<p>Hi all! Sophomore year seems to be flying by. We get 3 days for Thanksgiving, but I bet some of your kids have the whole week off. Enjoy the time before it’s time to wrap up the semester.</p>
<p>S is finding WHAP his hardest class. So much reading and so much detail on the exams.</p>
<p>I have a kid home from college for a week but the 10th grader has to go to school two days next week.</p>
<p>My S16 also has school M and T next week. D13 won’t be home for Thanksgiving so it will be a small group this year. :(</p>
<p>AP Bio and APUSH are both pretty killer for S but I think APUSH edges out on the tougher of the two for S.</p>
<p>anyone have suggestions for flash cards for Latin? DS needs a bit of help. His handwriting is soo poor…He’s in latin 2 at the moment…</p>
<p>My son makes his own flash cards using an app called flash card machine.</p>
<p>flash card machine? an app for iphone? can you do it on the computer? ( am so computer illiterate!) please tell! thanks</p>
<p>There are tons of helpful educational apps in the itunes store. Unfortunately my son refuses to use them.</p>
<p>Flash card machine is available on the Web for use on his computer, by iTunes app, or by android app.</p>
<p>Another great app is Quizlet, my DD uses it all the time and even has some teachers who have prepared card sets in Quizlet for the kids to use. Most of the kids use i devices for Quizlet, but if you go to quizlet dot com you can also use a computer instead.</p>
<p>thanks! I’ll take a look! although, I think my S is more like dragonflygarden’s…not too interested. I get so frustrated…I feel I’m working more than he is…which in the end will not be so helpful…</p>
<p>We’ve used quizlet too and liked it. Have been working with the ms son on his language – this is his first time taking a midterm and realized he hadn’t been doing enough studying! Even smart kids need to study language!</p>
<p>Finals next week. Our 16er is most worried about world history. In our school, finals are 20% of the grade. What about yours? Just curious how different schools do it.</p>
<p>our school only has finals in the end of the year. Half year courses…I’m not sure if they have finals or midterms…my kid…he’s that “calm,cool,…‘i got this Mom’…”…type kid…</p>
<p>Our school has 3-hour finals at each semester - worth 20% of the grade for the semester.</p>
<p>Generally, in the spring semester AP and/or IB tests replace finals for students in those courses.</p>
<p>The semester doesn’t end until mid-Jan, but finals are next week. I believe they are 25% of the grade. Tough for the kids to concentrate on finals right now - S is in band and they had a winter concert last night, have another on Sunday and multiple rehearsals before then. Finals are next Thursday and Friday and he’s home on Saturday. D comes home earlier than that - just can’t wait to have them both back home!</p>
<p>Our students got their PSAT scores back today…with three sections, they are a bit different than I remember from back in the Stone Age when I took them. Anyone have any insight as to how to evaluate results for a sophomore?</p>
<p>The goal on PSAT is to make national merit.</p>
<p>National merit essentially works to be a different number in each State, the highest being 224 and lowest somewhere around 202 or so but the only number that counts is what it is for your state.</p>
<p>When considering national merit, percentile scores for freshmen/sophomore/junior don’t mean much and only the state or region (for boarding schools) matters. The goal in the end is to get to the national merit score +3 or 4 in your State to be on safe side unless your State is already 224 when you take it in junior year. Your sophomore score provides you an indicator how much you may need to make up.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1580340-class-2015-nmsf-qualifying-scores.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/1580340-class-2015-nmsf-qualifying-scores.html</a></p>
<p>The top two posts on this thread show historical data and 2014 cut off data in the first two posts.</p>
<p>Thanks. The lowest my state has ever been was 218, so my DD has a ways to go to make it up. She scored in the 60s for both Verbal scores, which for a sophomore is OK, but her math is lacking. She’s pleased that “I beat 70% of sophomores!” but I don’t think she understands that that isn’t actually on par with what she needs for her goals. Don’t want to shake her confidence (she tends to agonize over grades, and always fares better on projects as opposed to tests.) but I do think she might need a shake-up to her study habits or some extra support so she isn’t disappointed in two years.</p>
<p>There is a second goal with PSAT - early preparation for SAT. I know lots of kids who don’t make national merit but get to 2250+ by the time they apply to colleges. The 11th grade PSAT is in October and supposedly they learn a lot more in 11th grade English to do well on the two English sections.</p>
<p>we havent gotten the scores yet. I’m hoping it just jumps starts his willingness to work with someone on basic study skills, executive planning/functioning…and prep for SAT…He has such a lack of confidence…as soon as he finds himself “behind the eight ball”…he gives up, rather than --what would the phrase be-- buckle up? Study up? work more…?! He just doesnt believe anything he can do will make it better or improve…</p>