Trying to understand what happens to my Year 8 DC in tests at school...ADHD?

[namechangedagainagain]

So my DC is bright, very able yada yada - in top sets where they're streamed.

They've just done a few tests in various subjects - some he had time to prepare for, another he didn't.

Overall, the results are pretty disappointing - for him as well as us. He's gone into a bit of a negative spiral about it.

I'm trying to understand why it happens - his class books are full of ticks etc. He does revise when he knows a test is ahead (we do expect this of him). But these are things I wonder about.

1. He does lack a focus in a class - easily distracted and distractible - always been the complaint - even though teachers love him, he makes great contributions and his school work is to a high standard
2. Is he perhaps neurodivergent, ADHD? Would that affect how he works in tests - in maths, for example, he lost lots of points on 'incomplete' answers - which suggests to me that, as usual, he rushes - again, he's always been this way.
3. Is he revising in a helpful way? Should we be doing it with him or helping him?

And what can I do to help?

I know it's Year 8 and these are just tests, but I'm just trying to be supportive.

He probably didn't do enough revision. Doing badly in a set of tests does not mean he has ADHD. You'd need loads more indicators than that (both of my DC have ADHD as do I).

Have you looked at the tests? Is he answering the question that he is being asked or just latching onto one word in the question? Is he following all the instructions in the test?

What makes you think its adhd? My son is diagnosed and medicated and its very very apparent. Focus is something non adhds can practice and get better at. It's just like a muscle being used. Unless there are other obvious indicators it sounds like he didn't put thr work in.

In future if you test him as part of his revision you will know whether the revision has been effective, and also you will be able to look at the tests and think 'ah but he knew that, or 'oh we missed that in revision'.

Teacher.

Lots of students are able to do the work in the lesson - it's fresh in their mind and if they get stuck they can talk to a friend/ask the teacher.

Most forget at least some of it over time, and some students retain so little that you can teach the same topic twice in a week and they still don't remember any of it.

Sounds like he doesn't retain stuff as easily as some.

Most schools have regular tests on the previous month/term's work to encourage students to go back over it.

Most schools will build some "retrieval practice" into lessons and homeworks - maybe 10 quick questions at the start of the lesson or another popular one is last lesson/last week/last month/last year.

Do you know if his school does that? If not then it sounds like he needs to put some extra work in revising for the tests.

Of course, apologies - I didn't mean to suggest he's done badly in tests, therefore he has ADHD. There are other reasons that might or might not be ADHD or age...hard to know. But I def know his focus gets compromised - he drifts off in class.

I've had one bit of feedback about a test - he lost marks due to not finishing the question correctly. Either making a mistake during the process which led him to the wrong answer, or he has not read the question properly, and so has not given the correct final answer, even though his working is leading towards it.

That suggests to me that he is rushing. Just not taking the time to read the question. And this has been an issue for years, and I simply don't know how to help him address it. He has a quick brain but it doesn't serve him well in those moments.

I don't know if they do 'retrieval practice' but I suspect they do low level continuous testing of some sorts. It's a very highly regarded state school.

How can I help him retain stuff? I do think he probably needs to work harder at revision. He's got the old 'no one else does' but I think he does. Maybe a lack of focus in the class means he doesn't retain as well? I don't know.

I did ok at school - got fairly good grades - but I had to work my ass off to get there. It was hard fought. I think he's similar but he just might not want to do the work - and I don't want to put him off.

The best way to retain stuff is little and often.

So for some subjects this can easily be done through an app or using a computer:

Maths he could use the Dr Frost website and search for the topics he is doing in class

Languages he could try using an app like memrise which has coversations and listening etc for similar topics to school. Duolingo etc won't necessarily map well to the school topics but he could try using that as well,

Science the tassomai app and website are very good but I think they are mostly GCSE level rather than year 8. That operates on the same principle - a few questions each day and you can choose topics.

For humanities etc then it's a case of looking at traditional revision methods / does he know how to structure a longer answer / can you encourage him to read around or watch tv programmes on the Black Death or whatever he is studying?

