<p>The search for a good ACT/SAT tutor/class seems hard to me. LOL This child is our oldest and we are clueless. There is a company in town that charges $65/hour for one-on-one test prep tutoring. I’ve seen the ads in the local paper. It might be a national company…would need to Google to confirm that. I also looked on Craigs List(which frankly makes my skin crawl a bit) and see someone with a tutoring ad out there who is claiming to have worked with kids at the private, college-prep schools in the area to get them the scores they want but how does one know if this is legit? Or at minimum, safe? :0 I can check with the school counseling office once it opens back up in late August but from past experiences, it seems like I know more(scary…see “clueless” comment above) about the college planning process than the counselors who are each assigned to about 500 kids.</p>
<p>blueiguana: Many schools will accept a 4 on the AP World History. Or they offer credit for the 101 version but not the 102 (unless you have a 5). My son called for his score last night. Got a 4. Was a little bummed that it wasn’t a 5, but the schools that he likes accept the 4 for 3 or 6 credits. </p>
<p>Speaking of schools, we stopped at one on the way home (his thought, too). Did a drive through. Also, went to the athletic complex, which he really liked. Inside the complex are the plaques of all those who were All-American athletes. Lots and lots of cross country and track ones. My son got excited when he recognized one of the names of the distance runners – from nearly 30 years ago. He has a friend who will attend this school in the fall, so maybe he’ll want to return for a tour sometime.</p>
<p>The storm that hit the DC/Northern VA/Maryland area knocked out our power for several days, so we jumped in the car and headed north for some AC and a computer – I’m taking a re-certification class for teaching so I needed to do my work. Son had a blast at the baseball games we attended.</p>
<p>Hi college4many - if your oldest is willing, I’d offer them the opportunity I call ‘Cash for practice tests’ - basically figure out what you are willing to pay a tutor, and offer a portion of that to your kid for just grinding through 10 practice tests. Hopefully they will be motivated to study each question they got wrong on their own - LOL! </p>
<p>If they are motivated, they will put in the work (particularly for SAT, which is ‘a measure of how well a child can take the SAT’ - less so for ACT, which measure what you’ve learned) If you can help with the motivation for them to go to college, and do well, all the better. Discussions of careers, job shadowing, campus visits, reading books like ‘Colleges that change lives’
I think tutoring classes are a giant waste of time for the kids who can do it themselves, and probably hopeless for kids who won’t do it themselves. Kid’s getting together to encourage each other would be great for the social learns, individual tutors are probably great when they are good at what they do.</p>
<p>@NewHaven - so glad to hear she jumped in socially -----Yipppee!!</p>
<p>college4many, do you know any parents of kids a year or two older than your kids who might have some experience with the local tutoring or classes? We found our tutor through word of mouth. She is an older woman I actually knew in another context, but I would never have guessed that she did test prep tutoring.</p>
<p>^I was just going to say that! We found our tutor for D’11 through word of mouth, but I am not using her for S’14. Expensive ($150/2 hours) and she only did English (words, grammar, essays). Was not equipped to tutor or give study tips in Math.</p>
<p>For S’14 we are using an Ivy League college graduate (which doesn’t mean he can tutor, I know) who has helped other kids with LDs including his own siblings. He met with S only once so far, but H was home and listened in on their session and said he seems good.</p>
<p>I have also bought the Barron’s flash cards for words, grammar, and math, and will encourage him to study those.</p>
<p>The tutor thing is kind of trial and error and unfortunately, there’s no do-over if you pick the wrong person. But I think many kids can help themselves by studying the words and test prep ideas which are so widely available now.</p>
<p>I just wanted to warn parents who think their kid may be done with standardized testing after sophomore year - I noticed on Carnegie Mellon’s website that they will ONLY accept tests from junior or senior year. I don’t know how common this is but I was aggravated.</p>
<p>Wow, Apollo, that’s absurd! My kid only has one subject test done but it’s a keeper. If he retakes it, other schools that require “all test results” are going to wonder why the heck he took it again, so he’s going to have to explain. If he applies to CMU, which I don’t think is all that likely right now anyhow…</p>
<p>If your kiddo is seriously interested in CMU you might ask on the CMU forum what that is all about. CMU requires you to send all results, too, so it’s especially odd.</p>
<p>Gosh Apollo6 - I’d love to see a link, I looked around and couldn’t find it. If I did find it, I’d send them an email ‘just checking’ to see if they really mean it. Sounds outlandish to me, and I’ll bet they change their minds in less than 18 months. Or do they really NOT want kids who can score over 700 before junior year? </p>
