<p>I know that there has been an ongoing discussion regarding AP courses and college credit. Just to add to that, D1’s college (American) just recalculated her AP credits and determined that she entered college with 30 hours which made her, technically, a sophomore. So, she can graduate at the end of her 3rd year! So…depending on the college, AP credits can really add up.</p>
<p>
I agree with this. For a while, I tutored SAT for a very well known company, and out of a few hundred students I think I had less than 5 with scores at this level.</p>
<p>Any of the little tricks (or strategies) she can read in any test prep book - without even really buying one. There aren’t that many tricks really. What she probably needs is just practice. SAT question of the day, and take actual old practice tests if you can get your hands on them. I think that is the foundation of the Xiggi method, which is on here someplace.</p>
<p>I had very good but not perfect SATs in high school 30 years ago. When I took my “tryout” exam for teaching I scored over 760 on each section - again good but not perfect. After training I invariably got everything correct on the tests (granted, I’m a grown man with a couple degrees but there are many high school students far smarter than I am- probably including your child). What I mainly learned in the training was how to be careful, and how to use my calculator strategically for the math section (plus a few little tricks that, like I said, you can probably find in any book, and that your child probably already knows intuitively). But the main thing was I got a lot of practice.</p>
<p>Reeinaz</p>
<p>I am just learning the EF stuff, but it is my understanding the diagnostic codes DSM are being revamped very soon to DSM-V. The draft version is already out. EF will be a separate code and the ADHD inattentive will virtually be eliminated. I don’t know how it will change the Aspie, but I believe same Autism will disappear (due to “genetic” now) while others will be separated out in the similiar manner as ADHD inattentive. </p>
<p>Theoretically, this should produce a more visable path for treating EF. Our ADD coach sees this as a major step for EF treatment, but it may get murky for ADA accomodations. I’m not following the issue, but you may want to look into. googl dsm-5 developement.</p>
<p>And supper congrats on your son’s paid internship! </p>
<p>I would love to see my kid have a paid anything for the summer. No job luck due to his EC having a 10 day camp in July. It overlaps every other summer program and no employer wants to give time off in July.</p>
<p>Longhaul: interesting about the ADHD inattentive disappearing. Wonder what that will live under.</p>
<p>My 3 y.o. nephew was diagnosed on the autism spectrum last Spring. From my SILs conversation with the clinician, a couple of years ago they would have given him the Asperger’s label, however it seems as if they’re rolling everything like that into the Autism Spectrum Disorder dx. </p>
<p>I’ve been waiting to see what they do with NVLD. One of the reasons that our district doesn’t “recognize” NVLD is because it isn’t in the DSM. </p>
<p>Ah semantics :)</p>
<p>medavinci,
With a 220 PSAT, all she needs to do is analyze her mistakes. Do not pay for tutoring. See what patterns/types of errors they fall into. Xiggi is good for this. DH and I just sat down with them and picked apart the questions. I would not even worry about doing this until a few weeks before the junior year PSAT. </p>
<p>S1 had a 215 PSAT cold (no prep, no looking at old tests) freshman year, got a 236 as a junior, 2380 SAT. S2 went from a stone-cold 181 freshman year to a 218 junior year, 2290 SAT – which we credit almost entirely to IB classes. Neither did any more prep than the SAT Blue Book, and even then, we just focused on parts that needed review – some specific grammar rules for both, reviewing some math with S2, making sure they could crank out an essay in 25 minutes (for the SAT only – no essay on the PSAT).</p>
<p>I will pass on advice that CC poster Marian gave me – have your kids take the SAT-II exams as soon as they have completed the relevant course (i.e., AP World, USH, Bio, Chem, Physics – if they took those this year, June is a good time for the SAT-II. If they have completed trig and pre-calc this year, take Math Level II (it has a more generous curve than Math Level I). Check with the science teachers to see if an honors version of the sciences will be sufficient for the SAT-II. Some teachers will know if it’s a good match. S2’s pre-IB Bio class aligned very closely to the SAT-II Bio – the class average among kids who took it was in the mid-700s – but S ignored the teacher’s advice to take it freshman year.</p>
<p>Just re-read the website for the program ds applied to. Notifications won’t come out until late May. Oh, well, I guess I’ll stop bird-dogging the mail carrier now.</p>
<p>My D is stressing over her AP US History test on Friday. She has so many things going on after school tomorrow that she will have no time to review. Doesn’t feel prepared, won’t do well, brother and sister both got 5’s on this one, etc, etc, etc. Complete contrast to my senior S, who had 3 AP tests this week and did absolutely no studying. She signed up for 5 AP classes next year, which will be interesting next spring as it is in the middle of sports season.</p>
