Grades, Tests and Type 1

[Sarah Maddie's Mom]

As my daughter gets older and into a school life where grades and test scores matter, I feel very frustrated by the options. Even with all sorts of 504 testing provisions, and here I'm taking about the quizzes and spelling tests and math minutes that combine to make up a child’s academic portrait, there really seems to me no way to insure that she isn't penalized for a lessened performance caused by marginally low/high sugar and or rapidly shifting blood sugar when insulin peaks.

I can look at a stack of school work over time and see clearly, from her handwriting, and the general quality of the work, whether or not she was feel well or a bit off.

In other words, despite all the provisions we may put in place for the biggies - the standardized tests, the SATS and the like, in the day in day out work of the classroom, the work that teachers use to evaluate our kids and to judge their performance and abilities, can our kids ever really get a level playing field with kids who don't have fluctuating blood sugars?

Just to insure that I’m not misunderstood – I’m not looking for special status or excuses for a D kid goofing off or not working to learn. Also, I realize that non D kids have off days too, but I’m taking about the day in day out fluctuations that our kids really can’t avoid due to the nature of getting insulin via shots or pump.

Anyone else have this nagging thought?

[OSUMom]

Now I don't want for this to sound braggy in any way whatsoever - I want to say this to give hope I guess if that sounds right. You all probably know by now that my son is in college. Duh. We had that whirlwind summer before he started his freshman year at Ohio State. He didn't have much of a honeymoon. He requires a lot of insulin because he eats what he wants within reason - and this is at the advice of his endo team. He had to learn so much obviously that summer and then be on his own. He does not tell his professors of his D - he doesn't see a need. His blood sugars fluctuate daily - he corrects - he's on an insulin pump. He did great academically freshman year - made the Dean's list. I only say this to say it's possible at that age (and he actually still has growth spurts - he is still growing taller ).

YDMV

[Mama2H]

I did so I put this in Hailey's 504. It basically means she writes what her bg is on the top of the test and takes the test. If she does poorly due to out of range bg she is allowed to retest during her study hall.

ests and Classroom Work
• Hailey will test her blood glucose prior to testing on any standardized test and tests that affect her overall grade and enter the meter reading on the top of the page next to her name.
• If Hailey is affected by high or low blood glucose levels at the time of regular or standardized testing, she will be permitted to take the test at another time without penalty. High blood glucose is defined as over 200 and low is defined as under 80.
• If Hailey needs to take breaks to use the water fountain or bathroom, perform a blood glucose test, or treat hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia during a test, she will be given extra time to finish without penalty.
• Similarly, if Hailey needs to take breaks to use the water fountain or bathroom, perform a blood glucose test, or treat hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia during class, she will be given extra time to finish classroom work without penalty.
• Hailey will not be penalized for absences or tardiness required for medical appointments, illness, visits to the office, or time necessary to maintain blood glucose control.

[karonray]

My son stresses out so badly with any test that its hard to even inforce the " if his BS is out of whack" rule. No matter what we try to do his blood sugars climb before, during and generally won't come down for a couple of hours after test taking. He has had to just "get thru it" several times.

This doesn't help his grades at all. If we try to do a make up test its just as bad as when he was taking it the first time.

I don't have a solution for this.......we have tryed many things and he just doesn't like tests so his BS goes up.

[Illinifan]

Originally Posted by Mama2H

• Hailey will test her blood glucose prior to testing on any standardized test and tests that affect her overall grade and enter the meter reading on the top of the page next to her name.
• If Hailey is affected by high or low blood glucose levels at the time of regular or standardized testing, she will be permitted to take the test at another time without penalty. High blood glucose is defined as over 200 and low is defined as under 80.
• If Hailey needs to take breaks to use the water fountain or bathroom, perform a blood glucose test, or treat hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia during a test, she will be given extra time to finish without penalty.
• Similarly, if Hailey needs to take breaks to use the water fountain or bathroom, perform a blood glucose test, or treat hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia during class, she will be given extra time to finish classroom work without penalty.
• Hailey will not be penalized for absences or tardiness required for medical appointments, illness, visits to the office, or time necessary to maintain blood glucose control.

This is basically what we have for Zach. In 3 years, we've only had to use it once.

[Margaret O]

Originally Posted by OSUMom

He did great academically freshman year - made the Dean's list.

YDMV

Dean made the Dean's list, how cool is that!

I have to say our son really struggled with grades during high school. (He was in a private school with no 504) They tried to accomodate lows and highs, but he was so bull headed sometimes that he would just take the test, even if he was high, just because he didn't want to make a big deal about it.

He ended up with okay grades, but great SAT scores. His b/g was in great shape during the SATs. That said, he found colleges that accepted the grades, liked the SATs and really liked his community service and essay. Colleges do wan to see good grades, but we learned there is a lot more to the application. He was very active in community service and was a peer minister his senior year. I think that took the edge off of the less than stellar GPA.

[OSUMom]

Originally Posted by Margaret O

we learned there is a lot more to the application. He was very active in community service and was a peer minister his senior year. I think that took the edge off of the less than stellar GPA.

Excellent point!

I know this thread wasn't all about college - but I'm hoping it helps to see how it works out for the Type 1 kids.

[Sarah Maddie's Mom]

Thanks for the feedback/reality check.

I think, in hindsight, my post was really about the realization that you can't manage your 4th graders diabetes the same way you did your 4 year olds. The days of being able to protect her from the life consequences of having diabetes are over. I can no longer anticipate every contingency that might arise.

I'm trying to make peace with that - probably not alone in this either.

[Mary Lou]

Brian is in fourth grade and we just had two weeks of standardized testing in which he was on prednisone which caused nearly a 300% increase in insulin need. You can only imagine the BG issues we've had. From the six days of testing, he has missed three. Yesterday they doubled up, since his BG was fine and I expect they will do the same tomorrow (take two or three tests instead of just one per day).

It is frustrating for him and for the teachers. We finally established that as long as he was below 300, he could test and retest later if necessary and if time allowed. BTW -- these tests are for the school's performance and will not impact his grade.

The thing I'm trying accept is that there are going to be many times in which BG affects his learning and demonstrating his knowledge and he's just going to have to suck it up a little and learn to cope.

We have all the same accommodations that have been mentioned and his teacher and school are amazingly supportive, but there has to be a limit and there will come a time in life where he has to perform, regardless of BG. I'm not trying to be a hardass, but I think that might be a reality of life with the big D. I am concerned about the balance between teaching our children to do their best, regardless of what life hands you and being given a break because there is a real need to do so.

Sorry, don't have any answers, just another perspective on the same problem.

[sam1nat2]

BG has never been an issue as far as academic performance, at least as far as I know. I did write it in the health plan that when he takes the "big" standardized tests this year that he needs to be in range first. He is in 3rd grade and was dx'ed in first grade right in the middle of the year. He never missed a beat socially or academically.

He has always been at the top of his class academically, he is fortunate in that much of his work comes easy to him and always has.

I have never seen him act strange at a high or low bg, so maybe he is a bit strange there.

Yesterday he was upset that his teacher didn't let him come down to test his blood at lunch until his desk was cleared off. I asked if he was low and he said no. I then explained that just because he has D, doesn't get him out of doing what the teacher asks. He has been known to push limits a few times, fortunately not too often (he knows I know the staff at school very well) I'm sure that there is validity behind wanting to be in range, but at the same time, I try to teach him that he is D, nothing he can do about it and he needs to be responsible for his actions regardless.