Thanks, Caroline & Kai, Could I also ask.... My sons are in 10th, and the explanation on their score report says that their reported %iles are based on students in the 10th grade. Is there any way to tell how they compare to 11th graders, or to all students, taking the test? Is that how the SAT works, too? If you take it as an 8th grader, for example, it reports a %ile compared to other 8th graders? Or does it report a %ile comparing you to all other students (grades 8/whatever through 12) who took the exam? I may have had faulty assumptions about the PSAT & SAT all this time! Thanks, Yvonne

You may be right. I still think the article made an interesting point. but I'm completely new to this. It probably makes perfect sense to those who've followed it a while.

Just got in to one son's online score report and found the two different percentiles. Here's what it says about each. (The score report that I printed did not have both %ile numbers, but you can see both online if you want.) "Nationally representative percentiles are derived via a research study sample of U.S. students in 10th grade, weighted to represent all 10th grade U.S. students, regardless of whether they typically take the PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10. For example, a student’s score in the 75th percentile means that 75% of the nationally representative group of 10th grade U.S. students would have had scores at or below that student’s score." "User group percentiles are derived via a research study sample of U.S. students in 10th grade, weighted to represent 10th grade students who typically take the PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10. For example, a student’s score in the 75th percentile means that 75% of the user group of 10th grade U.S. students would have had scores at or below that student’s score."

So, this article made a depressing observation about PSAT percentiles, which I've pasted below. (The bold & underlining is mine.) I can't get into my sons' online accounts, but I printed out a copy of their score reports when I finally got access yesterday. I see the "Nationally Representative" percentile right there at the top, but I can't find any mention of the "User Percentile." Does anyone know where to find the "User Percentile"? I was super excited about their "Nationally Representative" percentile, but it seems that the "User Percentile" is the more useful (honest?) data point. Isn't it more useful to know how my student compares to other students who have taken the test? "Here’s the most interesting point: College Board seems to be inflating the percentiles. Perhaps not technically changing the percentiles but effectively presenting a rosier picture by an interesting change to score reports. From the College Board website, there is this explanation about percentiles: Percentiles A percentile is a number between 0 and 100 that shows how you rank compared to other students. It represents the percentage of students in a particular grade whose scores fall at or below your score. For example, a 10th-grade student whose math percentile is 57 scored higher or equal to 57 percent of 10th-graders. You’ll see two percentiles: The Nationally Representative Sample percentile shows how your score compares to the scores of all U.S. students in a particular grade, including those who don’t typically take the test. The User Percentile — Nation shows how your score compares to the scores of only some U.S. students in a particular grade, a group limited to students who typically take the test."

Outsourcing to local, live classes or to online classes have both worked for us. I usually look at what she's going to cover for the year, decide whether/what to outsource, and then look for the best teachers I can find for those subjects. She really liked the one live, local science she took last year. The teacher was excited about the subject, and my dd also enjoyed the live interaction with friends. I had really hoped to find at least one live, local class for her this year, but wasn't able to find anything that I couldn't have done as well or better than on my own, let alone through an online class. So, this year, she only has live, online classes, no live, local classes.

Sorry... totally new to this.... On what is the "Selection Index" based? From the PSAT score report, it looks like students are told their "Selection Index," but it sounds like nobody knows for sure what the threshold SI number for each state will be until later? (When?) How does CB/NMSQT determine the cutoff for NM commended, etc.? (ETA: I know the whole NM thing doesn't count until 11th grade. I'm just trying to understand how it works.)

