[What is the recommended schedule for taking SAT/ACTs?]

1 minute ago, EKS said:

The counselors at the local public high school (well regarded and well versed with the college application process) said that the best time to take the test(s) is in the spring of junior year. 

This is SUPER helpful--thank you! (It's super reassuring to receive advice from those well-versed in testing, so I really appreciate this input!)

[What is the recommended schedule for taking SAT/ACTs?]

11 hours ago, 8filltheheart said:

Just be aware that the SAT is changing formats in Jan. The last paper test is 2023. 2024 it is switching to digital and adaptive.  

Yes, thank you! Appreciate your input!! (This is another reason she's not planning to take the exam this fall; she'd rather study for the newer, upcoming format than take the exam once on paper and another time digitally.) I mostly just need some reassurance that our current plan is "okay;" she's my oldest, so it's our first time through SATs. I'm figuring things out as we go, and am a little nervous I'm going to mess it up! 

[Should my daughter change the school on her College Board account?]

Thank you @Arcadia; this is so helpful!!

[Should my daughter change the school on her College Board account?]

One more question!

My daughter took an AP Art History course through Pennsylvania Homeschoolers last year, so her AP exam score is associated with Pennsylvania Homeschoolers. (PA Homeschoolers is listed as her "school" on her College Board account.)

Her future SAT exams, however, don't have anything to do with PA Homeschoolers. Should my daughter go into her CB profile and remove the school? (Would doing so somehow mess up her AP score from last spring?) Or should she just leave things alone? (I'm guessing she'll need some sort of homeschool code for her future SAT exams?)

Anyway, we just noticed this today when we were looking at her account and are wondering what we should do. Thanks!

[What is the recommended schedule for taking SAT/ACTs?]

Hello! Oldest daughter is a high school junior. Can all the experienced Boardies please let me know when my daughter should take the SAT/ACT this year? (We're still deciding on which test, but we will figure that out definitively in the next month or so.)

I don't think first semester is a realistic window for us, as I'd like for her to get in as much Algebra II as possible before the test. So we're probably looking at second semester dates. (Would it be fine for her to take the test once in March 2024 and once in June 2024?) 

She's an aspiring fine arts major and most of the schools we're looking at right now are test-optional, so honestly, the whole thing feels sort of pointless. But I feel like she should have a score on hand, just in case. Any additional advice or insight would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Edited to add: If she were to make any additional test attempts senior year, what is the latest she can take them? (October 2024? November 2024?) I'm not sure how quick the score turnaround is, should she need the scores for college admissions purposes, so any advice or recommendations would be super helpful. Thanks!

[College math courses instead of pre-calculus?]

1 hour ago, Farrar said:

I personally wouldn't do it if her list is at all competitive because she'll be up against kids who have pre-calc if so. 

I would, however, potentially have her do college algebra, which is like 75% a repeat of Algebra II at most community colleges. But it'll look like a small step up. "Business Math" really may not.

Thank you!! Super helpful!

[College math courses instead of pre-calculus?]

Hello!

Context: My daughter (11th grade) is an aspiring fine arts major. She is dutiful and generally successful in math, but no one in our house loves it. (It's definitely our get-'er-done subject.) She'll be taking Algebra II this year at home, and I am looking ahead to planning her senior year. She could definitely just take pre-calculus at home next year, but I noticed that she is eligible to take other types of college-level math courses at our CC. (She is starting dual enrollment this fall.) This course stuck out to me:

 

Math 1104: Mathematical Concepts for Business

This is a college level course which will provide students with the fundamental mathematical content knowledge necessary for employment in a diverse array of entrepreneurial fields and skilled professions. These concepts are intended to broaden and deepen students' mathematical knowledge and understanding from a business perspective. Topics including foundations and business basics, interest, personal finance, and business finance are addressed in a contextualized format using a pedagogy that promotes problem solving and critical thinking through the use of collaborative learning and online tools.

 

I feel like this course would be so much more relevant to her career plans because surely some aspects of her art career will be entrepreneurial. But I'm wondering if this will look as good as pre-calc on a transcript? It says it's college-level, but I can't tell if it looks "less-than" compared with pre-calc. She definitely wants a 4x5 transcript for her main academic areas; would this "count?" Basically, she'd love to not take pre-calc, but she also doesn't want to risk NOT taking it, if doing so would dull her college admissions chances. (I hope I'm making sense!) Thanks for any advice!

 

ETA: If she doesn't take pre-calc, is there a chance she'll have to take it in college? She would definitely rather take pre-calc in high school and NOT take math in college....

[How many credits would you give this course on the high school transcript?]

