PSAT and the Wolves

[stephanier.1765]

Does anyone else feel like they just threw their kid to the wolves? I am so glad this is a practice year for him because he was so nervous about all the new things he'd have to do today. Hopefully by the time it counts, it will feel like old hat to him.

[Jen in NY]

I dunno, there is something about a bunch of high school guys sizing up my daughter that really makes me feel like screaming. ICK! Why can't a girl just exist in the world without being ooggled? She wasn't wearing makeup. She was wearing modest, regular clothing. It's PSAT day, folks. back away from the girl and Get Your Mind on the Test.

 

I have taken her to camp at a college, she goes to math circle at our local uni, she does TaeKwonDo mixed gender and age classes -- she is out in the world all the time, interacting with people.

 

But this was weird --- I even had the "throwing her to the wolves" thought myself as I was driving away.

 

Sigh.

 

The next few years are going to be hard for me.

 

~J

[DarlaS]

I just dropped off my son (about 40 minutes ago actually). I've only been in the high school once before, so today I took a wrong turn and had an impromptu tour. Interesting stuff! Among other things, I saw a teacher on rollerblades. :001_huh:

 

Of course, it was all explained when the guidance counselor said that it was Spirit Week! :001_smile:

 

Other than that, our local high school is nice, newer, clean and pretty quiet. They were even understanding about my son forgetting his photo id. :banghead: (I'm to bring it in when I pick him up.)

 

ETA: My ds did not seem nervous at all. I am actually worried he does not take this seriously! :glare:

 

He does test really well though - high 90's on the COMPASS test last year and placed into trig. He's just not the type to get worked up about things (or tries not to show it anyway...).

 

Oh, and there were about 1/2 dozen other home schoolers--all girls!

Edited October 13, 2010 by darlasowders

[Tiramisu]

Fortunately, dd is taking the PSAT at the high school where dh works. I'm a little glad that it's not a regular school day and only students taking the PSAT will be there. On top of that, the homeschooled students will be in one room together. This should make it a little less stressful for dd. Even so, she was feeling nauseous when she left--her typical response to anxiety--and I knew it wasn't because of the test, but her expectation of the regular high school students looking at her and feeling like an odd ball.

 

I did almost no prep with her. It's a practice year, and I'd like a sense of what her raw scores would be without prep. Maybe it sounds terrible, but that's how I took the PSAT. Afterward, when our scores came in, I met with the guidance counselor and she said very matter of fact, "You are not Harvard material, but you will do well at -----." She was exactly right. Because of a last minute change of plans, I wound up at the school she had recommended for me. My grades were high there so I recieved merit scholarships each year, graduated with a 3.9 GPA, and got a fellowship to grad school. I wonder if I could hunt down that guidance counselor and have her look at dd's scores when they come in....

[lisabees]

This is ds's first year homeschooling, so I don't feel like I threw him to the wolves. I did take him to the local private school, though, not to the ps where he attended last year. He was the only homeschooler there, but the guidance counselor recognized us from soccer. That broke the ice a bit.

 

I wondered whether being there would make him miss the school environment. He loves hs, but you never know!

 

Ds did some studying for the test, but struggled more than I expected. We may need to take the ACT too. :001_huh:

[Tiramisu]

Dh just called to tell us dd threw up three times before the test started. Fortunately, it was not in front of other students, but she must be mortified. She's now taking the test and is fine. So much for my low key approach. Poor dd! :sad:

[Jen in NY]

Well, If it got all that anxiety out of her system before the test, maybe it was good that it happened. (This is my attempt at "best possible spin"...)

 

Hugs to you and your daughter. It'll be over before they know it...

 

J

[choirfarm]

No. Actually it was GREAT. I am so impressed with this Christian school. They called me on Monday to remind me about the test today, explained exactly where I needed to be, the time, what to bring, etc. Today when I show up she has another 10th grade boy there to be my son't buddy and show him where to go. The other boy seemed really nice.

 

Christine

[Miss Marple]

I'm actually feeling good with DS#3. He has a Boy Scout buddy, in 11th grade, who is taking it with him. DS is in 10th so this is a trial run. He did fantastic on the practice test at home even scoring higher than DS#1 did at the same time. Now if he can just score as well on the real thing.

 

We don't hope for NMF with this son because he just isn't into testing (very non-competitive personality) or the type of academics it takes to be NMF. He is very smart, has a wide range of interests, and would be great in an unschooling family. He has always felt intellectually inferior to his brothers so it was a real ego-boost to him to discover he was doing every bit as well as his oldest brother.