That's exactly what happened to me this am. I kept trying and it locked me out & forced a password change. (I had to answer the security question in order to change the password.) i completely closed out of the page after changing the pwd. Opened a new studentscore sign in page. Tried the user name & new pwd & it just downloaded the report. Signin page did not change at all. Didn't go to his account or put up any error message or other verbiage. Maybe you could try that? And check your downloads folder to see if anything magically appears? It's clearly website issues since so many issues/solutions are not reproducible.

kand, I don't see an email address listed anywhere on the score reports. The only identifying information it has is student name (first & last) school name ("California Home School, School Code: 990599"-which is the state homeschool code), and "2015, Grade: 10th." "Student ID: N/A" "Optional Code: N/A" This morning, when I tried to log into the one son's account which I had logged in and out of lots of times yesterday, it said that the password/user name was incorrect. Doesn't make sense because they worked perfectly well yesterday. It locked me out for too many attempts to sign in and it required me to change the password. I changed the password. Then I went back to the studentscores sign in page, entered the user name and (new) pwd. Nothing at all happened to the sign in page. I tried entering user name & pwd again, and, again, nothing at all happened on the page. However, I did glimpse the flash that shows when something gets downloaded. I checked the download folder, clicked on the last item & it was my son's score report. I think there are just a bunch of technical problems and it's just a matter of luck if it works any particular time you try to sign in. Now when I try to bring up my son's account, it says "Our records indicate you have not taken any College Board assessments...." What a mess.

Another data point about accessing scores..... I wasn't able to get one son's score report yesterday. One support person said he hadn't provided an email (my son insisted that he had, but who knows) and so we'd have to wait for the snail mail report Jan 29. A second support person said he'd be emailed an access code now that he had a CB account. I tried to log in to his account this am and couldn't, even though I'd been in and out of it multiple times yesterday. It locked me out after multiple attempts and I had to create a new password. After creating the new password, I tried to log in. Entered user name & pwd, and it seemed like nothing happened. Did it again & noticed that something got downloaded even though there was no change to the sign in page. Clicked on the download and *poof* it was my son's score report. Good luck to those who are still trying. I know it is hugely frustrating.

I called as a student/parent both times.

Just another data point for those having trouble establishing a CB account for their student...... I just called CB (for the second time) about my other son since neither the state home school code nor the generic CB home school code (970000) worked. The support person tried multiple things and finally suggested entering the school where my son took the PSAT. It worked! I can see his scores! Still can't see my other son's scores, though. The first support person said we'd have to wait for the USPS mailed hard copy around Jan 27, but this support person said they were emailing access codes and that he should get an email within the next two days. I guess we'll get them eventually.

Talked to someone at the CB help number. I asked why my state home school code was not working. He said there was a different, general home school code for all US home schoolers: 970000. He went in to my son's account and entered that code and now, in my son's account, "Your School" shows up as "HOME SCHOOL CLEARING HOUSE." Just tried to establish an account for my other son, but neither my state home school code nor the CB account home school code of 970000 will take! Ergh. Doesn't matter much for me, though, because the support person said my son did not supply an email address on the test (though my son insists that he did!), so we will only be able to get his scores when the hard copy arrives "around" Jan. 27. In that letter, there will also be an access code to get his scores online, according to the support person.

Thank you, Kim!!! ETA: Ok, I managed to create an account for one son. When I go to his "Home" page, there's a button for scores on the blue banner near the top. ("Home.... Practice.... Register... Scores ... About the Tests") For those of you who can see your student's PSAT score, do you just click on that "Scores" button? When I click on it, it takes me to a generic "Getting your scores online page" w/ info about the SAT.

I thought scores were emailed if the student does not have a CB account, but my sons haven't received anything. I'm going to try to create accounts for them now, using the email addresses they provided on the PSAT form. Has anyone else created a new account and been able to access their student's score that way? ETA: HELP! On the Create a Student Account page, it asks "Where do you go to school?" Do I use my state homeschool code that my students' filled in on the PSAT form?

I thought scores were emailed if the student does not have a CB account, but my sons haven't received anything. I'm going to try to create accounts for them now, using the email addresses they provided on the PSAT form. Has anyone else created a new account and been able to access their student's score that way? I am so glad we did a practice run of the PSAT this year. Sure hope we get all wrinkles ironed out this time around.

Haven't read the other replies, but maybe try Costco's optical counter. I took in some glasses that I'd bought elsewhere and asked to purchase some special screws to fix the frame. The folks at the counter fixed them, cleaned them, handed them back to me, and did not charge me anything. Even if they don't clean them for you, maybe they'll be able to suggest some product to try. Actually, for something like that, I'd probably try a good optometrist's office that also sells glasses. They'd be able to look at the glasses and advise you best. In the interest of establishing a relationship with you that might bring future business, they might even clean them for you. Good luck! Dirty glasses are no fun.

