<p>While it is awful for 2017, this has just become the best part of my day! I’ve been walking around for a month thinking the wrong year! :)</p>
<p>Wow… I am glad I took the incentive to look to see if anyone had started the 2018 thread…
How did you guys find out about the new SAT coming up…I feel as if I have to search for answers at the middle school.</p>
<p>My oldest will be starting HS in Fall and they just sent us the letter and link to the course catalogue…Lot of good choices…</p>
<p>I had a question for anyone whose child is interested in STEM… My son will be taking many Honors classes next year and I have heard from some others that some kids are doubling up in math so they can take AP Statistics or Multivariable Calculus in 12th …
Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra II would be in 9th grade. </p>
<p>Is that possible or doable…My son is strong in math (taking Accelerated Algebra 1 now)and wants to do it but he is worried about doing really well in all his classes and tackling Honors Physics with Honors Geometry… He thinks he wants to do something in Technology and Computers with Finance thrown in… </p>
<p>Thoughts or advise please?</p>
<p>^completely doable.</p>
<p>CNJMOM–agree that it is doable to double up and take Geo & Alg 2 simultaneously. Our school has started offering that option quietly. A group of students start middle school in a math class two years ahead of the traditional sequence, and that group automatically ends up in multi-variable in 12th as long as they continue on the same track. Some students who were not placed into the program initially use 9th grade to ‘catch up/get ahead’. It may mean that your child will not be able to take an elective or band/chorus. That depends on your school’s scheduling. If your son is very worried about the workload, he could try teaching himself some of the material this summer. (Not how I would want to spend my summer….)</p>
<p>I am a little surprised about honors physics w/o some Calc.</p>
<p>RE: new PSAT & SAT. I have a 2017 so am going to try to have him take SAT spring of soph year and fall of Jr year to avoid dealing with the new test format spring of Jr year. Nothing that can be done to avoid the new format of the PSAT.</p>
<p>I have also read that the ACT organization hopes to roll out a computer-based exam. I just do not see how a HS will be able to ensure enough fully-functional computers to administer the test. The state of CT is piloting new standardized tests that will be administered on computers this winter. Should be interesting….</p>
<p>I’m fairly sure most school systems have a test out option.</p>
<p>Hello to my my fellow 2018 parents…will be interesting to follow this journey with you. I have a Dd who is Class fo 15, and have worked in financial aid my entire professional life so I am happy to help with those types of questions. Having worked in financial aid does not mean I have a secret recipe for getting through college without going broke (if only…) </p>
<p>My D18’s path will be very, very different that her sisters as they are very different kids. D18 is very driven and focused and a tough cookie, emotionally, not much knocks her off her game. However she has it in her head that she wants to go to a ‘tippy top’ school though at 14 her definition of what that means is flexible. She will NEED merit money unless she attends one of of our in-state ( MN ) schools. She already knows that, and is trying to figure out how to best plan her HS program to accomplish her goals.</p>
<p>I feel almost like this is the first time through, with such different kids, and D18 will attend a different high school than D15 does so I don’t have the experience to fall back on. This school is a full block schedule, so four classes per day for 72 minutes each. Many kids also do a zero hour. She is in honors geometry this year and really likes math, but I am worried about taking math for just four months per year, as one semseter on the block plan equals a full year of math. Concerned about languages being taught this way too. Many parents think this is a fantastic plan, and the school sends a lot of kids to top colleges each year, so it must work, but very unfamiliar to me. </p>
<p>My d15 had not thought about college at all at this point, but in some ways D18 is thinking about it because we talk about her sisters college search a lot, and our spring break will be an east coast college tour. D18 is not too thrilled about that as last year we went to Mexico. Hoping that D18 gets a sense of what she likes and does not like about various campuses to assist with her search down the road.</p>
<p>Looking forward to hearing your stories as well. The group of parents that find their way to CC is an interesting bunch!</p>
<p>Thanks for the input… I appreciate it… I took Physics in 12th grade so things have definitely changed since I went to school… but in our school district the Freshman take Physics in 9th, not sure why. I think it has too do with a NJ based standardized test for Biology. </p>
<p>His current honors math teacher has not encouraged the current accelerated class to take all 3 Honors classes, she believes that it is too rigorous a curriculum so that is the only thing that causes me some concern.</p>
