DS16 took SAT prep the summer between sophomore and junior year. He took the SAT in November and January of his junior year. The school gives the ACT in spring of the junior year, he took it a total of 3 times ( 30, 31, 32) which placed in the higher merit award level at the schools he applied to and made him more competitive for Calhoun Honors at Clemson and William Aiken Fellows at CofC and named scholarships at Furman. Plan to use the same time line for DS19 to leave plenty of time for retakes if necessary . He typically doesnât test as well as his brother. Weâd like to be done by end of Junior year of possible because most merit deadlines are Nov or Dec.
I agree on the merit deadlines, unless you do an August or Sept test senior year, they wonât help for a lot of the merit opportunities. While S17 did not test well, it was good to be done by the end of junior year and I definitely plan the same for S19. It will be very interesting to see which test is better, if any. The prep company we use will do free diagnostic tests on both as long as you use them for some form of prep class, which we plan to do.
I donât understand why the traditional timeline of ACT/SAT in spring of junior year is so popular. D19 is already slammed with work now and canât imagine how sheâll be able to fit in ACT/SAT prep with all of her work.
The plan for now is AP World History test and SAT world history subject test in spring of sophomore year.
During the summer, all sheâll have to do is any training the XC team wants her to do and any volunteer work she manages to get. Sheâll have a ton of free time for ACT/SAT prep (probably the ACT, but weâll see how she does on the PSAT next week). Then take the September and October ACT.
Son19 is taking a PSAT this weekend. Then heâl take the PSAT again next year, and then a real SAT. Weâll also have him take the ACT at least once in Jr year.
Older son17 did best when he took the ACT his senior year. Much better score than earlier in Jr year. Same with some of his friends. Maybe they matured or learned more the 2nd 1/2 of Junioy year. But I am glad he took the test again his senior year, he was thinking of not taking it.
So no Iâm in the mindset of trying each test multiple times if you can, as long as you donât have to submit all of your scores on your application.
Iâm going to have to figure out the SAT II stuff for son19, as son17 did not take any of those.
I hadnât thought about the SAT world history test as an option, something to look at. I do think it depends on the kid, I suspect that my S17 could have improved his scores with one more sitting but they have to be invested in doing so and he wasnât. I think it can really vary. Our D14 improved hers with a senior year sitting.
Interesting development for S19 last night. He is in PreCalc which, at our school is a âCollege in the HSâ class, meaning that if they pass the college final and the grading scale for the college class, they can earn 5 credits from our Flagship. In reality this can be helpful if the student is attending an in state school, or other OOS schools but is pretty worthless at private universities and LACâs other than possibly as a math placement indicator (and thus avoiding taking a math placement test). For our instate options it can fulfill a GE credit and/or math placement function and to the extent if fulfills at GE requirement, it saves college tuition monies and is significantly less expensive than if the student were to take that class at the college. S17 completed it and the credits will be of value at about half of the schools on his list.
In the past, theyâve not allowed sophomores to take the test/get the college credit. Not an issue for S17 who took it as a junior but one for S19. They have changed it this year to allow sophomores to take it. However, S19 informed me last night he didnât want to do it. Which completely surprised me. His point was that assuming he tested at a 4 or 5 on the Calc AB and then BC next year AP tests, those would be worth as many or more credits at a lower price and will count at more/all schools. He also made the point that even if he did badly on the AB test next year, he could retake it his senior year. Which had not occurred to me, Iâve never heard of anyone retaking an AP test but I suppose in theory it would be possible.
Dollar for dollar it will cost less for him to take 3 AP calc tests (if one assumes a retest, which I canât actually imagine happening) than the one College in the HS test so it seems to me the kid has a valid point.
@RightCoaster The primary reason many people suggest that you donât take the SAT/ACT in spring of junior year is the additional half-year of maturity and because there is some Algebra 2 on the test, which some people donât take until junior year.
While I understand those reasons, they seem to be balanced by the fact that a student can prepare for the ACT/SAT as a full-time job in the summer before the junior year in a way they canât do if they take the ACT/SAT during the school year.
