Upset about sons school test scores

[Lillybanks]

My son is 7
He did the Progress Test English and Progress Test maths test at the end of school and we got the results.
He did below average in Maths and just in the higher end of average in English.
The tests are done on a computer and my son mentioned his teacher said to skip any questions he thought were too hard and I think he took as he can skip through without trying.
His school report he does well in these areas and would be in the top reading group. They've never raised concerns and when helping with homework he always seems very capable. Any advice? To add he's one of the youngest in the year and not sure if scores are adjusted.
He got 80 in maths and 110 in english

Gently, he's 7. It doesn't matter right now. Those test results matter more to the school. If you are supporting him with fun life learning at home, that's all the counts.

What are you actually concerned about?

He’s 7!!! I thought you meant secondary school results.

It will sort itself out. As they move through the years and onto the next stage, the previous ones become meaningless.

I suppose that he isnt engaging well in testing and scores arent reflecting what he knows. I also worry itll impact him next year and what groups he goes into etc

Just forget it and make sure her has a lovely summer.

These tests are utterly ridiculous and just make parents worried. The fact that they are nonsense is borne out by this from your post: His school report he does well in these areas and would be in the top reading group. They've never raised concerns and when helping with homework he always seems very capable.

Ignore, ignore, ignore!

And even if he were behind in some things, teachers know this and act accordingly; they are with children every day and don't need these tests to tell them which children need help. I wish the system would just let them do what they do best and teach instead of putting children through these pointless tests to tick a box.

If you think he understands how to do the maths but just isn't trying, that's not really a concern at this age.

If you think he doesn't understand how to do the maths then having extra support in whatever group is appropriate for him can only help.

Neither of these should be a concern for you.

It definitely feels like the first, he doesn't seem to struggle with understanding but rushes through work and makes mistakes or doesn't listen to the instructions.
Ive asked his teacher to have a quick chat to see if it was a case of skipping through questions or trying and getting wrong though not sure she would know

I get my kids summer workbooks. They are good at filling any knowledge gaps and recapping. We do about 10 minutes a day. CGP summer activity books are ggood.Try not to stress to much. A lot of learning should come from play.

He is 7!!!!
Don't become one of those intense parents who piles stress on their child, especially one this young!

Thank you that's helpful,
With him being younger for the year I do worry about him keeping up/his maturity so something like this would be good

Hes so young. Absolutely do not put on pressure on or let on any disappointment. He’s doing fine. Let him concentrate on what he is interested in doing.

So he's a bit lazy/not massively motivated by test scores? Sounds about right for a seven year old, doesn't it? Do you think he should have one eye on his future prospects at this age?

Just have a gentle word about always trying your best/that effort is more important than the outcome.

I agree i was initially quite surprised and unfortunately did question him and explain his scores were lower than we were expecting and asked what happened.
He did get upset and say he skipped some questions to finish first

To add he's one of the youngest in the year and not sure if scores are adjusted.

They are age adjusted.

He’s 7! He should not be made to feel like he’s done something wrong or that he isn’t trying hard enough academically. All you are doing is causing stress, anxiety and making him feel like shit. Let him have a childhood where learning g is fun. So what if he isn’t maximising his potential? So what if he isn’t meeting the standards you have set for him. He is not you, he is his own person.

Thats good. Do you know how they adjust them?
I do think at 7 it's harder to stay focused etc compared to some of his peers who are nearly 8

That score reflects his ability to concentrate and his comprehension of the questions as well as his ability to answer the question so it gives a well rounded result.

You should not be looking at this as a competition against his peers but more of a way to track progress. Next time he takes a formal test, his abilities will have improved through maturity. All you need to see is that he is improving.

The laws of maths tell us that not everyone can be above average.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1292419393?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

We do these for maths. If you get them at the start of the academic year, they run side by side the curriculum if you are in England.

I get my kids summer workbooks.

No, no, no - do NOT do this to your child OP!!

Let him have a bit of his very young life free from all this stuff! Treasure what childhood really means - ditch the workbooks and go out and explore some pond life, collect shells, make dens, dance, sing, go biking, let him camp out, make a camp fire - anything but more effing academic work!

He is 7!!! Just 7. In some countries he would not have been anywhere near any academic work at all at this age!

Give him the greatest gift you have - his childhood ....

We do that as well. My kids go to museums, art galleries, theme parks, sea life center, swimming, the park, soft play, zoo. They do a lot over the summer. They also like to do colouring, workbooks, experiments and craft. Its about balance.

my dd always tests lower than her class work on computer based systems due to the fact that if you don’t answer it adjusts and asks easier questions. Can you ask for an alternative assessment? Computer based assessments are really poor assessments for some children and don’t reflect later exam assessments, so the problem could be the assessment type rather than the attainment.

i can see this is true for my dd as when we do CDP etc together her ability clearly is much better than her computer based assessment.

O wow I didnt realise that it adjusted and asks easier questions. Yeah id much prefer a paper test so he can look back and see what answers he had skipped/missed
I can talk to the teacher about it on Monday

Yes that’s what we’re doing now, and if your ds did need extra time which is an adjustment kids have in GCSEs etc then these computer assessments for some reason can’t build that in. I’m surprised they’re so widely used in primary, that software must have a good sales team.

Jesus relax woman.