5 Steps to Improve Standardized Test Scores' Success Standardized reading tests are a major challenge for many students,

especially f or those with Dyslexia or Learning Disabilities. The math tests are very diffic ult for students with reading comprehension issues because the questions are eit her ambiguous and or very wordy. For the child, the threats include: They will be retained Being excluded from more enjoyable activities to get the second or even third do se of reading and math help Frequent testing that tends to reaffirm their issues Parents are often frustrated that progress is minimal, despite a major investmen t of time, money and time. This article is designed to help parents understand that learning differences, vision and attention issues could all be playing a ro le. Reading comprehension, attention, vision, and test taking issues can all be majo r contributors to your child s success. Below we have outlined 5-steps that paren ts can take to help their child succeed on high-stakes tests and beyond with a h olistic approach: 1Have a school or outside professional assess your child for reading, att ention and vision issues. Over 75% of our students have two of the three issues and over 40% have all three. 2If your child has reading comprehension issues they may be a visual-expe riential learner (i.e. excellent memory for places they have been and movies the y have seen and learn best when they see and experience information). We call t hem: GOLD Students Gifted Operating with a Learning Difference

When parents view their child as gifted and learning differently, it opens up a whole new way to explain prior challenges and to help them succeed. Two excellent books on the subject are Jeffrey Freed s Right-Brained Childr en in a Left-Brained World and Dr. Linda Silverman s Upside Down Brilliance that des cribes gifted children who learn differently. 3If your child skips words or lines when reading, has trouble copying off the board or get headaches when reading, have their eyes checked by a Developme ntal Optometrist go to www.covd.com to find one near you. There are two routes for improvement a. b. Vision therapy done at the optometrist s office Exercises you can do at home

4Address the attention issue. Some people prefer medication; our bias is to use systems that address it naturally. We encourage natural solutions to bo th avoid the side effects and the challenges when the drug wears off understand that an hour of physical exercise a day can be an enormous benefit. We also use the Interactive Metronome , Brain Gym and Centering Exercises to help the studen t. 5Make sure your child gets the accommodations and test taking support the y need. To get an accommodation at a public school for high stakes tests, it mu st be part of a formal plan done in conjunction with the school based on your ch ild s disability. For students with Attention Deficit Disorder, you can get the n

eeded accommodations if your physician assesses the child and determines the ADH D significantly impacts their academic performance. Students with a combination of learning, attention and vision issues benefit from extra time and a quiet pl ace to take the test. Extra time is very helpful for students who learn differently You also want to consider having your child tested by someone who understands th e way the test is written and who can teach the test taking strategies that work for them. We are 3D Learner. We started as very frustrated parents and professionals; then migrated to doing more traditional tutoring; and now see the benefits of a holi stic approach that addresses: 1Teaching the child the way they learn best 2Addressing vision and attention issues 3Helping the child with both the right accommodations and test taking ski lls The First Ever Online Dyslexia Screening Test For Adults (16+). Endorsed By The British Dyslexia Institute. Visit http://tinyurl.com/britishdyslexiatest