<p>I actually wish he had started Algebra 1 in 7th. He definitely could have handled it, but our school did not offer that option anymore. Instead, a group of 6 to 8 people had to pay for Algebra1 class over the summer at a private school and then had the option to test out of Alg 1 with an 85% or more… However, I definitely don’t think my Son would have spent 6 weeks last summer on Algebra …</p>
<p>We have a high school meeting at the end of Feb so we have a lot of time to decide.</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Welcome new posters and we are definitely seeing familiar faces here from Parents of HS Class of 2015!</p>
<p>Thanks to all who provided info on the new SAT. I knew it was coming, but glad DS2018 will not be in the first class to deal with it. He has taken the SAT twice in middle school and I, too, am considering having him take it “for real” before the test switches over…but that would be June of his Soph year (going into Jr year), correct? Ugh. That’s early, but he may go for it.</p>
<p>Now, please correct me if I’m wrong, but the switch-over timing means that our DCs will take the “new” PSAT as sophs in 2016 (at those schools administering the PSAT to sophs)? Our DCs will <em>not</em> be taking the “old” PSAT as sophs and the <em>new</em> PSAT as Jrs, right? Oh, shoot, maybe they will be.</p>
<p>^I think that our 2018ers will be taking the “new” PSAT as sophomores–don’t they currently give the same PSAT to everyone in every grade who takes it on a particular day? So if the 2017 group are taking the new PSAT as juniors, that should be the same PSAT that our sophomores are taking?</p>
<p>HeliMom, it looks like our high school is the same way… Students can have Honors or Regular Physics in 9th, Honors/Reg Chemistry in 10th, and then Honors/Reg Biology in 11th, the only AP Bio offered is in 11/12th grade., I think they do allow you to take chemistry and biology in 10th so you could potentially double up for the AP BIo in 11th, but it looks like if you want to do that you need the strong grades and principals written permission.</p>
<p>QQ, what language are your kids thinking of in high school… AFter 2 years of Spanish in middle school, My DS now wants to take Chinese in his high school years. I have heard it is a very very difficult language to learn. Considering his interests lie in technology and Business, I don’t think it’s a bad idea…but just wondering…</p>
<p>GoAskDad—I have only heard spring of 2016 as new test date, so that could be March, May or June. Others may know more. Regardless, your 2018 would need to be taking the test prior to Jan of his soph year in order to avoid taking the new version. Unless the rollout date changes again.</p>
<p>Reading over son’s '14-'15 enrollment packet…he’s overjoyed that computer programming fulfill’s our state’s two-year foreign language graduation requirement, but sobered up when he scanned the pre-reqs for admission to his top five choices: none of them accepted programming as a language. I hope the counselors and/or teachers are making kids aware of this. We only found out by accident.</p>
<p>Our DD’18 is currently taking Spanish. She wants to switch to French for H.S. We are encouraging to stick with Spanish because we live in the SW and many of our neighbors have Spanish as a first language. Also, it’s all about time management - and French will take more time!</p>
<p>Noticed that this thread had been formed and thought I would say hi, though it feels far too early in the process. I have a S’18 and a HS S’13 (now a freshman at college). I learned a great deal from the conversation held on the 2013 thread that was of great value to his college search. S’18 has different interests than his brother and I imagine his journey will be different and I hope to learn more to put to use for his search from our conversation here on this thread. I look forward to sharing the ride with you.</p>
<p>As for the language discussion, S’18 is taking Spanish 1 right now and I believe will stick with it through HS. He has submitted his preferences for next year (which include Spanish 2), but we won’t learn what his classes will be for some time. </p>
<p>Our S’18 has just made his decision on which HS to attend and is starting to plan–from buying dress shirts, jackets & ties (it’s an all boys school with a dress code) to picking a language, He has a choice of Spanish, French, German, Latin and Mandarin. Our D '15 is telling him NOT Latin which she’s currently taking and not really enjoying, He’s had 5 years of Spanish already but has never really learned much and is thinking about switching to French. I’m fine with his staying with Spanish or moving to French since I can help him with either of the 2 and I’m glad that he’s not being adventurous and thinking about Mandarin.</p>
<p>My son got a letter today inviting him to participate in the NAEP testing in March. Do parents and students ever get to see the NAEP results?</p>
<p>Classes were cancelled today at S’13s college due to weather - his first snow day ever. S’18 will be very jealous.</p>
<p>HeliMom - in short, no. There are no available reports of student-level data. Your child is basically being asked to contribute to an overall analysis of an educational system. His individual results are really irrelevant. </p>
<p>For more info, go to <a href=“Parents - Participating in NAEP | NAEP”>Parents - Participating in NAEP | NAEP;
<p>Thank you, @jcc!</p>