Probably the most challenging student is one a boy who is new to the school and the district this year. He seems to be far behind everyone else, but he is also extremely off task. He is constantly playing with things in his desk and drawing, never doing his work. When he took the MAP test he scored in the 6th percentile. We talked to him about it and he said he didn't try at all. It's really hard to know how much of his behavior is due to the fact that he is genuinely struggling and how much is because he doesn't try. I have a feeling there is a little of both.
I think you're smart to recognize the different inputs that might be affecting this student's performance in class. The combination of being new and trying to figure out where he belongs in the class/school takes a lot of energy; add that to the fact that he seems to struggle academically, and you've got a recipe for challenge. Aside from talking to him about his MAP scores, have you tried any other "interventions" to improve his focus and motivation? Are his parents involved, at least at the level of being aware of what's happening in school? It's funny, but as I read all your descriptions of challenging students, I can't visualize any of them from my visits in your classrooms. Maybe I'm concentrating too much on the wonderful teaching that's going on . . . I'll look forward to seeing how things progress with this student through the rest of the fall.
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