I suppose you could do the same reasoning to say that you should take the SAT in August of Senior year, but thatâs really late for a first SAT, because the kid should already know their scores so they can narrow down their college list by then.
Long time no write - was dealing with family life and crises and relatives in Florida - all safe, thankfully. Wanted to pick yâallâs brain on a bad teacher. D19 is in Chinese 3. The teacher is also - shudder - her faculty adviser. She is awful. She doesnât like D19 - we think itâs a cultural thing, b/c D is quite non-girly, assertive, somewhat boisterous with a flair for the dramatic. Sheâs not the only one doing poorly⊠D says she canât control the class at all. (She speaks very broken English and apparently does not teach well, prepare them for tests, give them useful feedback, etc.)
Anyway, she got a C in the class last year and was headed to another C so far this year until a bewildering A- interim report card. What thatâs based on, I have no idea â I think the teacher might be getting pushback from lots of other parents.
So I loathe the whole helicopter parent thing, but at what point, if at all, do I do anything about this? To this point, weâve told D that life will present her with lots of people that she doesnât get along with, lots of bosses that are unreasonable or hard to work for in other ways, and that it is her job to figure out the workaround thatâll get her learning and getting a decent grade. That this is a learning experience.
But am I wrong? Especially since it seems everyone in the class is having similar issues?
I hate to endanger someoneâs job. Thatâs a major consideration also Last year was this teacherâs first year at the school. Sheâs really young.
S19 is going to take the ACT this springâthatâs was D16 did. Itâs a Marching Band thing too!
So the first half of the quarter is done. Honeymoon period is worn off and d19 is pretty settled in. Grades are good. Sheâd like APWH to go up jus a bit, but lucky for her itâs a subject mom can actually help with! As a matter of fact, she thinks she did really well on yesterdayâs quiz. She had stumbled a bit on the first quiz in the class a couple of weeks ago. Mostly adjusting to a new teacher and types of questions. Basically, studying trivia type facts isnât super helpful for that class, itâs better to have a thorough understanding of the overall themes/time period because that will make understanding the reading passages much easier.
PE is her other slightly lagging grade but I canât fault her for her lack of ability. She gets full points for effort, preparation and any written quiz on rules, etc, but she always loses points when it comes to a skills assessment. She pretty much has no skills in most of it. Sheâs good at planking, crunches and swimming but, unfortunately for her, thatâs not enough for orienteering, basketball, volleyball, etc.
How is everyone else doing? Anyone want to commiserate on PE? 
@Gatormama Iâm glad your family is okay. Crisis time is never fun.
Regarding Chinese class that is a toughie. I debated this for my D16 who had a terrible AP Physics teacher her junior year. In her case though the teacher wasnât teaching the material and really just left the kids to fend for themselves. D16 basically taught herself what she could using DHâs college physics textbook. She received an A in the class but got a 2 on the AP exam because she really didnât know the material.
We asked her if she wanted us to intervene and she said no. In her case it wasnât hurting her GPA and she didnât want to take the time from her other studies to work with a tutor or do more self study.
I guess thatâs what my advice would be. Ask your daughter if she wants you to intervene. Sometimes parents need to complain to the school so the school can document the case against a terrible teacher. But I have learned the hard way to trust my kids instincts on when to intervene and when not too. They are the ones who have to live with the teacher and the school and they know the system better than I do.
Speaking of teachers, D19 had a couple of not really good experiences in the past. We always seek her opinion about our communication. She usually knows. Last year was a disaster with constantly changing teachers and subs for math. Toward the end of the year, most of her class lost their project points and subsequently their grades in math because of the poor communication from the 4th sub about the due date. Everyone came to know about it when the final results came in. Too late.
This year, D19 is going through a tough time with AP Chem. After our communication, I realized that the teacher is not bad but they just do not click.
