What should I do to improve my child’s grades if they don’t test well?

During consultations, I meet with parents and students together to discuss what has been going on in their class and to begin to assess where difficulties are stemming from.  Sometimes I’ll get a case where the student has a moderate level of understanding in the class, and is genuinely trying to perform well but they are continually failing tests. 

The student is embarrassed and upset, and the parents are often at a loss as to where to begin seeing that their child IS attending class, taking notes, attempting homework and still bringing home an F. 

Now, this may seem strange at first glance.  How can a child do the homework but not the tests?  

There are often two issues at play here. Number 1 is generally confidence.  That’s a compounding issue too.

Understanding the class some, but not fully grasping the class means they can do average performance on classwork and tests, and may be able to recall and report what they’ve learned.  Where they struggle is applying it on independent work because they do not FULLY understand it.

I say this compounds, because that feeling of almost getting it, but not quite feels uncomfortable to the student.  They begin to lose confidence in themselves and in their own ability.  The lack of confidence means they perform lower, which then degrades their confidence further.  

See how this compounds?  

This effect takes a student with moderate grades and tanks their understanding and scores very quickly.  The earlier a confidence issue is caught in math, the better.  Although over time, the confidence can return.  

Let’s look now at the second issue at play with more test scores.  This one is probably a term you’ve heard before, but maybe you aren’t familiar with the impact of it. Test Anxiety.

For many students and parents, this term has begun to sound like the big bad wolf.  Or some impassable mountain that will always produce low scores.  

That’s really not the case.  First, let’s think about how test anxiety might look and feel. 

We’ve already seen how it can look like someone who starts out okay in class and then suddenly begins getting low scores.  But what does it look like at test time?

Ask your student how they feel when they sit down to take the test.  If test anxiety is a factor, you may hear things like,

“I worry that I’m not going to know anything”

“I thought I was prepared, but when I sat down to take the test my mind went blank”

“Nothing looked or felt familiar and I just panicked”

“I really tried, but when I looked at the paper I felt like I couldn’t breathe”

Your student doesn’t have to say all of these statements to show they are anxious. 

Any one of these statements could point to anxiety.  They may also be experiencing a feeling like their heart is racing, feeling suddenly flushed and hot or cold and clammy, sweat, or blurry or unclear vision.

Looking at the physical symptoms of anxiety I’ve listed above here, it may also be easier to see why anxiety does impact testing.  If your body were to feel this way, would you truly be able to perform your best?  I know I wouldn’t!

So, how can a student begin to improve their scores if they are up against this?

It truly can be overcome!  The approach I recommend is combining desensitization and anxiety coping tools.

Desensitization in this case basically means we are making the situation feel more familiar, thus reducing the body and mind’s stress response.  We can do this by simulating test conditions at home with multiple practice tests, and even timing them.   It’s also important to communicate with your child’s instructor because you may be able to arrange for them to use a certain seat they are more familiar with in the classroom, or use something comforting and familiar, such as a special jacket or stress ball/fidget tool.

For anxiety coping tools, I primarily like to use breathing techniques.  I teach several deep breath or recentering breath techniques, but I’ve also used other methods depending on what’s calming to the student.  These could also be subtle finger tapping or pressing, or a mini focus activity.  These primarily serve to reduce the body’s physical response, allowing your child’s mind time to come in and take over convincing itself not to worry and allowing them to take control of the situation.

Once they are able to be in control of the situation, students should be able to use reasoning to t”talk themselves into it.”  In tutoring, we may work on a specific dialogue the student can tell themselves internally at this point.  Maybe “I am prepared for this.  I know this material and I am capable.  I can do my best.”  This uses positive affirmation and can serve as a confidence booster as well.


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