A performance test is proposed as an addition to the routine eye examination of the child performing poorly in school. Performance on the "draw a bicycle test" has a strong correlation with academic performance among children in grades one through three. Poor performance on the "draw a bicycle test" by children who have otherwise normal eye findings implicates a non ocular cause for the poor academic performance. Since the results of this simple test are immediately visible and readily understood by an attending parent, the ophthalmologist's role in counseling the parents against further ocular investigation and therapy is apparent.