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Health & Fitness

"My Child Doesn't Test Well!"

I hear this all of the time . . .why is there such a discrepancy between school performance and grades? The answer usually involves several reasons. The forth reason and the most challenging one will be addressed in depth.

1. Grade inflation is rampant.  What does that mean?  Do all teachers in a school have the same standards for giving a particular grade? Of course not! So if teachers in the same school vary, schools themselves vary, counties and states vary.  Colleges and universities have to have a gauge that is the same for all students, regardless of what school they attended or state they are from:  ACT or SAT.

2. Students learn how to play the "game of school".  Savvy students learn what they have to do to get the 'grade'. They may not learn much content in the process, but they're good at the game.

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3. Most students are not readers. At best they read, only what they have to to get by.  Avid readers typically don't need much if any test preparation - ironically, even in the math. Students whose passion is reading have inadvertently developed the requisite critical reading and thinking skills necessary to do well on the SAT or ACT.

4.  When students create internal pressure that comes from such thoughts as, "I can't mess up", "This is my last chance", "I always do poorly on standardized tests," they need to realize that those thoughts come from the part of the brain where . .

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ATTENTION PARENTS OF HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR & SOPHOMORES:

Have your teen come to the PSAT Prep Workshop this Sunday at the Washington Waldorf School in Bethesda. Not only we will review powerful strategies and test-taking techniques, we will also address the topic of limiting beliefs as discussed above.  Click here for more information.   
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