@Gatormama very glad to read all of your family is ok and out of crises. That is always such a tough call. In general schools want the kids to fight their own battles and donât take well to parental involvement/going around teachers. Which you obviously are a bit reluctant to do. Iâve always taken a similar approach, that youâll have good teachers and bad teachers, good bosses and bad bosses, good co workers (or class project team members) and bad. All you can control is you and how you react to that dynamic. I try to empower my kids to figure out what they can change in their dynamic to effect a different result. It is not always doable. And that is life. Given the A- though itâs hard to make a case for involvement at the moment. If your D isnât understanding the material and the teacher herself is no help, perhaps a request to the teacher for tutoring ideas or resources (which shows the desire to understand without blaming the teacher directly) might light a fire of sorts or at least make her more receptive to your D? Itâs no fun, sometimes teachers just donât click with our kids and itâs hard to see.
I agree with @mom23travelers see what your D thinks. My kids are generally appalled ad the idea of me intervening, fearing it will make it worse.
Thanks for the suggestions - weâll see how the first marking period ends up and go from there. PSAT week for her, so Iâm not gonna add any extra stress.
Speaking of PSAT week, D19âs XC coach just sent an email to all the parents and kids, giving them a choice of when to practice. Normally, they practice at 6:00 am (school starts at 7:30 am). But because the PSAT is given in the morning, they are giving the kids the option of a 5:30 am practice or an after school practice. Why not just cancel practice? This is the week of the district championship, so the runners need to be in top shape.
I get the impression that D19 will be happy when XC season is over. Their off-season workout is âonlyâ 2 miles per day until track season starts in January.
PSAT went well according to my son. He said he didnât think it was that hard. Ok then! Weâll see what kind of score he gets, he didnât do any prep for it really. It really was just a practice test. Hopefully he can put in some prep for the real one.
DS19 takes the PSAT tomorrow. I think it will give us a good indication on how he will do on the SAT in May.
DS19 takes the PSAT tomorrow as well. His elective this year has been SAT prep. Heâs only has the Reading section so far . Weâll see if it helped him at all. Tests are not one of his strong suits .
@carolinamom2boys a whole high school class on SAT prep!? What has the world come to? Not sure what it shows colleges these days when everyone who can afford it or has it as an elective can blow away the kids who donât have that luxury. I know itâs maybe silly to complain but I still donât think this part of the selection process is fair. Itâs supposed to be the part that is the âeven playing fieldâ for all students - no matter their high school situation. And itâs definitely not that. Plus, what a waste of time we all spend studying for these tests when the kids could all be spending time on learning something they love. Learning to take a test defeats the point.
Of course, our family will play this game as well. What choice do we have? But we donât have the option to prep at school. I wonder how unusual that is.
@homerdog DS19 took the class mainly to give him extra practice with reading comprehension , writing and vocabulary. He has half a year of English type prep and half a year of math prep. It would be no different than him receiving tutoring in either of these subjects. Reading comprehension has never been his strong suit so contrary to what you believe, heâs taking this class to place him on an even playing field , not give him a leg up. My son goes to a large public HS. Please remind me? Where does your son go? No worries for you though. Based on your other posts, my son wonât be applying to any of the schools that youâre targeting for your son.
Weâre also at a large public high school. Iâve just never heard of test prep as a high school class. My point was just that SAT and ACT tests have gotten to the point where many kids need a class to learn strategy as well as to brush up on content. Our kids included. Our S19 did ok on a practice ACT and SAT last summer without any prep, but certainly needs to learn some strategies for the real thing (like not reading the whole passages in ACT Reading or Science, deciding which kind of Reading passages are easiest for you and doing them first, etc.) Heâs not ready to prep full out yet, but practiced the English section on Kahn for 45 minutes, retook a practice English section, and scored 8 points higher than first test. Just goes to show you that strategy and brushing up can make a big difference.
For a long time, kids could study on their own with prep books or hire someone to help. I just didnât know that itâs gotten to the point where schools actually prep them as well.
Our high school puts pictures of the kids up in entryway who get perfect SAT or ACT scores. A few get those scores without prep. Most have had major prep and took the tests multiple times. They are not the same type of students as the kids who took it cold and got perfect scores. I just think the whole thing is a racket. Itâs just as much about learning HOW to take the tests than learning the content in the tests for most kids. Iâm glad that most schools say that GPA and transcripts are the most important parts of the application. 