 

So the lack of pressure and having a good buddy testing with him keeps both of us from being nervous.

[stephanier.1765]

Yeah, I think knowing somebody would have made things a bit easier. My son is the only homeschooler taking the PSAT at the school this year. He doesn't know a soul that goes to this school because no one who is able sends their kid there. Academically it fluctuates between being a D or F school and gangs are a huge problem. All the adults we have met have been very kind and helpful so that made me feel a bit better. Not much, but some was better than nothing. I can't wait for this to be over. :lol: I've been watching the Chilean miners come up to take my mind off it.

[plansrme]

I dropped my 12 year old (but she is days from being 13, and I treat her as a HS sophomore) at the front door of the big public high school, pointed her towards the office and drove away. I didn't even get out of the car. I told her I will be in the parking lot at noon and to come look for me.

 

We did zero prep (she didn't even get to bed early last night) and just decided to do the test yesterday. She is not nervous, and neither am I. She is a competitive gymnast, and it has always been my hope that getting up and competing and practicing in front of people day in and day out, in a leotard, no less, would keep her from having stage fright or of being scared of new situations and people. I mean, really--if you can throw yourself into the air, backwards, on a beam and not die, what's walking into a strange school and asking for the PSAT room? ;)

 

So no, no wolves here. On the other hand, I recognize that there are no $$$$ at stake for us, and when she takes it for real, that might make a difference!

 

Terri

[creekland]

 

We don't hope for NMF with this son because he just isn't into testing (very non-competitive personality) or the type of academics it takes to be NMF. He is very smart, has a wide range of interests, and would be great in an unschooling family. He has always felt intellectually inferior to his brothers so it was a real ego-boost to him to discover he was doing every bit as well as his oldest brother.

 

 

You just described my youngest perfectly! I hope next year when he does his practice test he can be like yours...

 

I didn't feel like I was throwing my middle son to the wolves (probably because I work at the school where he's taking the test), but I do wonder sometimes why we (as a college bound section of society) put so much importance on one test. I wish there were multiple times one could take it and keep the highest score (similar to SAT/ACT) rather than one time, one year, but I don't make the rules of the "game." I'm just hopeful that my middle son can be on top of the "game" today. The money involved (considering our finances in this economy) could be critical since some schools offer quite a bit for those who "win."

 

So, my "wolves" are related to the system I suppose. I still feel stressed. It's a bummer that we won't have an answer until at least Dec. Then, if he's near the cut off, we still won't know. I'm hoping time fades the stress!

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

No. Actually it was GREAT. I am so impressed with this Christian school. They called me on Monday to remind me about the test today, explained exactly where I needed to be, the time, what to bring, etc. Today when I show up she has another 10th grade boy there to be my son't buddy and show him where to go. The other boy seemed really nice.

 

Christine

Same here. My kids take the SAT (all my ISP's homeschooled kids) every year starting in 6th grade (nothing goes to the state, it's for us and the ISP) so the test isn't a shock and the PSAT is done at the Christian school our ISP is associated with. I don't think it's just the homeschooled kids like the SAT's but don't know for sure. I'll report back later.

 

ETA that it's all the kids (Christian school and homeschool) that are testing. Many of our homeschoolers showed up before I left. My ds is only in 10th grade so we didn't do any prep or anything. This ds used to have major test anxiety and would do very poorly because of it so I'm really glad he's been taking the SAT since 6th grade because now he has no anxiety at all (it took him about 3 years to get to no stress). His brother has never had test anxiety and has always tested extremely well so I think he would have done fine to never test before the PSAT in 10th grade. I think it really depends on the kid but since it's sometimes difficult to know how your child will be with that kind of test I think it's wise to start a little early in case it's not pretty. If I'd waited with my oldest he wouldn't have had enough time to get over his anxiety before it counted, and I wouldn't have know it until it was too late because he was fine testing at home.

