<p>Someone PM’d me this article about Taft and the SSAT.</p>
<p>I know Taft was one of the first to de-emphasize the SSAT. Here’s a section from an article on the former Admissions Director: “Quite possibly, however, it is Ferdie’s radical and courageous decision to alter Taft’s admission
philosophy that first won national attention. He proposed that Taft risk its reputation
for academic excellence by seeking out the complete person, not simply “the brain.” A
generation ago, the most prestigious residential schools were luring mostly students with 90
or above on their SSATs. While many came to excel academically, few contributed to their
class or to the school. In a tight admissions market, Ferdie had the foresight to look beyond a
candidate’s test scores and look instead for the other qualities these kids had to offer.
Ferdie asked the board of trustees to try an experiment. He gave them 20 actual but
anonymous applications from previous years and asked them which candidates they would
admit. Nearly all of the trustees focused on the transcripts, and the applicants they selected
had—as adults—opted largely for careers of self-interest. The experiment illustrated Ferdie’s
concern, and the school soon modified its admissions priorities, creating a communal spirit
at little or no loss in SAT achievement or Advanced Placement. Other schools of Taft’s ilk
soon followed suit.” <a href=“http://www.taftschool.org/alumni/pub...in07/index.htm[/url]”>http://www.taftschool.org/alumni/pub...in07/index.htm</a></p>
<p>hotchkissjin - I think you have an opinion of the importance of the SSAT’s that is not universally shared. There are a bunch of topics here that discuss the important aspects of the application. And, in fact at my son’s Jr Prep school when about 15-20 schools come to visit the 9th graders (the schools come individually but meet with the kids as a group) all the schools said they do not have a minimum - some would give a range of the typical student, most not. All said it was the least important part of the application. Only one emphasized that they had a 90+ average.<br>
So yes, it was made for boarding school admissions, but it is one small part. Just as the SAT is made for college admissions and is one small part.</p>
<p>I think you have to remember that 6-8 is the lower level SSAT and 9-12 is the higher level SSAT. Depending on which grade level you are in you are expected to reach a certain average. It’s most likely a 8th grader will do better than a 6th grader and usually boarding schools use that score against people in an older grade level. So if you totally bomb your 9th or 10th grade SSAT remember that the test is also made for 11th graders as well so don’t stress out and be satisfied with your score, or you can try again if you are confident enough. :)</p>
<p>hotchkissjin, that is why you get a percentile. Schools look at the percentile because it is based on the scores of kids of your grade and gender of the past three years.</p>
<p>Um, corrent me if I am wrong…
but I understand that 5-7 graders took lower level, and 8-11 took upper. I am in 8th grade, and got a 98 on the Upper level.</p>
<p>I think what it is is that they compare your score to teh people in eighth grade who took the test the three years before. For example, the 8th graders who took it in 2007, 2006, and 2005.</p>
<p>Scigirl14, you are correct. The Upper Level Test is for students in 8th grade through 11th grade. The Lower Level Test is for students currently in 5th through 7th grade. The SSAT Percentile Ranks (1-99%) compare your scores to those of other students who have taken the SSAT in the past three years.</p>
<p>For example, if your Verbal SSAT Percentile is 65%, you scored equal or better in the Verbal section than 65% of students (of your gender and grade) who took the SSAT in the past three years.</p>
<p>My son tests in the 99% in standardized testing has had A’s in everything all through elementary and middle school. He was in gifted for 5 years.
His EC’s are outstanding
year round baseball (AAU) pitcher, short stop
Recreational baseball leagues (8yrs)
Junior golf champion
Long drive champion
Football quarterback
Soccer (5years)
Cross country 1year (always placed in top 10)
Track ran four events set a school record in hurdles
participated in various athletic training camps in the summer
clarinet 1 year school band
saxaphone 2 years school marching band and in school concerts
student council representative etc.
Here’s the bad news…He got a 70 average on the ssat’s
He has his heart set on Lawrenceville
Comments please…is there any chance???</p>
<p>Apparently, In my opinion, he’s probably one of the strongest candidates I know about. He’s good in three of the main four/five groups, outstanding athlete, student, and musician. Just need great recommendations and interview. But what the heck, I don’t know anything about admissions. good luck</p>
<p>if anyone is taking it in january I found a nice site for verbal flash cards. don’t print it out because it’s 67 pages and you would be putting it on note cards anyway</p>
<p>carker – that is something that parents and kids tend to get upset about. Kids who score at the 99% on the typical standardized tests that are taken at school don’t typically score at the 99% on the ssat. You have to understand that EVERYONE take that standardized test at school (especially if you are referring to a state test or public school test). So that 99% means that your son scored better than 99% of all other test-takers, including those kids who are barely literate and just randomly bubble in answers or don’t even read English well. On the SSAT, your son is compared to other SSAT test takers – generally a select group of student interested in enrolling in a selective private school. That group will have much higher scores and thus the number of kids that can score better than 99% of them is much smaller and more select.</p>
<p>That being said, what you have to decide is where to go with your son’s score of 70% on the ssat and his desire to attend Lawrenceville.</p>
<p>I have a few comments/suggestions – </p>
<p>Do you feel like you son did his best and are the score fairly even? for instance, did he get a 89% in verbal and a 37% in math, or are the scores closer in range? If the scores are very far apart or your son indicates that he was extrememely nervous, too casual or wished he had done something different and he knows he could do better, you might consider having him take the test again. 70% is not a bad score at all – Lawrenceville indicates that they have an average of 81% and accept 29% of all students that apply. he seems to be a strong candidate and the ssat score might not be an issue.</p>
<p>Is he applying to some safety schools? Lawrenceville is pretty selective, accepting only 1 out of every 3.5 candidates, so he might not get in. Even if he has an excellent safety at home, it is sometimes worth applying to a less selective school just so that an offer of admittance cushions the blow of a rejection from another school. I just hate to think of kids pinning their dreams on one certain school and having that dream crushed on March 10th when they receive a rejection letter.</p>
<p>finally – the ssat score is only one of a number of factors that comes into play, and you won’t ever know the importance it plays in admission to Lawrenceville. Will he have strong teacher and counselor recommendations? That can be a huge factor. Is he in honors/advanced classes? the rigor of the curriculum can also be a factor. </p>
<p>Your son does seem like a very strong candidate for Lawrenceville and I wish you and he the best of luck in the coming admission cycle – welcome to the board!</p>
<p>I second hsmomstef’s advice about looking at more schools. I hear that athletics are very important at Lawrenceville, so please be certain that all the appropriate coaches know about your son’s talents. Good luck!</p>
<p>I recently had a conversation with an admissions director about the importance of the SSAT at his school. He said it was the least important piece of the application and that they weigh teacher recommendations, academic record, and the interview, much higher than they do the SSAT. </p>
<p>For his school, the median score was 80%. He said they have accepted kids with an SSAT score as low as 20%, but their GPA had to be high (to verify that the child can do the work and is just a poor standardized test taker.)</p>
<p>Of course this is only one school, but it reaffirms what Linda S. said various boarding schools told her son.</p>