They start them with timed addition and subtraction in 1st grade! By 2nd grade, Evie had mastered the 40 problems in under the 2 minutes that was required. That following summer vacation is when we noticed her first tics. If you'd like to re-visit that moment, it's here --->
Enter third grade. New tics, sports, tics causing lack of focus, some OCD and guess what? The timed math tests are now multiplication. So I chalked the timed test failures to not wanting to study multiplication.
Fourth grade. The timed math tests are insane now. All that's required is to complete 25 problems in under 1 minute. She's struggling in a bad way. I mean really struggling.. Remember 2nd grade when she could solve 40 ADDITION in 2 minutes? (that's 20 in a minute for those not wanting to use their math skills at the moment) :) Now she only gets like 11 finished in a minute. ADDITION! Same goes for subtraction.
Something is wrong here. First of all, let me say that I despise and highly disagree with timed tests. It's stressful and causes anxiety. It teaches you to have to do everything fast. If you know the answer, you know it.. why does it have to be a freaking race? So I did some research today and found some interesting articles on what math professors at prestigious colleges think about timed math tests in general. If you get time, please please read this article...
Timed Tests and the Development of Math Anxiety
The passages that stood out were, "Timed tests have been given to young children in school districts in the United States with the best intentions, but with negative consequences for many years. " And....
"recent research conducted with children in 1st and 2nd grade, found that levels of math anxiety did not correlate with grade level, reading level, or parental income. For the most capable students, the research confirms, stress impedes the functioning of their working memory and reduces achievement. Research conducted at Stanford revealed that math anxiety changes the structure and workings of the brain."
I also got to thinking about how Evie's recent diagnosis includes Attention Deficit Disorder and wondered what experts had to say about timed tests and ADD. Again, just what I suspected.. Here's the passage that stuck out to me as 100% accurate, " If a student is given a worksheet with 100 math problems, they are immediately overwhelmed by all 100 problems. When a child has ADHD, their mind tries to process all of the information at once and they convince themselves that this is an impossible task. This is why teachers and parents often find themselves frustrated because it seems as though the student is not trying."
So I decided to test this theory and gave Evie a blank sheet of paper to cover all of the rows except the row that she was working on. The objective was to keep her focused on the task in front of her and to not have the other problems distracting her. I also told her that she was NOT being timed, not to stress but to just work through one problem at a time. I immediately saw the strain leave her forehead, the tension in her hands loosen and heard the sigh of relief. She then worked through it in a timely manner.. I secretly used a stop watch and noticed she was on problem 17 at the 1 minute mark, so there was certainly an improvement.
I emailed her teacher and told her about this and am hoping that Evie can be accommodated in some way. I don't want her to hate math because of anxiety. That just seems so pointless!
I know that some of my blog readers are teachers. I'd be interested in hearing your opinions, thoughts and problem solving solutions that have worked for your students. What gives with these timed tests? Do you agree with their intended purpose or outcome?
I'm in the mindset that as long as Evie knows the material, I could care less if they give her a poor grade on the timed stuff.. and if we need a doctor's note to make the situation work for us, I'll be on that phone first thing Monday morning! :)