Edited October 13, 2010 by Cheryl in SoCal

[holdoll]

Yes, I do feel like I abandoned her to the wolves! The high school is huge, the counselors and office staff are rude, and the place smells like dirty socks. I've had a large rock in the pit of my stomach since I dropped her off about an hour ago and have said several prayers. She was calm; I, on the other hand am a wreck. :001_huh:

[FloridaLisa]

Our local public high school has always been so welcoming to my students for testing. Aside from not getting the practice book, all the prep has gone fine. Easy registration through one of the deans, who later called our home and left a warm message giving my dc their room number and other necessary information. We don't know the dean, except for calling annually for testing. I did ask my dc to stop by his office after the test and thank him for all of his help. :001_smile:

 

Lisa, now praying that the room is distraction-free. :tongue_smilie:

[quetzal]

The stories of test anxiety are scaring me--my kids are a long ways from PSAT's, but I wonder if I should plan some standardized testing along the way to prepare them for the experience? My oldest tends to be high anxiety...Personally, I always enjoyed taking standardized tests--I remember taking the SAT on my birthday and thinking it was fun! But I've always thought challenges were fun--DD definitely does not view them that way!

[Imprimis]

I dropped my not-a-morning-person-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination daughter off at 7:15, and was surprised how wide-eyed she appeared. I'm not sure if that was out of nervousness or excitement or both, but she seemed ready to go.

 

This is her first time with any kind of testing, so it will be interesting to see how she fares.

[Nan in Mass]

My three boys (23, 20, 16) all say that nothing will ever be as bad as competing in tights in front of stands full of people all watching you. My youngest is taking speech at the CC this year and is completely unphased about giving his speeches. When I asked him, he said that it was a breeze compared to competing. Last weekend, the 20yo came in last in a race and when I asked him if it bothered him, said it was no problem, not like falling competing. This has come up over and over through the years. Even the 23yo still mentions how it isn't as bad as competing. All that is to tell you that I think you are right about your daughter. Mine get uptight about things, but we have been amazed at what they will do.

-Nan

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

My three boys (23, 20, 16) all say that nothing will ever be as bad as competing in tights in front of stands full of people all watching you. My youngest is taking speech at the CC this year and is completely unphased about giving his speeches. When I asked him, he said that it was a breeze compared to competing. Last weekend, the 20yo came in last in a race and when I asked him if it bothered him, said it was no problem, not like falling competing. This has come up over and over through the years. Even the 23yo still mentions how it isn't as bad as competing. All that is to tell you that I think you are right about your daughter. Mine get uptight about things, but we have been amazed at what they will do.

-Nan

That could definitely change one's perspective!

[stephanier.1765]

Whew, it's over. He was a different kid coming out than going in. He was relaxed and happy and a chatterbox so apparently all went well. They put him in a room of Spanish speaking students. I imagine the class size must be smaller and the teacher would have more time to give to a homeschool child who is unfamiliar with the setting but he said he was okay and didn't need any special help. They had all the information he needed on the board as well (he had it all memorized just in case). He was in the main office when I picked him up and the adults were all smiles so I guess he was keeping them entertained (or it could have been the other way around).

 

I'm just so glad it's over! Now that this is behind him maybe he'll feel more comfortable and relaxed when it really counts.

[plansrme]

My three boys (23, 20, 16) all say that nothing will ever be as bad as competing in tights in front of stands full of people all watching you. My youngest is taking speech at the CC this year and is completely unphased about giving his speeches. When I asked him, he said that it was a breeze compared to competing. Last weekend, the 20yo came in last in a race and when I asked him if it bothered him, said it was no problem, not like falling competing. This has come up over and over through the years. Even the 23yo still mentions how it isn't as bad as competing. All that is to tell you that I think you are right about your daughter. Mine get uptight about things, but we have been amazed at what they will do.

-Nan

 

Good to know!

 

My daughter is now finished--she called me a half-hour before I was planning to pick her up--and says it was "easy." We'll see about that in December. She says she was slightly nervous for the first 4 or 5 questions but then was fine and that it was fun.

 

Terri

[Miss Marple]

DS finished and said he "did good on the first 2 sections (reading/math)". We knew that the writing section would be the hard one. Just goes to validate my desire to hit grammar HARD this year. It's a real milestone, though, for this boy to claim that the math part was easy. He has always felt inferior in math because his brothers excel in that area. This was definitely a confidence building test.

[Jen in NY]

Update:

 

I guess I had Test Anxiety for no reason, LOL.

 

She said the experience was totally fine --- it took about 40 minutes to get started, but after that she said the kids were great and everyone was focused on taking the test. She has taken a couple of practice exams so the test was no surprise --- she thinks she did well.

 

Results in December.....

