Consequences for doing miserably on Maths Assessment (9 yr old)?

[mumintroll]

My 9-yr old is bright and has no problems with maths - in the autumn she got the best score in the maths assessments. This term she did miserably on the assessment - in large part because she did not really revise (even her teacher noticed this and pointed it out). I tried to nag her into revising more, but she is reaching a pre-teen independence phase where she resents being micro-managed.

She does genuinely feel bad about her results - and maybe this is enough to get her to apply herself next time. But I can't help but wonder if we should also make there be some more tangible consequences - such as removing some privilege? Anyone have experience with this?

[LIZS]

Just let her just learn from her disappointment and mistakes, be they common careless errors or due to lack of revision (although there is only so much you can do for maths anyway). dd found things really easy for a long while but in the last year or so has had to apply herself more and deal with distraction.

[seeker]

she has really been testing limits (back talk, eye rolling, generally sulky when things don't go her way)

Not surprised if she;s under that sort of pressure!

[MrsShrekTheThird]

interesting....
agree with what most of you are already saying.. revision, what's that? Bollocks to private schools and their over-emphasis on twee self important exams (I went to one of these schools for twelve years, am well placed to comment fwiw) don't believe a word of their hype. And consequences? punishment? WTF?
and finally, LauraIW, I forgot to feed my billy goat

[mumintroll]

hahaha ok i guess i deserve the flaming, i probably am overreacting, and i doubt i'll actually carry through on any "consequences". it probably would not have occurred to me except that the last few months she has really been testing limits (back talk, eye rolling, generally sulky when things don't go her way) - almost like I am getting a teenager much earlier than I planned. So I am wondering if I need to be a little firmer/clearer in setting limits.

And yes it's a private school, it was an end of year assessment, she was given plenty of heads up to prepare for it. And it's not the actual assessment grade I care about, it's about teaching her to take these things seriously and to try her hardest. But I agree with those posters who say that any punishment will probably backfire. Probably just the pain/embarassment of doing badly is enough.

And for those of you who think I am generally bonkers, I am relatively relaxed about these things compared to the other mothers at school.....

ok, flame away.....

[LauraIngallsWilder]

Anyone seen the op recently??

[EllenJaneisnotmyname]

Teacherwith2kids, investigate Murderous Maths books. Like Horrible Histories but for maths. My 3 DSs have learnt more from these books than from any maths lesson in primary school, and they are funny! Depends on age but my 8 yo loves them! My DS1 is 13 in y8 and is doing fantastically well in maths, partly due to these books. (Not on commission, btw )

[teacherwith2kids]

OK, I have a jaded view of Abacus. Or rather, I have a jaded view of any 'maths scheme' from which a teacher teacher 'pre-planned' lessons and the class then does 'pre-set' exercises.

My son is very able at Maths (he could add and subtract negative numbers in reception for example). However, because his school - which I am otherwise happy with - uses a maths scheme, he sits through lesson after lesson in which he leanrs nothing new - because the teacher, even if she is aware of his ability, cannot start the lesson for him at the correct point because it's 'not in the scheme' (I know there is a challenge book - buit the mechanics of teaching wholly separate 'challenge' lessons don't sem to work out).

Equally, most of the exercises are 'reinforcement' for him - but he still has to wade though what seems to me an unreasonable number of repetitive examples before he can get onto the explore questions. And his current teacher is of the 'underline 3 times and write only in boxes' type and so cannot understand how my 'bright but scatty' son is using up almst all of his time doing these repetitive sums but straining every sinew to do them neatly enough to satisfy her.

The half termly tests seem to, in my sons's school at least, replace proper continuous teacher assessment and are taken as 'gospel' .

I compare this to the maths planning I do - from the framework, starting precisely at the right point for each of the groups, with appropriately differentiated activities for each group starting at the right point, with no need for top groups to wade through easier activities, with conitnuous teacher assessment and I grit my teeth VERY hard!

Obviously, there are ways and ways to implement and use a scheme. Used selectively and sensitively, they are probably fine, and they may well be fine for your 'average performer' ... it's just used verbatim for someone who has the capability to be an exceptionally good mathematician if encouraged is a bit grrrrrrrrr

[seeker]

Shurely shome mishtake, Indigobell???

[IndigoBell]

You mean your child can fail a test even if you pay for their education?

[Bronte]

teacherwith2kids...can you expand on your comment about the benighted school using Abacus as its maths scheme. We introduced Abacus this year. would like to hear more about your views. Oh.. and what does anyone think of Rising Stars maths and/or english assessment. Personally I think they're s*e !

[LIZS]

It doesn't matter ! dd did similar last year with Science. It was out of step with her other results. She just learnt to concentrate a bit harder and did better this year.

[RoadArt]

sometimes kids deliberately do badly on tests if mum is pressurising them, which you presumably are.

if she failed test, and is upset herself, this will be her own motivation to do better next time. Pressure, aggro, disappointment or whatever from you will turn her off.

How does she feel about it?

There are lots of fun ways to help children revise without them actually sitting down doing papers, maybe a different approach might be better?

Punishment and removing privileges is a big no no - although at times very tempting when you get the constant defiance.

[pointythings]

Sorry, words. Am too hot to recognise irony

[fuzzpig]

Depressing OP if it's true!

[teacherwith2kids]

From previous posts by the OP, I suspect that we are talking private school here - in which cases the assessments will not be optional sats but internal school exams, and some (however spurious) importance will be attached to the results because most private schools don't have the well-developed processes for teacher assessment that state schools have.

[wordsonapage]

Pointy: I jest.

[seeker]

You are, i presume, joking, OP?

[pointythings]

wordsonapage the child is bright and did well in the autumn. That is no guarantee she is still going to do well the following summer. They learn a lot of new stuff in a school year, obviously some of it hasn't stuck!

[coccyx]

oh dear. thought you were going to say she was 13/14. leave her be.

[wordsonapage]

You are missing the point.
The child is bright and has no problem with maths.

[goes round in pentagrams]

[pointythings]

DD1 did these tests in May - no revision was demanded at all and so she enjoyed them. Teachers are using them to monitor progress alongside ongoing assessment and it was absolutely fine.

OP if your DD did poorly then it's because not all of the teaching has stuck and not all of the skills have been learned - she doesn't need punishment, she needs support improving her maths!

[teacherwith2kids]

Is this a private school (heard lots of little private school girls at ballet comparing end of year exam percentages the other day - state school educated DD looked politely baffled and said 'well, my teacher knows how well I'm doing. She tells me what to do next to get even better, too')?

Or alternatively a benighted school that does something like Abacus as the matsh scheme with its half-termly assessment sheets?

Or a school that's wholly missed the point of optional SATs??? Without teacher assessment?? No 9 year old should be 'revising' maths, the reinforcement and revisiting she should be doing is part of the normal maths framework so she should be regularly revisiting topics (adding a bit more each time) as part of normal teaching.

[MoreCrackThanHarlem]

I assume that the tests you are referring to are the Y5 optional SATS?

Expecting a 9yo to revise is ridiculous.
Ime the tests are a tool used by Senior Management to ensure teachers have enough children making 3 point progress.
I would be far more interested in the levels given through teacher assessment.

[piprabbit]

If she seems to be feeling bad about the assessment, talk to her about how she feels and why she thinks she is feeling that way. Ask her how she could do things differently next time, in order to get a better result.

Then...nothing...leave her to mull it over and learn the lessons for herself.

[hockeyforjockeys]

I teach nine year olds and I wouldn't expect any to revise (apart from learning their blinking tables). Consequences? Probably feeling unecessarily crap about herself will do.