Alright, thank you very much!
I know a couple kids who over prepared on college placement exams. One had to drop the class, the other worked his butt off to get a C. You definitely do not want them to think you are more prepared than you really are!
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Same for kiddo’s school. She had to print out the test, complete it, scan it and return it. I believe she had one hour to do each one (on the honor system). For math, she had to do three separate tests since she had taken algebra 1/2 and geometry. She was placed in the equivalent of honors Algebra 2. Spanish was one test but it was clear there were different sections. She’d taken Spanish since she was 3 and was placed in Spanish 1. Both placements have been perfect for her.
We felt the same way. There are so many new challenges at BS, why make it harder than it needs to be? We were happy that kiddo repeated math/language, and it’s turned out to be the right place for her as she’s still challenged in both.
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Another vote for NOT prepping.
If I recall correctly, DD2 took those tests in May, so you should still be in the swing of what you are learning. As it happened, school stopped for DD2 last March because of covid weirdness, so she felt very rusty. She ended up testing into the typical 9th grade math track (Andover has a slightly lower math for kids who might need to “catch up a bit” – by BS standards I mean – and then regular math, and then of course the advanced for the serious math whizzes.). DD2 was taking 10th grade honors math at the high school in 8th grade, so 2 years “advanced” for our town, but right in line for the “regular” 9th grade math at BS. And it was PLENTY hard! I am super glad she didn’t prep! (Oh, and first two days, she called home and worried that the class wouldn’t be hard enough. Days 3 and 4: “oh maybe it will be fine actually.” Day 5+ “holy cow mom, can I FaceTime you with some questions?”). (Me: googling how to find the distance between a point and a parabola…yikes)
Foreign Language – she tested into French 2. As it happened, my DD1, who is a year older, took French 2 at the local community college this fall. Well funnily enough, both the college class and Andover were using the same text and software program, same level, for parts of their classes, so they could swap stories about different assignments. But also: French 2 at BS was super challenging!
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To be clear on concept, Andover’s “lower math” is more advanced than the typical regular 9th grade math at the LPS; It covers Algebra I and Geometry in a single year. And it is the class most 9th graders take.
Sounds like my son in his Chemistry class at an Ivy, after taking AP Chem at our LPS. It took more than a week, and I was never any help, but the class went from the first week being “this is going to be super easy” to “I am in over my head” before the semester was over.
Also - Cate told us that they don’t even offer Algebra 1. If you were not taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade, you would have to take it over the summer (or maybe you won’t get in)? I guess it’s because it’s a small school and most take Algebra 1 in 8th?
You all are bringing back memories from high school. I’d ask my dad for help with calculus (because he was a whiz at explaining the most complicated things in the simplest of ways.) But when he’d ask to see the book, I knew he was going to be of no help whatsoever!
dS knew better than to involve his parents! I’m amazed at the trust your kids have in your abilities!
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For those who took placement test in last year’s cycle during the Covid shutdowns, did you complete them at home? If they were online do they send you the link? If they were paper, do they mail you the materials? Seems like it’s done months in advance so most would complete at home right?
@magnetnh It seems the two most common ways are: online, or a pdf or link to pdf is sent, you print, do by hand and upload. But yes done at home months before going.
@gardenstategal Freshman year boarding school week 5 is about where we hit our limit on mom being of any use. (Luckily, I have a kiddo in geometry now, so I still can gesture grandly, sweep the hair out of my face, and say “step aside while I dazzle you with proof savvy.”)
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Unfortunately my parents have already become useless when it comes to math…this is what we get when we’re all humanities people.
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Um… Because math is a language.
(Or maybe that’s just something I absorbed along the way.)
Granted, that explains my frustration grading undergrad math as a TA.
And my shock when fellow graduate students would comment, as though it’s a revelation, that math is a language.
“Show your work” shouldn’t look like random numbers and letters written on a scratch pad.
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