I used to do well in class but was rubbish at tests. It was only as an adult I realised it was because I actually didn’t know how to revise properly.
Test technique is an important skill to learn. I teach it to my Year 6s for SATs. We start the year with a test, I note the answers children give but don’t actually mark it, then use this as a learning tool for test technique.
Which is why tests don’t actually measure a child’s progress - they measure a childs ability to take a test!

Hmm as a teacher in secondary school ( not maths though) I saw many children start to ‘not bother’ in year 8. I think you are right to be concerned although you of course don’t need to panic.
Speak to his teacher and see if they have suggestions. Could he revise again and retake the test after school one day next week? Could he then do a similar test at home or school and would his teacher mark it and see if he does better?
important to keep your son working well at school and home. He will need his maths grades. Many secondary schools do a lot to support students in maths so they probably have access to online homework or practice sites. How much of this does your son actually do? Find out.
possibly his maths ability is fine but he is not reading the question or not practicing thinking about what it means. If he is ‘distracted’ in class then that won’t be helping. Does he check his answers? Get him to do some more tests and ask him to talk you through how he’s checking his answers.

My dd y7 did brackets in algebra just 3w ago. Tested yesterday and had already forgotten and didnt multiply the second number! She ususally has a good memory.

Personally i think the lack of much homework, maybe it being online and coverig topics so quickly. But when i was at school we had big exams at end of each year and so we remembered all that stuff.

I have a poor memory -
For maths actually working through new questions and looking at errors
For lang etc writing words out

I’m not sure the answers saying that your DS simply needs work harder will help you.

Some people get very stressed/anxious in tests and they rush to make the experience end quickly. This leads them to guess or make simple mistakes.

What they need are strategies to help them stay calm so that they can think clearly, and also test-taking skills such as how to approach a text. I’m still learning all this myself as my DS gets anxious in tests.

Some children spend long time memorizing work they've learned in class but the majority of the questions in tests (I'm thinking science) are application (using what you know and applying it to a new situation). Find some application questions and practice these with him.

Students can be brilliant in classes and homework but not to well in tests

Science for example is looking for specific words and answers in tests.

Even if you explain completely using roundabout language, unless it has the key words in you don't get the mark

DS1 always used to perform a lot worse in tests than teachers expected, and that anyone who knew him well would expect, really. In his end of y8 maths exam, he scored 25% and the teacher expected him to have got 50-55% at least. Ds1 couldn’t explain what had happened - he seemed to have had a brain freeze pretty much from start to finish. It made no sense.

He showed signs of being neurodivergent, and was diagnosed with dyspraxia and ASD. He now gets extra time in tests and exams.

He doesn’t have huge self-awareness, but he already thinks that the extra time will help him as he thinks he will not skip over reading the questions properly, because he feels anxious about getting thoughts down on paper and moving to the next question (and this making mistakes).

Time will tell. But generally slowing down, taking the time to read the question, and then read the question again, underlining key words in the question (eg compare, explain, give three examples etc), and then calmly moving onto the next question are all things that he needs to keep in mind, and feeling the security of extra time will help him with that, I think.

Pursuing assessments has really helped Ds1 and I wonder whether any of this might resonate with you and your Ds.

It isn’t just about working harder, although actually working in class and homework and doing effective revision is usually helpful in getting good marks in tests.
it’s more about taking the situation seriously which OP is trying to do by asking on here. The question is, did her DC do as well on the test as he could have done? If he absolutely did his best now, could he get higher marks? If so then it’s about his approach to the test, being calm, reading questions carefully, checking so he doesn’t lose marks on silly mistakes or slips.
Or did he actually do his best, the results match his abilities at the moment and lower marks reveal gaps in understanding or lack of knowledge because he can’t remember the work or a need for further practice to increase speed and consistency.
Doing more sample tests, discussing the maths skills needed and the results and seeking the teachers advice could help to shine a light on what the actual problems are and therefore what is needed to improve or address these and make progress.

Thanks to everyone. Lots of helpful thoughts here, which I'll go through in more detail tomorrow.

But I agree, it's not just about working harder. There is something about the way he's working/revising/being in class/approaching the tests (delete as appriopriate) which isn't quite working and we need to support him in finding out what this is.

For the poster who talked about ASD/dyspraxia and brain freeze - that isn't what happens to him. His brain doesn't freeze.