6 minutes ago, stripe said:

I gave 0.25 for drivers ed bc that’s what I was given when I took it in public school. I wouldn’t be inclined to give it credit, BUT you also don’t want to be in the situation of looking like you are hiding it. Also in some situations, there are classes taken that count for just high school, just college, or both, and some places deal with these differently. So if you want to avoid that, you could give 0.25 for it. I don’t like thirds of credits.

Thanks, everyone, for your advice! (This class is dumb in general; I wish I didn't have to deal with it at all! lol.) 

Yes, I don't like thirds, either! 0.3 is more mathematically accurate, but I when I plugged that number into her transcript just to test it out, it made all the totals look and feel so clunky. So, if I do include it, I plan to do 0.25. 

[How many credits would you give this course on the high school transcript?]

7 minutes ago, regentrude said:

I would not give any highschool credit for this course. I teach this course for my majors, and it's not an academic course. It's life skills how to college. I don't give credits for drivers ed either.

Thanks for chiming in!

I am fine with not giving credit, I'm just not sure how to write it on the transcript. Do I just leave the course off the transcript completely? (I'm fine with that; I just didn't want there to be a discrepancy between the high school transcript I issue and the one the community college will send.) 

FWIW, my daughter took driver's ed, and I wasn't planning on including that on her transcript. 🙂

[How many credits would you give this course on the high school transcript?]

Hello!

My daughter is starting DE at the community college this fall. In addition to her main courses, she has to take a 1.0 credit, 8-week course called "First Year Experience Seminar." (It's a required course for incoming students. Basically, it's a "how to be a college student"/college success course.) 

For context, her other fall community college courses are "real" courses (lol): semester-long academic classes worth 3.0 credits each (so, 1.0 credit each on her high school transcript). 

How would you assign credits for the college success course? (As a .5 credit course? As a 0 credit course?) And if 0 credits, would you write a zero in the credit box, write a dash in the box, or write N/A? (I don't want it to look like she somehow failed the course or didn't receive credit! But I feel like I can't give her 1.0 credit for the course, if her 3.0 credits courses will be worth 1.0 credit.) See what I mean? 

I'm leaning towards issuing 0.5 credits since the course is half a semester long--half as long as the other cc courses--but would love guidance! Thank you!

[Support a homeschooler! (Please vote for my daughter's artwork!)]

3 minutes ago, KSera said:

Oh, I actually really like that as a cover and would totally buy it for a couple of my kids! Your contest link isn't working for me, though.

eta: it's actually so pretty that I'd be tempted to watermark the image posted here or anywhere else online so that only she retains the original artwork

Thank you so much! (And thanks for your thoughts re: watermarking.) 

If the link isn't working, you might like to try again in a few moments. The site has been loading a bit slowly at times. (I think the site is getting lots of traffic at the moment.) Appreciate your comments!

[Support a homeschooler! (Please vote for my daughter's artwork!)]

8 minutes ago, Kassia said:

I voted and will continue to do so!  Good luck!  Her work is beautiful and I happen to love rainbows.  🙂 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 

[Support a homeschooler! (Please vote for my daughter's artwork!)]

Hello, friends!

My daughter is an artist and she recently entered a nation-wide design competition hosted by a major stationery brand--the Erin Condren Academic Planner Cover Contest--and she is a top-ten finalist! The first-place winner will have their artwork featured and sold on the cover of next year’s Erin Condren Academic Planner, and they will also receive a $1,000 cash prize, a $500 Erin Condren gift card for an art teacher of their choice, and a one-on-one interview with the Erin Condren Creative Director!

My daughter's name is Lila and her original, hand-painted watercolor design is called "Chasing Rainbows." If you like her design, it would mean so much to her if you voted for her cover! (How cool would it be for a homeschooler to win?!) Voting opens today, July 10th, and runs through July 21st. Anyone can vote at this link: erincondren.com/contest. SUPPORTERS CAN VOTE ONCE EVERY DAY, so please feel free to share this info, and please vote as often as possible between now and July 21st. Lila has also shared this info on her Instagram (@lilatangorre), so feel free to share and repost if you're on Insta! Thank you so much!

[Questions about Thinkwell math]

3 hours ago, Kassia said:

She did do a lot of SAT prep on her own (I think she used Kahn Academy) but she already knew all the math from Thinkwell.   

Thanks! So helpful!

[Upcoming Digital SAT]

2 hours ago, showelott said:

Great question! Yes, the Verbal sections are completely independent of the Math sections.

Okay, awesome! That makes me feel much better about things, since my kids are likely to score great on the Reading/Writing section, but a bit more middle-of-the-road on Math. (Didn't want the Math section to ruin the whole test for them.) 

