Speeding up in exams - DS with processing issues

[CosyToes33]

DS aged 13 has recently 'lost' the extra time he used to get in tests and exams because of changes to allowances in public exams. Basically, he has processing difficulties which mean that there is a large difference between his actual ability and his processing and production of what he knows. He's been formally assessed for this and previously got more time in all tests and exams for the arts and humanities.

However because his speed of processing is not below the cut off point for more time, he had to complete end of year exams without extra time and this was reflected in his lower marks at any exams requiring copious 'writing'. He is allowed to use a word processor - just not have extra time anymore.

Whilst he'll only be starting Yr 9 in September, the time of public exams is creeping nearer and I'm worried he'll not achieve the grades he could get if he were faster.

So I've got two questions: how can you help a child to speed up (he needs to go twice the speed he's going at to finish exam papers, judging from his Yr 8 results) - if there are underlying cognitive processing difficulties to overcome that are in-born and lifelong?

Secondly, is there any way around getting him extra time again in public exams, eg by having more comprehensive testing that would indicate his need for more time, given his 'assessment profile'?

Presumably there must be lots of other children who have recently lost their extra time in exams if they don't fall quite below the accepted criteria for processing speed? How have you been able to address this or overcome this? Any advice much appreciated.

The criteria are very tight but it may be worth getting an Ed Psych assessment this time next year (probably not worth it too far in advance as you'd have to do so again before GCSEs) to see if he could yet qualify. One of the specific processing tests needs to be 74 or less. In the meantime could he learn to touch type as the criteria for using a laptop in an exam are more discretionary ie. established use in class/exams? fwiw ds "lost" his entitlement just before his mocks and has recently sat GCSEs but didn't seem to find the change as dramatic or unsettling as we had feared, although only time will tell.

As Lizs says the criteria are tight, but that is to try to create a level playing field for all candidates. One standardised score has to be below 84 (not 74) for extra time to be granted.
OP the details for exams etc are listed in
www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/regulations-and-guidance/access-arrangements-and-reasonable-adjustments-2013-2014-standard-pdf-version

5.2.2
In order to award extra time of up to 25% the centre must assess the needs of the candidate based on one of the following documents:
• a Statement of Special Educational Needs relating to secondary education which confirms the candidate’s disability; or
• an assessment carried out from the start of Year 9 by a specialist assessor confirming a learning difficulty relating to secondary/further education.
Substantial impairment
So as not to give an unfair advantage, the specialist assessor’s report must also confirm that the candidate has:
at least one below average standardised score of 84 or less which relates to an assessment of:
• speed of reading; or
• speed of reading comprehension; or
• speed of writing; or
• cognitive processing measures which have a substantial and long term
adverse effect on speed of working (see sections 7.5.11, and 7.5.12, page 86).

At our school we would be collecting evidence from year 8 to show a pupil's normal way of working, the effect of extra time etc in addition to the testing. e.g. they are given a different coloured pen to use after the normal time is up to show what additional difference it makes with extra time. This is because schools are asked to paint a picture of need.

I would encourage your DS to improve his typing speed as this can make a great difference and is of course a great life skill. I would try to get him to follow a touch typing course e.g. Mavis Beacon or similar every few days to improve his speed over the holidays.

sorry , yes score less than 84.

Thanks. It's not so much his typing speed but his general slowness. EG in the maths exam he only completed half of each paper for example. In several other arts/humanities exams, he only completed half of each section. The year before, he'd been allowed extra time and completed that extra time in green pen and it was obvious what a difference this made to him.

His classwork and homework - according to his teachers - is a good standard because he doesn't have the time pressure and he often takes far longer than he should doing homework but clearly knows how to produce good work. It's the combination of thinking/processing his ideas and then reproducing these on paper - whether typed answers or written - that slows him down.

There was just such a noticeable difference this year between how he did during the year and what he had time to produce in exams that it's obvious that he finds doing things to speed disables his level of ability.

Re. the assessment at the start of Yr 9 - would that be something I need to get done privately then and what exact tests would need to be carried out? Would we need to get testing done v soon rather than shortly before the public exams?

The learning support department at his school did some short tests on him at the start of Yr 8 and those tests indicated he just wasn't quite slow enough but I know that the assessor isn't a qualified educational psychologist at all and the tests done were v short ones compared with some he had done by a private psychologist a few years ago.

What it looks like he needs is some skills training in how to think more quickly for all subjects, including maths as much as arts/humanities. He's fairly quick at typing although could probably improve more but it's not the speed of typing that seems to be holding him back - rather his processing speed.

Sounds like he might benefit from some exam technique as well, such as tackling the higher mark questions first , reading through the paper before starting etc. You need to liaise with the SENCO again . Very few are sufficiently qualified to carry out the relevant assessments in-house but they may have a LA Ed Psych or recommend you go private. ds was borderline in his previous assessments and we decided , with his the Ed Psych and school, that it was not worth pursuing another one (previous was done early Y8)and still perhaps not proving his need. He too had had a couple of years of using different coloured pens and so on . At least if you investigate soon he'll have longer than 6 months to adapt

Thanks again. Has anyone else come up against the rule changes and helped their DC to speed up, even if there are underlying processing difficulties?

I just don't see how to help him to think more quickly, organise those thoughts more quickly and efficiently, get them down on paper more quickly (and neatly too - as his handwriting is awful and though he's allowed use of a word processor for some subjects, he still has to write in most subjects like the three sciences, maths, geog etc).

If he's calm and relaxed and not pressured for time, it still takes him ages to complete things, even those he finds easy and interesting. In exams, there are lots of aspects that he finds hard, like any of us and the time pressure and stress of the situation make his underlying problems further exacerbated.

It's too late for this term as he broke up over a week ago but I'll be back in touch with the learning support department in September. They're very nice but not very competent or expert from my experience and I think I'm going to have to help DS myself and/or pay for outside help.

It's be v helpful if anyone else on MN has been through something similar with their DC and could share more of their experience. At the moment it just feels a bit like a child with some other kind of disability suddenly being told that no more allowances can be made for them, so they just have to meet the same level as a fully able child.

My DS1 has a significant processing disorder bottom 3%, combined with working memory problems bottom 10% but a fairly high IQ top 5% (he under-performs) and has not lost his extra time but he has definitely sped up. He's just finished his AS's and with the extra time wrote significantly more than he did last year at GCSE. Enjoying the subject definitely helps he's more inspired to make the enormous effort required. I understand that with time they learn to manage it better as they go through education. He types all his exams.

At our school we have been encouraged to collate evidence of a child's 'normal way of working' from as soon as possible, in order to help build a case for extra time alongside any assessments of speed etc. This evidence is important.