<p>Oh mama I hear ya! D has no time to study tomorrow due to a game but I’ve explained to her that if she doesn’t know it by now, she’s not gonna know it on Friday. She’s stressing herself out like nobody’s business. She’s also taking 3 APs next year & I suggested that she possibly drop it down to honors for 1 or 2; she looked at me like I had three heads. </p>
<p>Hopefully after she gets one under her belt she’ll realize they’re not that bad. </p>
<p>D1 insists she only ever studied the night before an AP exam. NOT helping D2s state of mind.</p>
<p>My D’s AP World teacher is giving them another practice exam tomorrow and if they score higher than the previous pracitice exam, the lower grade will be replaced. That is the good news. The bad news is due to three tennis mathches and two long orchestra rehearsals this week, my D has had no time for AP World study. Next week is also her district tennis tournament on Mon/Tues/Wed and her confirmantion is Wednesday night as well. AP World exam is Thursday…</p>
<p>DD has AP World next week and the SAT2 scheduled for June 4. This is her weakest class, but I think she is prepared and will do fine. Last year her brother loved the class and felt he was VERY prepared. He got a 4 on the AP and a 740 on the SAT2. Go figure. We were very, very surprised about the 4. So now it is DD’s turn. It’s her first AP and I think it’s a good start. I also like that she gets to get one of her SAT2s out of the way. She’ll probably take Bio and Math2 next year and that’s it. DD has asked me to sign her up for the June 11th ACT test. She thinks it will be a better test for her, so she wants to try it. I tried to get her to just take a practice exam, but NOOOOO that just won’t do. So, she will sit for the exam and see how she does. Then we will decide whether she should focus on the SATs or the ACTs over the summer and go from there.</p>
<p>Longhaul and RobD - I originally took my son to be evaluated for ADD-Inattentive because he was and is a classic absent minded professor…lol. I had known nothing about Aspergers at the time or any of the other “similar” conditions like NVLD. Based on his social perculiarities, he was diagnosed as an Aspie. It really is frustrating how depending on the mood of the kid, the focus if the diagnostician, and current funding matters, the same combination of behaviors can be labled any number of at least 5 things…lol.
And thanks for the heads up on the dsm regarding EF. That is my biggest concern with him and seems to be the hardest one to address.</p>
<p>RobD and Blueshoe: my son’s schedule has been crazy as well. No time to study and he is exhausted. But he doesn’t seem too concerned. He has been very busy trying to do both tennis and track and his results in both have been less than what he expected. I thought he learned his lesson, but then last night he came home and said “did I tell you I think I am going to do Drama next year?” This is in addition to 3 AP’s, cross country, basketball, tennis (and track?) and journalism. Something has got to give!! I suggested he wait until his senior year, but he rarely listens to me.</p>
<p>tx5athome, D has been playing rec field hockey along with varsity tennis. She has a field hockey game, a job interview, and a big orchestra event Saturday leading into the district tennis play next week. She also has an orchestra competition she is competing in next Friday and Saturday. She is taking four AP’s next year along with varsity field hockey, varsity tennis, and her many orchestra obligations. I am worried that she might be over reaching a bit. It was really stressful for her this week coordinating overlapping schedules with her orchestra director and her tennis coach. The orchestra director was upset with her because she needed to arrive late to two rehearsals because of tennis matches. She is in a music magnet and the music department isn’t very tolerant of other activities.(unless it is outside music activities like the regional youth symphony) We are really resistant to the idea that our D has to pick one activity and “specialize” in it. She has far too many interests and wants to experience all that high school has to offer. If this hurts her in the college application process, then so be it.:)</p>
<p>I’m so surprised to see so much talk about ap tests already. Our local high school only offers 5 ap classes: Enlish language, lit, calc AB, bio, and chem. My d plans on taking one of the two English ones and calc AB next year. She hates bio, so I don’t think I can talk her into that, but she’ll probably do chem. Her senior year, she’ll have to go to a local college for math, assuming they’ll let her. Will that be good enough if she wants to go to a more selective college, or should I try to convince her into taking all 5 of the ap’s? I so wish they offered more.</p>
<p>cyclone, colleges look at an applicant in the context of their school. If your school only offers five APs, and she takes multiple ones AND does dual enrollment, she should be fine.</p>
<p>Ds is regretting not taking the AP World History exam, something some sophomores do despite not taking the AP class. Yesterday, when I went to pick him up early at school, here’s the conversation:</p>
<p>Principal: “How was the World History exam?”