Really appreciate all your posts on the topic; thanks for your help!

[Questions about Thinkwell math]

1 hour ago, Kassia said:

We used algebra 2 for my dd and didn't have any extra materials.  It was a very thorough program and she scored high on the math portion of the SAT.  She also did very well on all the DE and then university math she took after the course (computer science grad).  She used it independently and liked it a lot.

ETA - I'm pretty sure she only used the Algebra 2 course and not the Alg 2/precalc course and was able to jump right into calculus because the course was so thorough.  She tested into calculus at DE and we were concerned so showed the syllabus to the calculus professor and he said she was fine to take the course and she did great (he was also a wonderful professor).  

This is so helpful, thanks! I was actually wondering if this Algebra 2 course would be sufficient math for SAT prep, or if I'd have to pair it with like, a Mr. D SAT prep boot camp. 

[Questions about Thinkwell math]

1 hour ago, EKS said:

The videos for Thinkwell are good.  Excellent explanations.  

However, I'm not a fan of the practice problems.  One way to deal with this is to pair the videos with the Berger text (non-Common Core if possible, as the videos predate CC).

You were not a fan of the auto-graded practice problems that immediately follow each video lesson, or you were not a fan of the supplemental worksheets you can download? (Just curious which part you're referring to!)  

[Questions about Thinkwell math]

We've used Math U See forever, but I'm intrigued by Thinkwell and am considering switching for next year. I would be getting Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 for my two daughters. I've been reading/watching lots of reviews online and I think I now understand how the program works, but one thing I'm fuzzy on is what print books to buy. We're definitely "work-it-out on paper" learners, so I think we'd make use of the printed Companion books, but I'm less clear about the printed quizzes and answer keys. 

Does your family use the printed materials? Could someone please describe what they contain and if they are necessary/helpful? Also welcome: Any feedback on the program in general, including pros/cons you've experienced. Thank you so much!

[Upcoming Digital SAT]

Hi! I thought of one more question, if you happen to have the time:

• Are the Reading/Writing and Math sections scored completely separately? (In other words, can a student move into the harder second module for the Reading/Writing section even if they were placed into the easier second module for Math?) Thanks for any insight you can provide!

[Transcript experts: How do I categorize APAH and Digital Design courses?]

34 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

Yes. 😉 Your choice, any of those works fine. But it will probably shine as a bit more rigorous either under Social Science, OR, shine under the Fine Arts heading, by as showing her high interest and level of work with all of her Art courses (esp. if listing all of her Graphic Design coursework under Art). Electives often are thought to be "lighter" courses.
 

Cool! 

And again, yes! Either your special section, or Art. 😄

Personally leaning a bit more towards your suggested special category heading, eEsp. if she might end up with additional Digital Arts coursework. That will help those shine as a sort of "minor" (like the minor to a major for a college degree), and show her focus and interest in that area. 
 

If she has a few odd courses that don't fit under other headings (ex: PE, Health...), you'll need an Electives category.

Or, leave off if they are lightweight things like PE and if she has plenty of other credits.  

One last thought: what will the college admission office be looking for? What does their list of required credits for admission look like -- does it say anything specifically about "Electives"?
 

What do the specific colleges want (that she will apply to)? Go with their requirement.

If they don't have a required policy (such as organized by grade/year), then JMO, but I think organized by subject is actually a lot easier to read. Admissions is looking to see if you have the required amount of credits for each subject, and if you group by subject, bam! -- it's right there. Also, if they are looking for progression of difficult/advanced work, it's also very easy to see that when courses of the same subject are grouped together.

I suppose if they are looking to see how many classes were taken in senior year, and how hard they were, to make sure the student wasn't "coasting" in 12th grade, then grouping by subject would be a little more difficult to see that. But you can also include grade/year as part a subject-based layout (see below -- I used courses from my local CC's Digital Arts AAS).

Or use a format that is grouped by both grade/year AND subject -- that sample transcript format that has been attached in past threads that looks a bit like a spread sheet.

MATH
year . . . course . . . . . . credit . . grade
8th . . . Algebra 1 . . . . 1.00 . . . A
9th . . . Geometr . . . . .1.00 . . . A
10th . . .Algebra 2 . . . .1.00 . . . A
11th . . . Pre-Calculus . 1.00 . . .B
12th . . . Statistics . . . . 1.00 . . .B
total credits/GPA . . . . . . 5.00 . . 3.600

DIGITAL ARTS & DESIGN
year . . . course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . credit . . grade
11th . . . DAR102 Intro to Computer Design* . . . . . . 1.00 . . . A
11th . . . DAR112 Graphic Design* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.00 . . . A
11th . . . DAR122 Adobe Illustrator* . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1.00 . . . A
12th . . . DAR221 Adobe Photoshop* . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.00 . . . A
12th . . . DAR226 Adobe InDesign* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 . . . A
12th . . . DAR226 Digital Arts Portfolio Capstone* . . 1.00 . . . A
total credits/GPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  6.00 . . 4.000
* = dual enrollment at XYZ Community College

As always, SO helpful, Lori D! 

