Thanks, BSM. She has an anxiety issue so we have to figure out a way that they can get her on-task without exacerbating the anxiety. The more that people tell her to "focus" the more anxious and unfocused she gets. She also makes excuses all the time about why she needs to leave the classroom (nurse, bathroom, drinking fountain, missing supplies, etc).
For a math test, she would not do it at all (probably a combination of no focus and anxiety), so finally the teacher got in a para to sit with her and read the questions to her. But I don't know if that's realistic long-term.
As someone who has dealt for a long time with a child who has anxiety and attention issues, I know what you are going through. It is a tight rope walk, as you want to motivate the kid, but not push them so hard that they get stressed.
If she's only in 5th, having the para for now might be the best approach and you can request that in an IEP. Kids change so much as they grow however, that she may have different needs in the future. I've learned to avoid longer term thinking.
