Reading slowly will not help one do well on the timed SAT…and this kid did fine on that.
But the SAT is a closed test meaning that choices are given but only one is correct. This is very different than something like a fill in the blank, essay prompt, or questions to be answered that possibly could have more than one correct answer. These other scenarios can affect some kids who have trouble with those open ended sorts of things…some kids on the autism spectrum, for example, have difficulty with these things…and can do well on tests like an SAT, but not so well on things like open ended discussions.
Over the years I have had kids on the autism spectrum who read non-fiction but refuse to read fiction and have a lot of difficulty with it. That is why I asked.
I don’t know whether this student is on the spectrum or not. There is not enough information for any type of diagnosis and that is why I asked all of my questions (how did he do throughout his schooling, what he does for fun, did teachers always say that he never raised his hand, recess etc).
I would go back and say…”well…you have told me what you do NOT think our son’s issues are. Please help us figure out what are issues that need to be addressed. That is what we need.”
You paid this person for their expertise. Hopefully, they will have something to offer you in terms of information.
The only way the 1580 and 3.13 makes sense to me for a normal student is one who is pretty smart but doesn’t want to bother with turning in homework, studying for exams, and doing all the “mundane” stuff required in a classroom. Students like that exist but don’t seem to fit OP’s description of their son (healthy, no depression/ADHD/etc.).
When a student gets a 1580 and is following teachers’ instructions, it is hard to imagine the student not getting A’s in high school algebras, geometry, language arts, etc. Processing speed/OCD seems unlikely to be the reason as SAT also requires speed when we are talking about high-end performance. It seems unlikely that the student was able to let go of the OCD during SAT but not during in-class exams.
Assuming all A’s in math/English-related subjects, to get a 3.13 the student must have gotten nearly as many C’s in other subjects (and perhaps a handful of D/F’s), with the rest being B’s. OP, do you mind sharing what subjects were the C/D/F’s on? How were the points lost if the student had been turning in homework and participating in the class?
Just adding…as a school district employee, if a parent asked, or if we were the ones who initiated the neuropsych, we were required to do a number of things.
Submit all current evaluations and results reports to the neuropsych prior to their assessment.
Submit a detailed list of questions and concerns we wanted to see addressed. This helped the neuropsych tailor their evaluation to our student.
Parents and sometimes school personel were invited to an evaluation summary meeting with the neuropsych (assuming all releases were completed). And all got copies of the neuropsych report which included the recommendations.
If the district initiated the neuropsych or the parent requested this…an IEP meeting was scheduled to review the results and to determine if a disability existed, and if the student required services…and if so…what goals, and the services.
Did any of the above happen for this student.
Neuropsych evaluations are excellent resources, but if done in a vacuum really might not benefit the student as much.
I have students on my caseload now who have difficulty with problem solving in the classroom setting (I am there to see it) yet if they are sitting with me face-to face at a small table with one other student…their problem solving skills look pretty good. Generalization of skills into the classroom is very hard.
Again, we do not have all of the information that we need. When our district suggests a neuropsych eval (or any eval) we have teachers and therapists write up a report.
OP- if your son seems happy, goes out with friends, engages with others, is involved etc…but for some reason does not love participating in class, then let him be. He will get into college and is clearly smart. His gpa…in and of itself…will not hold him back. I would inquire about his computer use during the 8 hours of studying.
On the other hand, if you feel there is a problem and want answers….then you need to ask the neuropsychologist to help figure it out. That is what I would do.
OP you say that your son expresses excitement over math concepts he has learned. How does he feel about his other classes? I have a student like this who can talk about math for hours, but struggles to express himself through writing and exhibits social difficulties. His IQ is pushing 150.
SAT score only has a loose correlation with HS GPA, explaining only a small minority of variance in grades. Some students do well on one and not the other. There are countless possible reasons why this discrepancy may occur, so it’s not practical to diagnose your son based on the little information in the first post.
I’d suggest becoming more involved in the graded school work to get a better sense of why the subpar grades are occurring. For example, are the bulk of the grades based on homework assignments, exams, class participation, or something else? Is he doing poorly on all of these areas? Look at the homework assignments, exams, or other things that he is doing poorly on. Is he missing questions involve simple regurgitation (memory) of textbook? Is he getting bad grades on written assignments, like essays? Is the weak point more on computation, such as math problems?
You could be more involved in multiple steps through the process. If he is getting bad grades on homework, you could look at the HW assignments before turning in and discuss the problems together, then see what grades he gets on those assignments and why. If he has trouble preparing for exams, you might give some informal quiz using textbook problems and see how he does, then see if he has a similar result on the actual exam.
You might also better review what is happening during the 8 hours per day of studying. Many students who say they are “studying” in their room for long periods are spending the bulk of time doing something else. I am not implying it’s simple dishonesty. There are far more distractions today than when we grew up. Phones generate constant interruptions, with texts from friends and social media notices.
Has your son been evaluated for ASD (autism spectrum disorder)? A child that is both on the spectrum and highly intelligent would be able achieve a 1580 SAT, but might struggle with participating in class, social interactions/group work, creative problem solving in some areas, and an inability to understand some material. Just a thought.
My other thought is to echo some other posts above that he is not actually studying when you think he is. He may be on the internet or on his phone. Where does he study? Alone in his room or at the kitchen table surrounded by family nearby?
Finally, as others have noted, studying 8 hours per day on weekends is waaaay too much. He is surely absolutely miserable. To me, the greatest issue is not his GPA but the family dynamic that has him studying this much, getting tutoring, and still not living up to parental expectations. There is a huge red flag waiving above your house.
Could you try limiting studying on weekends to 1-2 hours per day? Then ask him to choose a new hobby. Something that will NEVER be mentioned on college applications, just something to do for FUN. It could be learning to play the guitar, learning to play tennis, working as a barista at a coffee shop, fishing with a grandparent, etc. Really anything that HE wants to try and where he knows there are NO expectations around his performance. A little balance in his life may help.
Here is my advice: besides asking the neuropsychologist for additional help, I would consider seeing a pediatric neurologist and/or a developmental pediatrician.
My colleagues brother has a very high IQ. He is an adult in his 50’s and recently received an autism diagnosis. Despite his very high IQ he has difficulty holding down a job and spent years being supported by his mother. My colleague told me that this diagnosis explains a lot and she wished he received it when he was younger, as it would have helped him tremendously.
I am not saying that this is the problem, but I would want it ruled out.
OP, what do you hope to get from this thread, that you didn’t get from your earlier, basically identical thread? The thread the mods closed because you were dismissive of all the responses.
And fellow CC-ers, I run to the gullible side of things, but even I had my spidey sense alerted by this thread. Consider being just a little more skeptical – especially since the OP, having thrown some CC red meat, has not returned.
I just drove from Chicago to Detroit for a family event. Haven’t read all of this but has the OP returned or did we scare her off. Lol. Love to get some insight here.
Well. I suppose when OP asks a bunch of internet strangers for advice and we lack all the information, hitting one out the left field is not unreasonable.
And they probably did. Reports typically have a “summary and recommendations” section, and there is typically a feedback appointment where all this is discussed. Am wondering if the OP just didn’t share that here.
Yes…reports should and usually do contain a summary and recommendations……but if the parent didn’t understand or wants additional information …they should ask again!