader is at a new Montessori school this year.
He likes it (no bullies so far) and is doing great EXCEPT for his spelling and math tests.
Many Montessori schools do not have these kinds of tests but this one, unfortunately, does. (As did the other Montessori school we looked into.)
Anyway, once a week he has a "math facts" test. He is stuck on the 2x tables.
He has to write all the problems down in 90 seconds.
We practice at home, both written and verbally. He knows them cold, and can do them in 64 seconds.
But every week he is not passing.
Bigger problem:
Spelling.
He has 10 words every week. The first week he missed 1. This week he missed 8!!
They were hard words (IMO) but here's the problem:
he knows them at home. This week he knew them very well, not great, but well.
I asked him what happens when he takes the test, and he says the teacher goes to quickly and he doesn't have time to sound the word out in his head.
Background: He is extremely bright (IQ off the charts). He has eye issues (tracking and convergence) although those are better. He can read at age level. His memory is phenomenal (that is why this is so frustrating) and his reading comprehension/retention is excellent. At one time we thought he might be dyslexic, but we don't believe he is anymore. Not ADD or anything.
SO:
How can we help him prepare for the tests better?
He is prepared at home; we practice and practice, but it is not translating to the tests.
AND
Is there anything that I can say to the teacher to maybe allow him to be tested differently? Remember, this is Montessori.
Advice from anyone who has struggled through this?
(Mods please move to education forum if needed).
Last edited by calgirlinnc; 09-16-2011 at 03:11 PM..
If you can't change the factor of how the teacher tests because it's not public school and you don't have the option of accommodations for learning differences, can you change the way you and your son "study" for tests in order to better prepare him? By all means, continue what you've been doing, but also add in a practice test similar to what's given in class. So if she calls out the words with a shorter pause in between words, you do that too. Maybe start with a 30 second pause (or whatever), then decrease to 25, then to 20, until you're at the target. Also try changing the environment. Maybe he's comfortable at his desk in his room. Move him to the kitchen table. Move him outside. Have him do the math quiz at the grocery store. Whatever.
How far ahead is he given the spelling word list? I believe by test time he should know them from memory rather than sounding them out. My daughter gets her list on Friday and is tested the following Friday. She practices everyday, until she knows them. First day, she writes each word 3 times. Then I test her, we check it and she makes corrections as needed. I test her each day like this. She usually does really well but will still have one or two words that are more challenging. Pop quiz (orally) during the day, not all the words though. Breakfast, dinner, in the car, bedtime etc. By Friday, she knows all the words from memory. Usually gets a 100.
I can't help you with the timed drills. My sweet girl is very smart, but doesn't enjoy being rushed.
My gifted 3rd grader is at a new Montessori school this year.
He likes it (no bullies so far) and is doing great EXCEPT for his spelling and math tests.
Many Montessori schools do not have these kinds of tests but this one, unfortunately, does. (As did the other Montessori school we looked into.)
Anyway, once a week he has a "math facts" test. He is stuck on the 2x tables.
He has to write all the problems down in 90 seconds.
We practice at home, both written and verbally. He knows them cold, and can do them in 64 seconds.
But every week he is not passing.
Bigger problem:
Spelling.
He has 10 words every week. The first week he missed 1. This week he missed 8!!
They were hard words (IMO) but here's the problem:
he knows them at home. This week he knew them very well, not great, but well.
I asked him what happens when he takes the test, and he says the teacher goes to quickly and he doesn't have time to sound the word out in his head.
Background: He is extremely bright (IQ off the charts). He has eye issues (tracking and convergence) although those are better. He can read at age level. His memory is phenomenal (that is why this is so frustrating) and his reading comprehension/retention is excellent. At one time we thought he might be dyslexic, but we don't believe he is anymore. Not ADD or anything.
SO:
How can we help him prepare for the tests better?
Sigh. I wonder if the question is how can we keep from pressuring our THIRD GRADE kids with tests?
Maybe that is just me.
Quote:
He is prepared at home; we practice and practice, but it is not translating to the tests.
AND
Is there anything that I can say to the teacher to maybe allow him to be tested differently? Remember, this is Montessori.
Advice from anyone who has struggled through this?
If you can't change the factor of how the teacher tests because it's not public school and you don't have the option of accommodations for learning differences, can you change the way you and your son "study" for tests in order to better prepare him? By all means, continue what you've been doing, but also add in a practice test similar to what's given in class. So if she calls out the words with a shorter pause in between words, you do that too. Maybe start with a 30 second pause (or whatever), then decrease to 25, then to 20, until you're at the target. Also try changing the environment. Maybe he's comfortable at his desk in his room. Move him to the kitchen table. Move him outside. Have him do the math quiz at the grocery store. Whatever.
