I would have her pick a different class personally. Not because its “useless” but I would rather my kid explore their interests than focus on prepping for a test.
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I agree with @2plustrio and would look for another class. If your daughter still wants test prep she can always use Khan academy which is free. I know it’s helped lots of people.
@Picklenut6’s kid and the math test: Yay!
And yes, I agree, hopefully this provides a much-needed “I can actually do this!” incentive for the future.
"SAT Prep" class: Is that really the name of the class, @MMB21? I guess points for honesty—similar courses here usually have opaque names like “Junior Seminar” or somesuch. I don’t expect it would actually be as much of a negative as others seem to, but I don’t know that it would be great either. But: Would it give your kid an extra dose of confidence about testing? My D19 felt like she couldn’t take the SAT or ACT without taking a test prep course (which I still think she didn’t, but it’s perception, you know?), so we got her the cheapest one we could find ($99 from Sylvan, FWIW) and afterward she was much calmer about it. If your kid needs the confidence boost, hey, it’s an even cheaper option. However: If my D19 had wanted to take a class in school like that, I’d’ve still probably tried to direct her toward a class that would help explore interests instead.
Sharing accomplishments: My kid has, since elementary school, participated in a statewide competition called “Battle of the Books” (which isn’t associated with the national group by the same name). It involves reading 10 or 12 grade-level-appropriate books on a statewide reading list (some of which are quite heavy), and then teams are formed at the school level that compete in a quiz-bowl type format on the books’ content and themes to send one (at the high school level, more in lower grades) team to a district competition, and then the top two from the district go to a statewide competition. C25 has had years of coming in second and third, and didn’t expect to do well this year since their team is mostly 9th-graders and the competition is stiffer at the high school level—but they won the school competition and is off to districts!
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Thanks. Her schedule is already pretty tough with 2 APS and 5 Honors. They only other semester choices are academic classes (English or Social Studies) and none of them really energized her. The options are really between the SAT Prep, Study Hall or PE.
Yes the class is “SAT Preparation” . Test taking confidence is not really an issue. She took the PSAT 8/9 in school this year and scored fairly well so it is not a concern. She is more taking it as a default as the other options didn’t interest her (and could hurt her WGPA-and this wouldn’t as it is P/F).
Congrats on the “Battle of the Books”. Sounds pretty cool.
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Sounds like study hall could be really useful considering she has a rigorous schedule ahead of her, or is that something that kids at her school stay away from?
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Congratulations on your kid’s advancement in the competition, that’s huge considering they are freshman!
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I’m going to be a bit contrarian and say that I think the SAT prep class is a good idea. At least for my kids, getting them to study for it, on top of AP and Honors classes, was painful and not super successful. I think having a dedicated time to do that, and presumably getting some strategy coaching as well, is a good thing.
Having said that, we don’t all know each other very well or our biases on this group yet. Just so you know mine, I HATE the ACT and SAT probably more than anyone on all of CC. Like truly HATE them and think they are a terrible system that is largely in place to 1 - make money, 2 - give schools a way to game rankings, and 3 - give cover to a system that benefits white and wealthy students.
Full disclosure, I was a beneficary of high test scores, back in the dark ages before I even knew prep was a thing. I showed up cold and got a 33 on my ACT, and whatever I needed on the PSAT (I had never heard of NMSQT, this test was just something the guidance counselor told us we had to do on a random Tuesday afternoon so I did it without knowing that the test would ever count for anything). I’m not saying that to brag, I’m saying it because even though I personally benefited and payed for my college with high (for the era) test scores, I still think they are a horrible thing and I would love to see every school go test blind.
But I don’t think they will, at least not before the 2025s are applying. So even under a test optional system, if you have a 1600 or whatever to throw on your app, it is definitely a positive. It is kind of like someone referred to, it keeps options open.
And yes, I feel like I need to take a shower after advising someone to take a SAT prep class.
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You make some good points. I’m sure my own opinions, which pretty much mirror yours led me to suggesting anything but the SAT prep class because I detest the SAT and ACT too.