[Cedarmom]

My three boys (23, 20, 16) all say that nothing will ever be as bad as competing in tights in front of stands full of people all watching you. My youngest is taking speech at the CC this year and is completely unphased about giving his speeches. When I asked him, he said that it was a breeze compared to competing. Last weekend, the 20yo came in last in a race and when I asked him if it bothered him, said it was no problem, not like falling competing. This has come up over and over through the years. Even the 23yo still mentions how it isn't as bad as competing. All that is to tell you that I think you are right about your daughter. Mine get uptight about things, but we have been amazed at what they will do.

-Nan

 

 

You may have something there. I was wondering why my kid was so non-fazed by it. But he had done debate., and I think he feel the same way your boys did. Once he got over that fear (debating in competition) everything else is a breeze.

[holdoll]

Why do I worry so much? Dd said it was so much easier than the practice test and was especially happy with the math portion. She did say that every once in a while she'll think about going to PS but after today, glad she doesn't. Watching her walk out of that school with confidence reminded me again that I am so proud to be her mom!

[Belacqua]

No. Actually it was GREAT. I am so impressed with this Christian school. They called me on Monday to remind me about the test today, explained exactly where I needed to be, the time, what to bring, etc. Today when I show up she has another 10th grade boy there to be my son't buddy and show him where to go. The other boy seemed really nice.

 

Christine

 

That's so nice!

 

My son took one of the SAT subject tests when he was in middle school, and he said the high school girls treated him like a little brother (or possibly a pet). They fawned over him and made sure he knew where to go and who to talk to.

 

Congratulations to all of our WTM scholars who eluded the wolves and did so well on the PSAT.

[Myra]

My son took it this am, too! No problems...but here's my question...

 

 

 

Will the the PSAT scores really be a good indicator of SAT test scores (taking SAT in March 2011)?

 

Also....are the PSAT questions really the same level of "difficulty" as the real SAT?

 

And where/how/when do you take the practice "PLAN" test for the ACT?

 

thanks,

Myra

[3andme]

Cheryl -

 

A little off topic but I was intrigued by your idea of using the SAT testing as early as 6th grade. I can see how this would be great prep for the actual SAT. However, I was wondering if you find it a valuable measure of their academic achievement in the pre-HS years since the SAT expects completion of more advanced topics like Alg II. Just curious why you chose to use the SAT vs. other standardized tests more at grade level?

[Deece in MN]

I didn't, but now I do.

He has never taken the PSAT before this and only read through part of the booklet the school gave us.

He said it wasn't bad, but he also didn't finish all the sections (he had 1 or 2 questions he didn't have time to answer in a couple of the sections).

In hindsight, it probably would have been good for him to have had a practice run. I do feel a little guilty for not being on top of this better.

What will be will be and I think ds will be ok. He doesn't have plans to go to any big, fancy schools. He will have 2 years of school done when he graduates high school and we will just figure the rest out from there.

Now that I know more, dd will probably take the PSAT next year for practice before taking it when it counts.

Live and learn (too bad ds has to be the guinea pig).

[creekland]

My guy ran into a problem with the first math section... he was going off his watch and the school was going off the classroom clock. There was a 5 minute difference between the two - so... he didn't complete 3 problems (sigh). That probably makes his max math score a 72 (IF he didn't have other errors).

 

The good thing is he said the rest was easy - rest of math and rest of reading/writing. He could still have a chance for the cut off. December will tell.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Cheryl -

 

A little off topic but I was intrigued by your idea of using the SAT testing as early as 6th grade. I can see how this would be great prep for the actual SAT. However, I was wondering if you find it a valuable measure of their academic achievement in the pre-HS years since the SAT expects completion of more advanced topics like Alg II. Just curious why you chose to use the SAT vs. other standardized tests more at grade level?

 

I don't really choose it, my ISP does. It's pretty large (220 families so many students) and they require SAT tesing annually beginning in 6th grade for monitoring purposes. It's offered from 1st grade on up (free of charge) but I don't have my kids take it until it's mandatory. I think there is some value (it's been reassuring for me) but do think what you observe working with your child is more accurate. For us it's been more useful for test prep purposes.

[choirfarm]

I don't really choose it, my ISP does. It's pretty large (220 families so many students) and they require SAT tesing annually beginning in 6th grade for monitoring purposes. It's offered from 1st grade on up (free of charge) but I don't have my kids take it until it's mandatory. I think there is some value (it's been reassuring for me) but do think what you observe working with your child is more accurate. For us it's been more useful for test prep purposes.