I agree that Grand Teton Nat'l Park is beautiful, but if I only had 4-7 days, I'd still opt for Yellowstone over Grand Teton. I don't think there's anywhere in the US, maybe in the world, that has the phenomena/sights you'll find at Yellowstone.

We drove out to Yellowstone & as far east as Mount Rushmore three years ago, camping along the way. We took the most direct route, highway 80 to 93 to 15, I think, and it still felt like it took forever to get through Nevada. Two years ago, we drove to Saint Louis to visit friends. I wanted to see as many national & state parks as possible along the way, so I decided to hit Great Basin National Park in NV and Arches National Park in UT on the way. So, we took highway 50 across Nevada. Oh, my gosh. There is a reason it is called "The Loneliest Road in America." It should be called "The LONGEST Loneliest Road in America." Desolate. Uninhabited. Up one mountain range, down the other side. Up the next one, down the other side. Etc. etc etc Maybe I was just super stressed towing our little pop-up behind our Odyssey up and down what seemed like endless mountain ranges, but I will never take highway 50 again. If highway 6 is like that, I would stick with 80. You'll be glad to have the extra time to spend in Yellowstone. There is a certain beauty to NV, but it's more of an acquired appreciation. When you're headed to some place as awesome as Yellowstone, NV is going to pale in comparison.

Also, take a look at TPS's English class sequence/"map." In the early classes, English 1-3, there are two paths, one with more grammar and one with less. They have a placement test that can help determine which path a student needs. (ETA: There is only one TPS Eng 2 choice and that one includes grammar.) English 1 & 2 are more for junior high, I think. Last year, in 7th, my daughter took the English 1: Journey into Narnia class which has less grammar class than the regular Eng 1 class. The literature & writing strands of the class were excellent. She loved that part! The grammar strand was tedious for her because she had a solid grammar foundation between Rod & Staff 2-7 and the first half of Wheelock's Latin. Neither of us can remember for sure, but it seems to me that the grammar in JtN was only done during the first semester. We didn't do TPS English 2 this year, partly because neither she nor I wanted to do much grammar another year. If we were going to spend precious time on grammar, I wanted it to be Rod & Staff 8. Nothing beats R&S for grammar. My boys did English 3: Lit Survey in 9th. There was some grammar, but grammar certainly wasn't a big part of it. The other Eng 3: Foundations class spends more time on grammar. (BTW: TPS's Eng 3: Lit Survey w/ Linnea Geno was a truly excellent, solid, rigorous class!) Having looked at numerous online English classes and having had my students take a handful, my impression is that, for the more rigorous online Eng. classes, at least a basic grammar foundation is necessary. It's only anecdotal, but four online instructors, whom I would consider strong teachers and with whom I've communicated regarding classes and why there's so much grammar in higher level (gr. 7-9) courses, have said that the majority of students come in with such a weak grammar foundation that they have to do some remediation. So, time gets spent on trying to teach grammar well enough and quickly enough to get those students up to speed. It's a difficult situation all around.... students with a strong grammar foundation find reviewing tedious, and students with a weak grammar background find it difficult to keep up with and master the material. For a student in 8th grade, who does not have a strong grammar background, I woudl try Lukeion's Barbarian Diagrammarian class in 8th. Yes, it will be hard core grammar and take some focused, serious effort, but, if the student really built a solid foundation in grammar in that one semester, s/he might be able to spend more time on lit & writing in high school and less time remediating grammar. Alternatively, some families here like Analytical Grammar as a fast path to grammar. Doesn't work for everyone --my daughter's English class used it for the first quarter of this year and both she and I loathed it, esp. after R&S-- but some folks seem to have success with it, so that might be another option for grammar for the older student.

