Hi LAF - DD9 went through some math anxiety when she was 7, and frequently proclaimed, "I hate math!" She also came home telling me after math classes that year that she was "stupid." Fast forward to this past spring when she scored DYS and Epsilon-level qualifying in math on the EXPLORE and had the highest spring MAP math test scores in her large grade (and apparently very high a couple of grades up). She, too, does EM at school.
Math is still probably a relative "weak area" for her (verbal skills are her strong suit, although EM probably plays to these - the subject of another thread). What helped was nailing down her math facts (Xtra Math) and letting her play on IXL (she was allowed to work ahead in grades when she asked). The school does "whole class" differentiation for math (the advantage of large grade size - just under 200 students, allows for this) - so her "group" (highest in grade) had their own math teacher and class. She also started EPGY in the spring, but that was after she took the EXPLORE, so I am not really sure how much that has helped. I do think all of these things, combined, have given her more math confidence. After I was told about her MAP test score by a clearly shocked principal, I told DD she is no longer allowed to tell me she is "bad at math."
HTH!
