My older DD took the SSAT twice (5th grade and 8th grade). If I recall correctly, as an 8th grader, she had to prepare for SSAT math subjects far more advanced than she had learned in school.
She did well in both, and, most specifically to my query, she did exceedingly well in high school math. I wonder if the SSAT prep in 8th grade helped that.
Now, we come to our younger one. She MAY need to take the SSAT (fully realizing many HSs are TO these days). I am wondering whether you think the prep work for taking the SSAT (or ISEE) for an 8th grader helps for overall high school math performance. Specifically, for an 8th grader taking the SSAT, they have to learn math concepts far advanced than in normal 8th grade.
Hopefully, that’s clear enough. I like the specific focus of prepping for a finite exam like the SSAT. I am actually more interested in the impact AFTER taking the SSAT rather than the SSAT results themselves.
I would love your thoughts and feel free to let me know if I need to clarify.
TIA
The upper level SSAT includes material found in most pre-Algebra and Algebra I courses, some light geometry (areas, perimeters, an understanding of how angles are related in triangles), basic number theory of the type taught in pre-Algebra and Algebra I (primes, rational number definitions, etc) and basic probability and statistics. The problems could be straight forward equation manipulation or word problems.
Studying for the SSAT will reinforce those topics (which are foundational for future math success) and she’ll be exposed to some topics which she hasn’t touched on so when they’re introduced in future classes she’ll have a leg up. If your student is in Algebra I in 8th grade, then she already knows almost everything on the SSAT, though she has likely forgotten some of it - usually the largest gap is in probability. If your student is in pre-Algebra then there will be a lot of new things to learn for the SSAT (most of Algebra I) and she will have an easier time with that class when she takes it.
So, yes, studying for the SSAT will help her be more successful in her early high school math classes, primarily Algebra I and Algebra II. But so will working through the Khan Academy Algebra I & II courses online. Any focused math learning and practice will do the trick. Ultimately, it’s a question of how she interacts with the learning. I have one daughter who thrives when studying for high-stakes tests but her twin gets overcome with anxiety. You know your daughter best and what will work for her.
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no, I don’t think there’s a big impact. I highly doubt your older daughter did well in math because she had studied for the ssat. I suspect she did well in high school math because she is a good student.
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This was my student. She didn’t recognize most of the topics on the SSAT in her first practice test. She is in pre-Algebra right now so when she took her practice test, she hadn’t had any pre-Algebra yet and there was a LOT she didn’t know (functions, slopes of lines and other linear equation stuff, inequalities, quadratic equations, ratios, exponent rules like negative exponents, factoring polynomials, radical expressions, coordinate geometry, set theory) and probably more I’m not remembering. It was a lot to study for and in the end, we just told her to focus on the things she thought she could pick up quickly and then to skip the questions she didn’t understand on the actual test. It worked out for her in that her math score went up 40 percentage points from practice to her test, but it still wasn’t as high as someone who is already in Algebra or Geometry or higher, which is many kids taking the upper level SSAT in 8th grade. I guess we’ll see if it helps her next year in Algebra at boarding school. That would be a bonus, but we’re certainly not expecting that SSAT studying to have any effect on future math course success.
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I personally think test prep was pretty life changing for one of my kids. When they took the middle level ISEE scores weren’t as high expected after years of absolutely outstanding everything but really it was because they couldn’t finish it. And it turned yes they needed a little fine tuning but they simply couldn’t work fast enough. So the kid worked, and worked, and worked and eventually got to the point of completion. And although they ended with a really terrific score, it was the ability to finish test they were most proud. And then had to prep for SAT for something else and that was actually kind of a breeze. And then upper level SSAT required a little boost but terrific scores with little prep. And then multiple grade levels of math skipped along the way. And outstanding PSAT with no prep.
This same kid eventually did full IQ testing with a very high PG score but actually does have a significant lag with processing speed. Apparently if I paid when young could have qualified for an IEP and extended time and really perhaps had a different trajectory. I’m honestly kind of glad I didn’t know. Because wanting something and working hard for it worked out much better for them in the end.
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One of my kids has the same profile. The psychologist that did the testing said something along the lines of “He must be incredibly frustrated in school. He’s so bright he knows he knows the answers, but he can’t access them quickly enough.”
Timed math tests like “mad minutes” were the worst for him.
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