Lukeion also offers a one semester grammar course, The Barbarian Diagrammarian, that I imagine would be a pretty thorough crash course in grammar for the older student who hasn't done much grammar before. Because Lukeion's main focus is Latin and Greek, and because both of those require a solid understanding and use of grammar, I bet the Barrs would be excellent teachers of English grammar. It's only one semester, and I bet an older student, even one who's had only spotty grammar so far, could get a pretty good grasp of grammar in that time frame, with serious focus and an excellent instructor. Regan teaches it, and my son who takes Greek really likes him as a teacher, so it might also be a less painful (dare I say "fun"?) way of getting the grammar you need. :)

I've been moving to these Pyrex glass containers for storage. I started with these, but with the sloped sides, they didn't seem as efficient for storage. The ones with the straight sides work well and are easy to stack in the cupboard/refrigerator. Haven't tried them in the freezer. If I ever declutter the freezer to the point that stuff doesn't cascade out when I open the door, I might. Until then (and I'm not holding my breath,) I'm sticking with non-shattering ziploc bags. :) (Thank you for your suggestion up thread for my nostalgia problem. :) )

I find it so much easier to help somebody else declutter their house than to declutter my own house. I have no problem throwing stuff out when I have no emotional attachment to it. ("Oh, I remember when ds was two years old and carried this little stuffed animal everywhere!" "Oh, I remember reading this book a hundred times to dd when she was 18 months old. No wonder it's falling apart. I can't possibly throw it out." Not only do I not throw stuff out, but I also spend more time reminiscing than decluttering. LOL ) Maybe we should make a list of all our houses and, instead of trying to declutter our own house, each of us could take on the house next on the list! :)

I just skimmed her book, but didn't see any suggestions for how to store my dh so he doesn't bug me as much. What did she say? How do I fold him up and where do I put him? Is there a youtube for that? :smilielol5: :smilielol5:

Woo hoo!!! Congratulations to both of you! :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: :party:

My boys also did Latin I & II online, using Wheelock's, and then moved to Lukeion for Latin III and now IV/AP. For them, Latin III & IV probably have averaged out to 8-10 hours a week, especially the first semester. My daughter took Latin I at Lukeion last year and is in Latin II this year. Like my boys, she completed Latin for Children A&B prior to starting Wheelock's and I think that really helped with the transition to Wheelock's. She probably spent about 6 hours/week last year in Latin I and is spending about the same so far this year in Latin II. She has a high A, but I'm a little nervous that she's not putting in as much time as she really needs to in order to continue doing well in Latin III & IV/AP, if she opts to continue. I may be underestimating her, though. Time will tell. I agree that Lukeion really is the gold standard. It is tough and it requires an investment of time. However, 1) AP Latin is probably going to require that investment no matter where you take it, and 2) my children have gained so much beyond the Latin itself from their Lukeion classes. Lukeion, more than any of their classes, has prepared them for the rigorous academic work they would do at a good college. So, for us, the time involved has been worth it. Usually, the most efficient route is the straightest, so, before changing course, I would first find out from Lone Pine how their students do on the AP exam, if that is the goal. What percent get 4's/5's? I would also find out if the AP students with 4's/5's have used Lingua Latina or some other immersion text the whole way, or if they've used something like Wheelock's/Latin Alive/other grammar-based text in the past. (I tend to wonder if the immersion/whole language approach is more effective for the NLE exams, but the grammar-based translation approach is more effective for the AP exam.) I'd have your dd take the Lukeion Latin 3 placement test. Don't just look at it!! Take it and have Lukeion give you their take on it so that your dd has a straightforward assessment of where she would be in Lukeion's sequence. Amy's been doing this for years. She'll be able (and willing!) to give you an honest answer about what your dd could expect if she moves to Lukeion's Latin III. It may be that switching to Lukeion's sequence would be difficult, but that your dd could do just as well on the AP exam by continuing with & completing Lone Pine's sequence. There's got to be more than one path to the AP! Taking a Lukeion workshop would definitely not give you an idea of what their Latin classes are like. The workshops are more like interesting, supplemental lectures. They don't require any homework to be submitted. Good luck finding the most effective path for your daughter!