I’m glad you were able to come here and offer the parent another viewpoint so they can make the best choice possible.
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ETA: I fixed where I had said D19 when I meant D21. I have too many kids to keep everyone straight.
I really wanted my D21 to apply TO, and we debated. She had 2 tests outright canceled, and a 3rd they moved her (without notifying her, we noticed a couple of days before the test when I reprinted the admission ticket) to a place 2 hours away with no hotels available, so she left our house a bit after 5 am to take the test. As if I didn’t hate ACT enough already.
But she was applying to elite schools a long way from here, where no one from our HS ever applies. So our HS was a complete unknown to the AO’s. Ultimately we decided the test could help confirm for them that she was “smart enough” to hang with the kids from the HS’s that they regularly recruit from. By the time she actually had a test under semi-normal conditions she had mentally moved on a bit from testing, but managed to get something we could still send that was good enough. I think it put her in the middle 50%.
I’m operating under the assumption that D25 needs to take it and needs to try. But I do think that it is only going to get easier every year to forgo that step. The sooner the better in my opinion.
My D21 took the SAT and ACT once each in the late fall and early December of junior year. She was trying to get a feel for which one she would then put time and energy into really prepping. Then March 2020 arrived and the world shut down so she never got another opportunity to test again. The way it shaked out for her was she didn’t have to submit her scores anywhere during her application season. Thankfully her strong gpa got her lots of wonderful merit, but ultimately she decided that one of our state schools was a better fit.
Before that experience I was already irritated with the tests, but she did well enough on her first try that she was in line for the schools she was applying to. That being said I’m totally turned off now and have told my S25 we can just focus on test blind or test optional schools. If he decides there are schools he likes that require tests I will support him, but for now we are laying the groundwork for an alternative route to college. It’s taken a lot of pressure off me and him. I was too consumed with it for D21 and it wasn’t healthy for any of us.
It’s already paying off. I’m more relaxed which means I know I’m not adding unnecessary stress onto him. Teenagers already have enough on their plates. I know better, so I’m doing better.
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Thanks for the comment. And full disclosure (though I’m not looking to debate the merits on here and wasn’t the purpose of my question), I am generally a proponent of standardized testing as the best (albeit admittedly flawed) way to compare students across across the vast array of educational systems/grading scales/ec opportunities across the country.
My D scores were above the 90th percentile for both sections on the PSAT 8/9 and with a little practice we are hoping to push the number above 1500 when she takes the test so that she has as many options as possible when looking at colleges. (Also we are at the very bottom end of full pay range so any merit aid would be a big plus).
So my concern isn’t so much with the test or her ability to take it, but the optics of an AO seeing “SAT Preparation” on her transcript and that somehow lessening the value of the score. And now on top of it, whether the changes in the test even make the class worthwhile. Though my thought would be to schedule her for the “old” test immediately after having the class in the Spring semester next year. But D is the one driving the bus on this process so we are serving more as guardrails trying to keep the bus on the road!
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Congrats! Wonderful achievement!
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I’m not sure that there would be a major difference between having SAT Prep or Study Hall on a transcript. I’d just go with whichever your D was more interested in pursuing next year. As you said, she’s already taking a rigorous schedule. I think AOs are well aware that kids are prepping for the SAT, so I can’t imagine it would detract from her application.
Not sure when we do scheduling here. DS is taking AP World History this year, so I assume he’ll take AP European History next year. Not sure if they offer/suggest other AP at his school for the 10th grade. I’m a little anxious about the fact that he’s only going to get two years of foreign language in, but my guess is that he’ll go the STEM route in college. He goes to a Catholic school where four years of religion is required, which didn’t give him a lot of flexibility with his schedule.
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If it were between SAT prep and a study hall, I would choose the class. We have a similar course at our school which is a 1 semester elective.
It just seems with SAT/ACT becoming more optional and more colleges claiming “holistic admissions”, I would rather my kids transcript speak to who they truly were as a person and have them take the opportunity to show their interests. It does vary by school as well in how they prep their students. I know our teachers in the core courses really ramp up their own ACT prep in class just before the test (all juniors take ACT same day in school).