Thank you for helping me think through this! (I know I will keep tinkering with her transcript as I go over the next two years, but I like to keep things tidy year-to-year, so at least things feel organized in my brain. Will definitely tailor her transcript as specific college applications require!) 

[Upcoming Digital SAT]

3 minutes ago, showelott said:

@EKT

Yes - if you muck up the first section, the test will then give you the easier second section which will have a ceiling on your scores. (At the moment we think the range of scores possible for the easier second section is 200-650 and the range for the harder section is 400-800)

I was also skeptical. It's based on Item Response Theory which is a mathematically valid way to compose tests. Right now I have to plow through all the easy, medium, and hard questions on the existing paper SAT. But I am a high scorer - and the easy questions really aren't useful. I consistently get all of them correct. To really gauge my ability, the test should give me more medium and hard questions. And the reverse is true for the lower scoring students - giving them hard questions is a waste of time becuase they will miss most of them. 

By giving students the right sort of questions, the test can more quickly figure out where they are going to score. So they can cut out 1/3 of the questions b/c high scoring students don't need easy questions and lower scoring students don't need hard questions.

As to taking different tests - it could be as simple as changing the numbers on the exact same question. Or they could give entirely different questions that statistically test the same. I have many, many beefs with the College Board. But the one they thing are brilliant at is statistical analysis - they have millions of data points and can very accurately predict student scores.

Does that help? The College Board says they are going to release a technical manual explaining the new scoring system sometime this summer or fall. 

VERY helpful! Thank you!

[Transcript experts: How do I categorize APAH and Digital Design courses?]

13 minutes ago, cintinative said:

Thanks for asking this. Listening in.

Where is she taking the DE course for the Adobe certificate? This is something I might want to look into for my youngest ds. I think he *might* pursue graphic design or industrial design.

Just sent you a DM. 🙂

[Transcript experts: How do I categorize APAH and Digital Design courses?]

Daughter is an aspiring fine arts major and will have a bunch of art-related courses on her transcript. There are a couple of courses I'm not sure how to categorize:

• She took AP Art History this past year. Do I list this course under "Art," "Social Science," or "Electives"?
• This fall, she'll begin pursing her Adobe Illustrator Certificate through DE (the cert. requires 3 digital design courses: Intro to Computer Design, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator). Do these courses go under "Art," "Electives," or should I create a specific section called "Digital Design and Graphics"?

Additional questions:

• Should I even have an "Electives" section on my transcript? Or should all courses be put into clear categories? 
• Should I just do a grade-level transcript instead of a subject-based transcript? She wants to showcase her many art courses to their best advantage, but I've read some advice lately that suggests it's much easier for admissions to "read" your transcript if you just group courses by 9th/10th/11th/12th grade.

Thank you for any advice!

[Upcoming Digital SAT]

This is wonderful, helpful information - thank you so much for sharing!

I am struggling to understand the "adaptive" part. If the student doesn't place into the "harder" questions, will her score potential be reduced? (I guess I don't understand how two students can get equivalent scores if they are ultimately taking different tests?) 

[Is Teaching Textbooks legitimate? (Would love to hear others' experiences with it.)]

2 hours ago, Melanie32 said:

My daughter used math u see through Algebra 1 and Geometry and then used TT for Algebra 2. She loved it and it helped her tremendously! She transitioned to college level math with no problem. 
 

If I had to do it over again, I would use TT for algebra 1 as well. I still like math u see up through pre algebra and for geometry. 

This is very encouraging! (It's so interesting how closely your experience mirrors mine!) My younger daughter will be doing Algebra 1 this coming year, so I might switch over to TT for both girls - Alg 1 and Alg 2.) And yes, we have loved MUS so much (I really, really love it for Pre-K-8th, especially!), that I feel a weird sense of allegiance to their program, but I think we might need a bit more step-by-step guidance, particularly for Alg 2.

 

Thank you to everyone who has chimed in so far!! Because we've been using the same program for so long, I really haven't ever investigated other options. So far, Thinkwell and TT are very appealing alternatives that I am going to continue to check out. I really appreciate the feedback!