Math Homework Does Not Help on Tests

Whenever my first-grader has a math test, he gets poor grades even though he has done the same work correctly at home with me. How can this be? How can I help him do better on tests? -- Failing Tests
Answer: The reason that this is happening might be because your son is doing his math homework with you. It's possible that you are giving him some hints on how to proceed or actually giving him too much help. Try backing off completely in giving him any help with his homework. This includes reading the directions. Then notice how well he does working completely on his own. It is likely that you will see some problems. You might discover that he is not able to read or follow directions on his own, lacks some basic skills or is careless. Address these weaknesses, and his test scores should improve.
Doing the work on his own should also increase your son's confidence in his ability to do math. Continue looking over his homework when it is done, but don't tell him what his errors are. Instead, tell him which problems are wrong. If he can't correct them on his own, give him some help. Later on, you can just say that there are a certain number of errors on a page so he can get used to checking his work.