As you said, your kid has to decide. So if out of all the electives available, if they really want to do the SAT prep class, then let them. It isn’t a horrible idea and it isn’t going to prevent them from getting into a good college for them. However, not taking the prep class isn’t likely to have an effect on them either.
I know as a parent crossing our fingers our kid gets merit money makes us second guess everything!
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In that case I would lean even more towards taking it, for 2 reasons.
First, your D is right on the cusp of those scores making a difference. I think going from the 60th percentile to the 90th doesn’t matter much for most kids. Going from the 85th to 90th or 95th can open doors, both for admissions and for scholarships. While I don’t like the tests, the reality is that they are there. If you can use it to her advantage you are crazy not to. I don’t love the system, but I absolutely will try to work it as hard as I can.
Second, if you are at or near full pay, schools are probably going to assume that your daughter prepped, whether it is on her transcript or not. I’m guessing you are at a school with similar people, and if it is known at all to them they will know the rough demographic. It isn’t like she is going to slide under the radar at some inner city school where they think she took it cold. Actually even if that is true they will probably guess the prep class was a bit of a joke. We didn’t have that as a separate class, but my daughter’s junior year they had some afternoons where classes were cut short so they could all participate in some ACT prep in the auditorium. The problem was that it was geared towards the kids who may struggle to show the proficiency the school needed (it doubles as our state test). So she usually was doing something on her own during that time, because they were covering things to help you get from 15 to 20, not from 30 to 35.
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I think it is interesting that you are all working on schedules already. That seems early to me. Although I have no idea when it is coming for us. It seems to change every year, probably ranging from now to May. We have had the same schedule for the last 2-3 years. My 2018 and 2019 all went through with 4 different bell schedules, and not always even the same number of blocks. I don’t love what we have, but it does seem like the school has finally settled on something, which I guess is good.
Your initial requests have to be in by the last day before the Winter break and then are reviewed by the counselor and faculty and finalized in February. The incoming freshmen do their selections in February, but I think the master schedule is already complete by the time they pick as I know the incoming freshmen often have problems with the electives they pick fitting into their schedules.
The option for athletes to waive physical education is new this year and was not announce until right before the course requests were due. That has thrown a wrench into the process this year.
Mid to large high school on the outer rim of the suburbs heading towards rural, I assume that a lot of kids will be doing prep, but probably not all.
Thanks so much for your prospective, first time through the process and will probably have a ton of questions along the way.
Rising seniors at my kid’s school (of about 1,800) are working on schedules this week—they spend a couple weeks making sure the seniors are all set for graduation requirements. After that they’ll work on schedules for rising juniors and sophomores, getting the students to pick what electives they want, then the guidance staff goes through them and suggests (for a, um, directive meaning of “suggests”) changes, and everything’s finalized sometime around spring break, which is the second week of March here and also marks the end of 3rd quarter.
Which may be part of why scheduling is already happening—the school year ends mid-May here. If it went late into June like some other parts of the country, yeah, now would feel kind of crazy.
Interesting how schools do things differently. We go to mid May too. Whenever we do schedules, I’m guessing March, all students will submit schedules at the same time. I think you have to do 3-4 alternate classes. Then there is a lot of I don’t know what, but it will take at least a couple months before schedules come out. I think they intentionally don’t release until summer.
There will be a bit of a speech about how schedules can only be changed for a few very specific reasons, and there be a window you can meet with an administrator and request changes if you qualify. In theory you are just stuck with a crappy schedule. In practice they are usually pretty reasonable granting changes. But the harsh language dissuades many kids from asking, which I think is by design.
I’m on my third principal (starting with my 2018 grad as a freshman) that I need to ask for changes. So far it’s always gotten done the way my kids needed it, although every principal is tougher than the one before. I’m happy that I only have 3 more rounds of this. Every year I’m worried it won’t work but it always does. So far.