How to Improve Test Scores of ADHD Students
There exists, in circles of scientific academia, case studies which suggest that certain programs have dramatically increased reading test scores, math test scores and standardized test scores of students with ADHD – with C8 Sciences’ ACTIVATE™ being on the top of that program list. But how exactly does ACTIVATE™ accomplish this? Why do so many educational institutions look to ACTIVATE™ when considering how to improve test scores of ADHD students? And what is it that makes ACTIVATE™ the right program for pushing students suffering with ADHD forward with regard to their marks in school?
Starting with the Basics: ACTIVATE™’s Tendency to Demonstrate Growth in Self Control and Attention
Because C8 Sciences has incorporated third-party cognitive assessments as designed by the National Institutes of Health during the development of the ACTIVATE™ protocol, it is indeed possible to compare pre- and post-data findings regarding cognitive skills such as response inhibition (self-control or, if you will, the ability to ignore distractors) and the ability to sustain attention over time. Students at certain schools implementing ACTIVATE™ have shown significant growth with regard to response inhibition, with those students completing more training showing higher growth than their peers. Similarly, students demonstrated growth with regard to NIH measures of sustained attention.
Enhancing Academic Skills: One of the Unique Ways ACTIVATE™ Education Works
C8 Sciences’ ACTIVATE Education platform, in particular, has been proven to improve attention, working memory, self-regulation and cognitive flexibility which in turn increases student achievement inside and outside of the classroom. It has been established by many education sector professionals that academic success depends on student cognition; in response, ACTIVATE as developed by C8 Sciences and leading Yale neuroscientists, measures and improves the “core cognitive capacities” – the “8” in our name – that form the foundation for academic achievement.
Further, neuroscience research has repeatedly explored and subsequently proven the connection between student cognition and academics, in addition to the importance of early cognitive intervention for the purpose of improving student outcomes.
Some Numbers:
According to sources such as Blair & Razza in 2007 and Eigsti in 2006:
Executive functioning may be a better predictor than IQ of school readiness and academic achievement.
According to sources such as McClelland in 2007:
Teachers have reported that the most important determinant of classroom success in kindergarten and early grades is the extent to which children can sit still, pay attention and follow rules.
According to sources such as Bull & Scerif in 2001 and Nevo & Breznitz in 2011:
Working memory development has a tremendous impact on children’s cognition as it is associated with academic achievement; this includes mathematic and reading skills.
According to sources such as Alloway & Gathercole in 2006 and Alloway in 2009:
Low working memory capacity puts children at risk for poor academic progress.
According to sources such as Homes, Gathercole & Dunning in 2009 and Thorell in 2009:
Working memory capacity can be effectively improved upon through intervention programs during childhood.
Additional Research
In March of 2012, Brooklyn, New York’s Elijah Stroud Elementary School – PS 316 – began implementing the ACTIVATE program with all students in grades K through two. Demonstrating the school’s commitment to the students’ cognitive development, every K through two teacher agreed to assist the program’s flexible implementation after school each Monday and Friday, and during the school day on Wednesdays. The program ran through the end of the year, a time period of about three and a half months.
What the educators found was astounding: Students gained more reading levels the more they engaged with the C8Kids sub-program, achieving a year’s growth in reading in just a few months. Further, teachers noted a difference in classroom behavior and academic achievement including that of students who completed 25 or more C8 computer training sessions (a minimum of 36 sessions is recommended for general benefit).