TAKS Testing

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Help.. I've visited Wrong Planet in the passed, however just now felt the NEED to talk to SOMEONE about my BEAUTIFUL, BRIGHT 8yr old son. We live in TX. and my son is in the 3rd grade, he will be taking the dreadful TAKS test in a few months and I'm lookin for any suggestions at all.



Thanks for reading.

We're already in the dreaded FCAT (Florida's equivalent) mode here - son is 10, 4th grade. Fourth grade here is where we have the even more dreaded writing section, although this year we officially have a scribe as an accommodation. I found out from him yesterday that he's more concerned with the math section, even though he's amazing at math. BUT I also found out that even though one of his teachers discussed his previous diagnostic scores in reading with him, they didn't mention math at all, so suddenly he is convinced that he's not going to do well. Since every general comment from the teachers is taken personally, whenever the teacher talks about students doing good/bad on the tests, it just adds to his anxiety.

Not surprisingly to anyone, with all of the general testing stress on top of the daily issues of just having to be at school and around so many people, his is now in major overload. J-man is very sensory seeking so we've been doing even more sensory stuff - long showers with the shower massage, soaking in the bathtub for as long as he wants, of course lots of free special interest time (LEGO's here), squishy stuff to play with, his little brother leaving him alone. Along with having more meltdowns at school (he hits his head) he's been stimming almost non-stop for the past week. Whatever works to reduce stress for your kid - do it. We're even considering some massage therapy.

He always tests really high on these, so we've used that fact, along with all of the previous practices and diagnostic scores to have something concrete to show him when he starts to get worried. That has seemed to help a little. We've given no pressure from home to perform on these tests, but he knows that if he doesn't pass, he doesn't pass 4th grade.

We have six more weeks before this crap is finished. :/ It's going to be a long six weeks.

Elizabeth

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We too are in Texas. My 9 year old is in the 3rd grade and taking it for the first time this year. He doesn't seem to be worried about it, but we haven't discussed it much. I know they do school practice tests all year. In our ARD (what they call the IEP here), there is a section on special accommodations for taking the TAKS. The administrators didn't feel he needed it, nor did we. I know if they had been at all worried, they would have wanted to do something. Our school, as well as the whole school district, is rated exemplary and they are very proud of that. No way will they jeopardize that rating.

To be honest, I think he will do well. I don't think he will do his best. He tends to rush tests. He feels the need to be first and he will skip questions or not read carefully. I think he will score well, but not at his best. But I think that is good enough for TAKS. He tested for gifted prior to us getting the AS diagnosis a year and a half ago. He marked high, but not high enough to get into GT. We can retest him the end of this year and I am requesting him to take it alone at the school, with the counselor only, instead of in the big district group as before. I figure if he can do better than average on a GT test at a strange school, with strange people, in a large classroom full of kids from all over the district, he can pass the stupid TAKS in his own classroom.

My son isn't a worrier; however, he doesn't think he is good at stuff either, even though he does all his math homework in his head. We can talk until we a blue in the face, but he doesn't truly believe that he is good at school. It is so frustrating.