<p>The governor of Georgia announced today that he was committed to helping improve the stat'es SAT scores and was funding a program for students to take the Collegeboard SAT prep course on line for free. It is unclear if this is available only to public school students or whether it includes private school students as well. I thought this was a good idea at first, but my kids gave me a number of sound arguements against it. Your thoughts? <a href="http://www.cbs46.com/Global/story.asp?s=3711482%5B/url%5D">http://www.cbs46.com/Global/story.asp?s=3711482</a></p>
<p>I'd like to read the reasons why your kids are against it.</p>
<p>When we discussed the preliminary idea, their first two comments were that (1) they didn't support paying all that money to Collegeboard (this from my older s already in college) and (2) they weren't sure that the poorer kids would have easy access to a computer to be able to take the courses on line.</p>
<p>I think it's a great idea. Plus, most libraries have Internet access, so even poorer students who don't have computers at home could still participate.</p>
<p>The poor kids don't have the money to pay for outside courses, so this may even the playing field a bit. Many poor kids do have internet access at home. While some do not, most have internet at school or can access it at their local libraries. For poor kids, a prep course could be a real benefit, especially since many live in wretched school districts.</p>
<p>There is some concern that the students who take advantage of this opportuinity will be the ones who would have pursued these kinds of SAT resources anyway. The fear is that a lot of tax dollars will be spent without the infrastructure/support set up within the schools to be sure the students avail themselves of this program. It'd be a big shame and huge waste if the money is paid to Collegeboard before the students register. I hope they have it set up that the $ is paid per student, and only after the student signs on. Otherwise, the feeling is that the millions appropriated for this program should have been put directly into the school systems to fix the problems with the GA schools rather than to give the $$ to an outside agency. A program that had been approved to provide laptops for students in one county was just killed because of some technicality. So, right on the heels of this plan that would have purchased things to be kept within the school system is a plan to pour a lot of $$ to an outside company. There are, understadibly, mixed feelings about this. No on disagrees with the need to fix the school system and the SAT scores. there is just some concern that the tail is wagging the dog in this situation. If we improve test scores without improving the quality of the education for the GA students, are we really helping them in the best way?? Just a thought...</p>
<p>Is is certain that the online help is indeed from The College Board? This could be a mixed blessing and depends entirely on which course is offered. The latest version available for the $69 subscription is valuable but probably not for the reason people expect. The value comes mostly from the availability of explanations and access to extra tests. The remaining parts are not that helpful. On a scale of one to ten, the online tool is worth a 4 or 5. On the other hand, the value of the $15 dollars Official Study Guide is a 10. Now, if they offer something like the One-on-one, the value is zero. </p>
<p>I also hope that they do not spend a nickel with the Kaplan, Princeton Review, or others any of the other charlatans who have offered some kind of online tool that represents how MTV would do the SAT. </p>
<p>My take on this is that online help and classes are mostly a waste of time. The College Board is the only capable of offering material that is worth studying, but they are also unwilling to REALLY share how to study for the test. </p>
<p>The test is paper and pencil ... and nothing beats that!</p>
<p>The link that the TV station provides (which they say was sent to them from the Governor's office) is the official CollegeBoard website. So, all things considered, I guess you are saying, Xiggi, that it could be worse. Swell. Our tax dollars at work.</p>
<p>I think it is a good idea for the reasons already mentioned by Tom'sMom and Ellen. The poorer students have so few opportunites. Why not at least try it and see?</p>
<p>THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!!</p>
<p>There is a BIG difference between education and preparing for the SAT. This exam is BS, and I find it sad that taxpayer money that could be spent on improving education for poor students is instead being spent on SAT preparation. The classic Princeton Review SAT tricks like working backwards, plugging in, the Joe Bloggs Rule, using your pencil as a ruler, etc. do NOT make students better educated or prepare them for college. These tricks are essential for doing well on the SAT but have NOTHING to do with education.</p>
<p>This is all an exercise in window dressing.</p>