Thank you @altras – Compassprep is very helpful, though raises a bunch of questions, too. Sounds like last year the psat results were wonky, and this year they don’t really know what will happen. Class of 21’s National Merit cut offs went down because of some screw up with the test last fall, which usually means the cut offs go up again in the following year. But all bets are off because of the pandemic. There is a second test day in January, plus many kids get to submit SAT scores instead. The cut offs don’t get announced for another year.
Yet one more thing that is unpredictable for these kids.
I hear from advisors at public schools that the Math scores are way down this year. Not sure if it is content, or if the kids have lost so much skill from remote learning.
Not that it matters, but my guess would be remote learning is the culprit.
Different details, but our HS is on a block schedule. D went a year without math and dropped from 32 to 27 on Math ACT. I know a year off is different than remote learning, but the quality of remote learning varies wildly. And the range is probably from slightly worse than normal to no learning at all. D is going to have to retake AP Calc in college, because the last half of the course was basically just punted by the teacher. Several other classes for my kids, ranging from middle school to college, were treated similarly. 4 kids at 4 different institutions last spring, and I don’t think any of them learned much of anything after spring break. I think that is pretty common.
I feel your pain @dadof4kids! My kiddo has not had math since March! To keep up, Kiddo has done test prep courses and has been doing SAT math to prep. I have heard this from other parents also @ AP Calc from last spring. Also, really going to be tough scoring well on AP test when you had 9 weeks of the course instead of a full year. There was a recently published study with millions of students around the world in grades 3-8 - researchers found the biggest skill decline since last March was in math.
Our LPS has block scheduling where each class is only a semester long. In some ways that’s good, and I think it does help prepare them for college.
Math and foreign language on the other hand are impacted pretty negatively in my opinion. Both of those areas are “use it or lose it”. Not at all suprised a study would find that.
Good luck on the math prep. D did some prep work, but it just wasn’t the same as having a current class. She was pretty busy with EC’s and classes, and I think she didn’t work on math as hard as she told me she did, because it probably kept getting pushed onto the “tomorrow” pile. If I have the option with my youngest to take a break from math, I will try to do whatever I can to avoid that, especially during the period she is doing standardized testing.
Today I tout the Comfy. My must-have garment that is more comfortable and warmer than any winter coat I own. It has been below freezing the last 3 days here in Texas with winds over 45 mph. Yet I am snug as a bug in a rug.
The Ultimate in a Christmas gift for that hard-to-buy-for person. Get one today!
This promo has been brought to you by a mom who has already gotten a Comfy for those hard-to-buy-for’s last year and has no idea what to do this year!!
Today I tout the USMA peacoat. It was 34 degrees here in AZ when we went for our morning walk so, for the first time, I wore our son’s peacoat that he gifted me last Christmas. It’s a West Point tradition for cadets to give their wool peacoats to their moms after graduation, but many just buy their own as their cadet’s jacket doesn’t fit. I’m a tad under 5’4" and our son is 6’3" – this jacket hit him just below the hip but looks like a regular coat on me. Fortunately, the knit cuffs keep the sleeves from being too long. Ha! It was very warm, though.
And in other news (and having fun testing photo uploads), ChoatieLT sent me flowers this morning with a sweet note reminding me that although we can’t be together for Christmas, he’s always only a phone call away. Sometimes that kid’s a keeper.
According to @CC_Mike, everyone who had “senior” status before the upgrade can upload photos. When you’re in the Reply box, you will see a rectangular button that will prompt you through the photo upload. Per Mike:
…the button is either above or below the reply window depending on your device. On my iPhone it is below and to the right. On my laptop it is in the toolbar above the window. If you are using desktop view on a mobile device it might be scrolled off the screen to the right.
Each device has its own screen dimensions so the placement may be different for you.
This my reading choice (and I could have written every line of this book). If you’re looking for the perfect gift* for a new parent-to-be, this is a must – so much more relevant than What to Expect While You’re Expecting and its ilk. (There should be a special chapter for us parents who have totally screwed up our kids by sending them away so young, right?)
It was 34 degrees here in AZ when we went for our morning walk so, for the first time, I wore our son’s peacoat that he gifted me last Christmas. It’s a West Point tradition for cadets to give their wool peacoats to their moms after graduation, but many just buy their own as their cadet’s jacket doesn’t fit. I’m a tad under 5’4" and our son is 6’3" – this jacket hit him just below the hip but looks like a regular coat on me. Fortunately, the knit cuffs keep the sleeves from being too long. Ha! It was very warm, though.