^^I agree here. This is exactly what I was thinking while reading the OP. Perhaps speak with the teacher and find out how she is giving the test, then duplicate it at home.
The other OP is on target also with stating he should not "need" to sound them out if he has practiced enough at home. You may need to start reviewing a few times a day.
Sigh. I wonder if the question is how can we keep from pressuring our THIRD GRADE kids with tests?
Maybe that is just me.
Not just you.
ITA.
But what can I do? There were only 2 Montessori schools to choose from, and both had similar situtations.
___________
At the beginning of the school year, homework was taking 2 hours a day.
(Our previous Montessori school had no homework, as many do, so this was quite a change).
DS is going a lot faster now and is getting the written work done in an hour, plus 1/2 hour practicing words/times tables.
I do kinda "pop quiz" him here and there on the words and times tables....like in the shower, before school, at dinner, etc.
Clearly, the way we practice the words needs to change.
The times tables I am stumped on though. We practice them backwards, forwards, upside down. He is very quick on them (he likes math). But I don't know why he cannot pass the tests. So, this clearly needs to be addressed with the teacher.
I would suggest the following would help with passing said very important test.
It is very impostant, especially with a gifted child, to follow the steps of my "Do better at grade 3 tests" to the letter and in order.
Go to MacDonalds and buy soft serve and french fries.
Choose a night and let the child stay up as late as they like watching TV or a video. It is especially helpful if they watch inappropriate programs as it will help them mature faster and therefore find the test more childish and therefore easier.
Have child take a day off school stay home in pyjamas all say watching TV.
Take another day off school, this time do actually get dressed and take the bus for a ride around the town.
Send child to school with a bag of sweets and chocolate cake.
Go to MacDonalds again and buy soft serve and french fries.
If you do these steps, you can be sure that your child will score very very well in those very important tests.
Your information about your son is very contradictory--high IQ, no learning disabilities yet he is only reading at grade level and can't pass simple multiplication and spelling tests. One of these factors is not correct. Either he does not have the IQ you think he does or he has learning disabilities. Have you had him tested?
Reading AT grade level, for better students, is actually being behind the curve. Most better students read several grades above grade level. The lack of short term memory also may be an issue.
I would schedule an appointment with a psychologist that specializes in learning disabilities and have him tested.
Your information about your son is very contradictory--high IQ, no learning disabilities yet he is only reading at grade level and can't pass simple multiplication and spelling tests. One of these factors is not correct. Either he does not have the IQ you think he does or he has learning disabilities. Have you had him tested?
Reading AT grade level, for better students, is actually being behind the curve. Most better students read several grades above grade level. The lack of short term memory also may be an issue.
Yes, he has been tested.
Yes, his IQ is very high.
No, there are no traditional LDs like dyslexia.
As I mentioned, he does have vision issues, which although improved, are still in play. (Eye tracking and convergence).
What I meant by "reading on grade level" is that he can easily read all the reading that is assigned to him. I don't mean that he can't read above that.
He basically missed a year of reading and spelling instruction due to the eye issues but he has caught up on the reading, if that makes sense.
I do not believe he lacks short term memory overall. His reading comprehension/retention is perfect. He gets 100% on his reading evaluations. I am with him when he does his homework and he recalls the story with no errors. Even answers I might have to go back and look up he remembers.
He also knows his math facts perfectly (at home).
So to me, the issues are:
--why if he knows his math facts perfectly, instantly, etc. at home, is that not translating to the test at school?
--why is spelling so difficult?
Maybe it just is difficult and we have to practice/work on it differently/more, IDK.
Some people are not great spellers, that is true enough.
PS. Also he has not taken tests in the last 2 years due to being at a Montessori school that did not do tests. So, I am thinking it may be that he needs to learn HOW to take a test.
So to me, the issues are:
--why if he knows his math facts perfectly, instantly, etc. at home, is that not translating to the test at school?
Could it be test stress?
Quote:
--why is spelling so difficult?
Maybe it just is difficult and we have to practice/work on it differently/more, IDK.
I don't know if this is the case at his school, but many schools don't teach the encoding of language (spelling) with the same sysmtematic approach as the decoding (reading). When taught reading, a child is taught many strategies from phonics, to prior knowledge and inference... Many places teach spelling by giving words and having rote memorization. Rote memorization is hard for some people. There are some good programs out there for systematic encoding including All About Spelling and Words Their Way. They may help your son learn encoding skills. In the short term, they will not help him pass spelling tests of random rote memorization if that is how they approach it.
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Remember, this is Montessori.
We practice them backwards, forwards, upside down. He is very quick on them (he likes math). But I don't know why he cannot pass the tests. So, this clearly needs to be addressed with the teacher.
