Have a first grader whose IQ and MAP scores signify 99% but yet still has no concept of time, counts on fingers and grades are very mediocre. Is in gifted pull-out for LA and Math and is differentiated. While the psychometrics are reassuring the incongruence of the classroom grades have me baffled. From all reports, she does a great job in class, on task, asks questions, etc. However, her anxiety levels are high due to social awkwardness so I'm wondering if that maybe the determining factor. Is this normal?

My own observations are for first graders you have a subset that really get money but are baffled by time, a subset that gets time but not money, a subset baffled by both and a subset that gets both.

My own son was a time wiz but just could not grasp money. I was homeschooling and we just moved on to other things and worked with change when out and about in realistic situations and played various math games based on money. I think a lightbulb just went off in second or third grade because I know it wasn't an issue in fourth.

Not sure hat is going on with classroom grades but my other son is PG 5th grade and his grades aren't perfect. I don't care anymore...we are just trying to get out of there and into middle school at this point.

Anxiety has a really disproportionate impact on math skills (well, on their demonstration, in performance metrics) relative to any other academic skills

Secondly girls are more prone to math anxiety, and thirdly, the impact of anxiety on them is apparently greater, too, for reasons that aren't clear.

My own DD is a great example of this (albeit at a post-secondary level)-- she can (and does) know calculus material well enough that she's a desirable study buddy even for those students who are seeing the material for a second time, and frankly runs circles around them in terms of her conceptual understanding, but they handily outscore her on assessments, and particularly on exams.

It's a maddening problem. We have figured that we have to shave about 30% off the top of her logical expected performance, even under pretty good conditions. Really not kidding.

Knowing your stuff isn't the same thing as showing that you do, which is a separate skill, and one that is incredibly sensitive to anxiety, particularly in girls and particularly in mathematics.

I can look up some references for this one, but they're pretty easy to find on G-scholar.

I think it's important to remember that no matter how high her MAP/IQ scores, she's still a first grader. My kids didn't really get the concept of time until later, and were still counting on fingers in 4th grade, no matter how amazing their conceptual understanding of math was. And... I think each of those things was totally developmentally typical.

What types of things is she being graded down on? Is it incorrect answers on worksheets, writing neatness, sitting down and paying attention, etc - there are so many different types of tasks children might be "graded" on in 1st grade. I'd just look at where she's missing points and then try to look at how that fits into the overall picture of the child you know. Then I'd also look at - is she happy? Is she complaining about anything at school or frustrated with anything? If she's not complaining, I'd not worry about it. You might very well just be in a situation where she's got a teacher who's not going to give the best grades. Or it might be something you could work on with her - maybe she rushes through work and could use some tips on slowing down etc. It really could be 1000 different things, or it could be... she's in first grade. As simple as that. Not quite developmentally ready for serious school work and caring about grades.


So I wouldn't worry at all about the grades, honestly. Unless they somehow impact her placement in the appropriate class. If the school is questioning that, you need to have a team meeting where you look at her overall record (IQ/MAP/good behavior reports etc) and try to brainstorm why her grades are lower than expected and come up with some suggestions - working together - to see if she can bring them up.


High anxiety levels really aren't typical. I speak from the experience of having a child who had severe anxiety in K-2. It's really important to try to understand what's behind the anxiety. If she's stressed out because she's having a tough time making friends or she feels socially awkward, I'd focus on how to help her with that and not stress about the grades right now.

Best wishes,

polarbear