Ds: “I didn’t take it.”
Surprised principal: “Why not?”
Ds: “Because I’m a loser.”</p>
<p>I added, “Because he didn’t listen to me.”</p>
<p>That said, I did this morning sign him up for the Math II subject test.</p>
<p>Am I alone in stressing over my kids schedules? </p>
<p>I know it is their academics, ECs, etc., but honestly I have heart palpatations when I look at our family calendar. Everyday thru Memorial Day there is at least 3 separate things. I just start stressing that someone/something will be forgotten and then I’ll have to run around like a madwomen helping to correct course. I feel awful seeing my DS 13 stressed and my younger kids (grades 4 & 5) just seem to need much more hand holding than in the past. </p>
<p>Son takes Math II on Saturday. I think he looked at 1 practice test (we have 3). Should be interesting. His issues are all in the timing, so to me doing a few practice tests was important. </p>
<p>cyclone – Another vote for all APs are not necessary.
My neice (HS senior) did not have APs at her school. She self studied one and bombed it. So so SAT. Fantastic GPA. ECs, but nothing stellar. She got into 5 of the 6 colleges she applied to. The schools ranged in the top 100 LACs/Unis, but not top 15.</p>
<p>Longhaul: When I had 3 at home, managing their three different busy schedules, was very stressful. Now I am down to just one kid, and he is my most independent so I am not nearly as stressed. But I used to wake up in the middle of the night with this fear, that I had left one of my kids stranded at soccer practice or something. </p>
<p>Cyclone: Not all AP’s are necessary. If Bio is not your daughter’s thing by no means have her take it because it is very difficult. But my older two did take both AP Eng Lit and AP Eng Lan and I think it was quite helpful and the exams do not take a lot to study for. Everybody at our high school that took one, took the other. S2 took Calc AB his junior year, and our school didn’t offer Calc BC. He ended up having to take statistics because with his sports taking calculus at the junior college didn’t fit into his schedule.</p>
<p>Am I dumb…? I scored a 186 on the PSAT (never studied, didn’t even look at the practice sheet the school gives you), which puts me at the 5th highest scoring student in my sophomore class of about 370. My grades being somewhat lower than the average CCer doesn’t make me feel inferior at all, I don’t study, they do, plus even if I did, my insomnia would effectively ruin any effort I put into preparation, but seeing other CCers with such high scores is quite humbling… I mean, my score was one of the best at my school, when I’d tell a classmate what I made, they’d usually react with something along the lines of “-Gasp- A 186??? Holy <em>expletive</em>! Eli, I feel dumb now, why’d I even ask you!!!?” but on here I get the feeling a 186 is seen as trash. Is this true, and am I dumb?</p>
<p>Longhaul, I sometimes have trouble keeping up with my D’s busy schedule and it can make me a little crazy sometimes. I forgot her orthodontist appointment last week…</p>
<p>EliKresses, a 186 is above average! The average SI score in 2009 for 11th graders was a 141. Please refer to your score report. It will show you how your scores compare with with other students your age.</p>
<p>I know, I’m way up there in the percentiles, but I’ve never seen a CCer with below a 201…</p>