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CrazyBusy
Aug. 15, 2009
Test Scores Are In- Help!
I got the children's ITBS test results back and there are some things I've been thinking about. If you have any thoughts, please share!
Want to share this first- Julianna enjoying a ride on the swing.
So these are my very random thoughts after looking over their test results. Alek's composite score went down a point; Gracie's went up one. While I'm not too terribly upset about Alek's score going down, looking at the specific results for each category has me wondering about a few things.
1. Alek's overall math score went down quite a bit- 10 percentile points, actually. Now there were a couple of things at play here. We knew about these things right after he took the test when we asked him how it went- it wasn't the score that prompted us to ask. First, on one section of his math test, he had written all of his answers in the wrong section and had to erase and transfer them to the right spot. Also, since he's been working so far ahead in math for so long, he said there was one part, estimating of all things, that he hasn't done in a long time & forgot how to do it. He did poorly on that section. (well, for him- he scored in the 70th percentile on that section) Also, he did not finish all of the questions like he normally does. I don't know if having to transfer his answers affected that. Also, I've read so many mixed reviews of Teaching Textbooks that I'm HOPING that using this curriculum is not the reason his score went down. But at the same time, I KNOW he's being challenged and learning a lot in math. So confused.
2. BOTH of the children did poorly in the capitalization section of the test. So hmmm... should I find some material for them to help them learn the rules of capitalization? They both scored above average (Gracie slightly; Alek WAY HIGH) in the language portion of the test. Capitalization was a weak point for both of them though.
3. I'm also concerned, and wondering how concerned I should be, when it comes to Gracie's ability to get the questions answered in a timely manner. In other words, how important do you think it is for a child to be able to finish all questions (or most anyway) in a timed test? At this age (to be in 5th grade)? Should I have her start working on it now? Worry later? Math is not her thing. Never has been, probably won't ever be. On any portion of the test that had math questions, she obviously slowed her pace WAY down. Out of 111 math related questions, she only answered 67 of them. And of course she didn't get all of those right. So I'm thinking of putting Gabe & Gracie together, working as partners, drilling each other on math facts using flash cards. I was having them do Quarter Mile Math but it'd be quicker just to whip out the flash cards. But as far as test taking speed- leave it alone for now? Work on timed test-taking skills?
4. When these types of questions pop up in my head, the first thing I ask myself is, "What do you think GOD wants you to do? Does He care if Gracie can do math problems within a specified time frame? What is His best for these children?" And really, I don't think there is a clear answer. In a way, I think, yes, I think God would like our children to be shining examples of the homeschool movement and to do our best in everything. But then I also think, no, I really don't think God cares about timed math test. I think He cares more about our character and THAT is where we should shine. I flip flop back and forth on this a lot.
5. Another thought. I just looked at Alek's math scores one more time. You know, he got 100% of the questions he answered CORRECT under "Math Computation". But he didn't answer 7 questions, so that brought his score down on that section. And on the "Concepts & Estimation" section, not counting the estimation subsection, he only got 2 problems wrong + didn't answer one question. On the estimation portion, the part he KNEW he didn't do as well on, he only answered 7 out of 10 questions and got 3 of those wrong. So really, I don't think I can blame Teaching Textbooks. He did quite well. He just needs to work on his speed & maybe we need to look over the typical scope & sequence for math for his grade level & see if there are any topics he needs to review at the end of each year so he doens't get stuck like that again. That was frustrating for my perfectionist child.
6. Maybe I shouldn't even read the test results.
7. If I do continue to read the test results, maybe I should avoid looking too much into them.
8. I also should avoid blogging in the daytime, when my thoughts are interrupted 4,367 times by young children. Maybe my posts would be more coherent. And the children would have my attention.
9. That is why most of my posts mainly contain photos. I don't have to do a lot of thinking posting a photo.
10. Amen.
I've enjoyed keeping up with my friends here- the back to school posts are exciting yet making me nervous as I am NOT READY to start school back up. We have thoroughly enjoyed this summer and I'm not ready for it to end. Mostly. Some days I AM ready for more structure to our days and getting back into a good routine. See? Flip. Flop. Hmm... flip flops. I want to go to the beach... |
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Aug. 15, 2009 - Untitled Comment
First, I think you're absolutely right on one point -- look at the test results, but try not to obsess over every point. The overall picture is that your kids are smart little things & you're doing a great job, mama! And yes, God is farrrrrrr more concerned about their character than whether or not they can correctly answer 400 math problems in 5 minutes. :)
Second, and this is just a random idea, feel free to take it or leave it. In my kids' classes @ their schools, they have to take a standardized test once a year to see how they're doing. One thing the teachers have to push is speed in the math portion because a lot of kids (my youngest for example!) would do just like Gracie. She'd end up not finishing because she was worried about the details along the way. So, to prep them for that, they have a sheet of 20-ish simple math problems that they work through each day. The goal is to finish all of the problems in a set period of time & flip the paper over to show that you're done. They then count how many they completed & their goal the next day is to get 1 more done than the day before (or the week before or the month before....just a continual progression). It's not for a grade, so there isn't any pressure to do it perfectly every time and if you mess up & put the wrong answer, you're not going to lose out on anything else because of it. It's just a personal competition with themselves to work toward being able to finish up quickly. I don't know if that's helpful or not, but I thought I'd mention it!
Liz