<p>Great news from her AP psych teacher, he was kind enough to email me dd14’s scores…
she scored a 5… I am so stinkin thrilled!!! Especially b/c I had to fight for her to take an AP course in her soph year. I was told “no” by all of her teachers, her GC and had to have a meeting with the principal… which was a very uncomfortable experience… he told me that she would flunk, and when she was flunking, not to come to him because he wouldn’t let her drop the class, she would have to take the F. What an idiot… </p>
<p>Her final grade A- and the teacher is the toughest in the school… which she loved. Just what she needed. He says he is very proud of her as he knows what I had to go through to get her into his class. Says she is a trail blazer and he now has 12 sophomores taking his class next school year… :)</p>
<p>Awesome news! Congratulations to your daughter for being a go-getter and insisting on the right courses for her needs. How nice that the teacher emailed you the results (and good for you that you didn’t get sucked into paying to hear them by phone - I wish I could say the same ;)</p>
<p>Thanks guys… I am so over the moon proud of her and miss her so much!! I hope she is enjoying her program… they seem to be keeping them busy. A trip to Boston’s Science Museum yesterday and another trip today. I kept passing by her room, walking in and sitting on her bed. I finally closed her door and decided not to go back in until she comes home. I didn’t miss her this much last summer because she was only 20 minutes away…LOL Is this what its going to be like when she goes off to college? My mom says she should apply to Yale so she can stay in New Haven. She would rather die than stay here… My mom and I need to get a life.</p>
<p>Maybe you just need more kids I have three more younger ones that I can give you on long term loan. I just realized that the only way my youngest son is going to make it to Eagle scout is if I take on boy scouts because dh is worn out. I’m already a girl scout leader for our youngest daughter. And D '16 starts high school this fall. I am already uniform shopping since the only way she was going to graduate high school was if we sent her to very strict charter school.
But seriously, I can relate. I miss my son who is at a summer program and my oldest daughter who is in China. I keep checking my email and text messages. Hang in there…</p>
<p>Checking in–k2 has been home for less than a week and takes off again Tue for a week or so
Not much going on here. </p>
<p>NewHavenCt mom–Congrats to your DD! </p>
<p>Our kids’ hs doesn’t allow students to take APs til Jr yr–and I met a dad who had to go to bat for his son to take AP math his fresh or soph year as well (I forget the exact age of the student) I wish the school offerred the options…and had a deeper AP list including Physics C, and Multivariable Calc…
K1’s U doesn’t accept APs for credit–though for some exams will place the kids higher up—
K2 is cut from another cloth - we will see how this yr goes. I think there a few APs in the schedule. Hmm as I think about it–might need to look for books as the summer will fly…</p>
<p>Ds got his letter today and got a 5 on his APUSH test. He worked really hard and is not a natural test taker- I think it shows that if a teacher teaches to the test he can do great.</p>
<p>A teacher was posting stats on Facebook over the weekend about the schools data.
33 5’s. With 10 being ap calc. (the teacher’s class)
11%. Were 1’s</p>
<p>75% were passing scores. ( suburban school with 1400 students and everyone has to take the test) </p>
<p>S liked the status and teacher messaged him. S was a little disappointed since he had plans to open the letters with his friends. Oh well, </p>
<p>He wants a “prize”. We took him out for ice cream. Haha</p>
<p>Congratulations to happyson! I’m sure he appreciated the ice cream. His real prize will be when he has one less ‘gen ed’ to fulfill freshmen year and has more flexibility. Hard to appreciate now, but he sure will later!</p>
<p>DD14 took the CAPT test this past March(one of those stupid state tests that all public school sophomores are required to take) and I recieved the scores last night…she did above average for her school and the district for Reading, Writing and Science… but she is at grade level for math. Would it be best for her to possibly take the ACT? I have been vascilating back and forth with that and not so sure…until last night. She works really hard at math and just finished up with Alg II and Geometry(recieved A’s all year)… .she will be taking AP Stats and Pre calc this fall… any advice?? Thanks guys.</p>
I have three more younger ones that I can give you on long term loan. I just realized that the only way my youngest son is going to make it to Eagle scout is if I take on boy scouts because dh is worn out. I’m already a girl scout leader for our youngest daughter. And D '16 starts high school this fall. I am already uniform shopping since the only way she was going to graduate high school was if we sent her to very strict charter school.
I’m sure he appreciated the ice cream. His real prize will be when he has one less ‘gen ed’ to fulfill freshmen year and has more flexibility. Hard to appreciate now, but he sure will later!</p>