 

Ok, you must be talking about the SAT-10 not the SAT that everyone else is talking about for college. That is what my kids take every year. That is a TOTALLY different test than the "real" SAT...believe me. My 10th grader that took the PSAT makes 99 percentile every year on the reading and vocab section of the SAT-10. Well, he stunk at the practice tests for the PSAT. I was appalled. He didn't know the vocabulary and missed tons of the critical reading questions. :confused: So the SAT-10 is much easier. I went over strategies with him and we did some passages together and basically I think he thought he could just answer with a glance instead of looking at it like logic problems and seeing which answers you could prove in the passage.

 

My son said the math was easy and he didn't know how to do one problem. He said the reading section was hard, but he did try to read carefully this time. He said writing was easy. we'll see.

 

Christine

[Grace is Sufficient]

when I dropped off my then 10th grade son, who had never set foot in a school building before... yes! I felt that way.

 

He was fine, and did well. They can handle more than we give them credit for, I think.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Ok, you must be talking about the SAT-10 not the SAT that everyone else is talking about for college. That is what my kids take every year. That is a TOTALLY different test than the "real" SAT...believe me. My 10th grader that took the PSAT makes 99 percentile every year on the reading and vocab section of the SAT-10. Well, he stunk at the practice tests for the PSAT. I was appalled. He didn't know the vocabulary and missed tons of the critical reading questions. :confused: So the SAT-10 is much easier. I went over strategies with him and we did some passages together and basically I think he thought he could just answer with a glance instead of looking at it like logic problems and seeing which answers you could prove in the passage.

 

My son said the math was easy and he didn't know how to do one problem. He said the reading section was hard, but he did try to read carefully this time. He said writing was easy. we'll see.

 

Christine

Yes, sorry for the confusion. It never occurred to me that anyone would think that I was talking about THE SAT. I also was talking about it being valuable for getting a child experience at taking standardized tests (as in the REAL thing not being the first time they've taken a standardized test), not in using it as a tool for studying. I hope that is more clear.

[DarlaS]

Well, when I picked ds up, he seemed relaxed and optimistic. He said the entire thing was easy, so I guess now we wait and see!

 

We headed right to his college classes after where his history teacher called him "eloquent". He must have finally spoken up in class. :D (Now he needs to put that to work on his final paper for English. ;))

 

I'm glad to finally be home. It's been a pretty good day (but a little busy for my liking!).

[Musicmom]

Dd took it this morning at a local parochial school and had no problems. Ds took it at the same school 2 (and 3) years ago. This school has always been very kind and welcoming--both dc have had positive experiences. So it's a very nice alternative to our local ps, which I've heard is a madhouse on PSAT day.

 

My son took it this am, too! No problems...but here's my question...

 

Will the the PSAT scores really be a good indicator of SAT test scores (taking SAT in March 2011)?

Well, for my ds they were. He took the SAT in December of 11th grade, just a couple months after the PSAT, and his SAT scores were exactly the same--just with a zero added to the end of each score! Only the writing score was slightly different, due to the essay.

Also....are the PSAT questions really the same level of "difficulty" as the real SAT?

I'm not really sure. I've heard the PSAT math is harder than the SAT math, and my recollection is that ds thought the PSAT in general was harder... but the evenness of his scores suggests to me that they're about the same. Maybe others have more observations? It'll be next year before dd (10th grade) can give me her opinion.

 

And where/how/when do you take the practice "PLAN" test for the ACT?

 

You take the PLAN the same way you take the PSAT--through a local school. In fact, it's given on the same day as the PSAT, so you cannot do both in one year. Many schools have their 9th graders (or sometimes 10th graders) take the PLAN while their 10th/11th graders take the PSAT. My ds never took the PLAN... he went right to the ACT in the spring of 10th grade and did fine. Dd will do the same this spring. Given you can take the ACT itself for practice as many times as you wish, I haven't seen any particular advantage to taking the PLAN...

[DebbS]

My son took the PSAT this morning at a private Christian School. There were a few other homeschoolers who took the test. He's in 10th grade so it was a practice run this year. The school treated the homeschool kids very well. All in all, it was a good experience for him.

[choirfarm]

Yes, sorry for the confusion. It never occurred to me that anyone would think that I was talking about THE SAT. I also was talking about it being valuable for getting a child experience at taking standardized tests (as in the REAL thing not being the first time they've taken a standardized test), not in using it as a tool for studying. I hope that is more clear.

 

I just wanted to make sure because it sounded like the poster asking the question meant the "real" one.

 

Yep, that is what I do, too. I wanted to have some kind of test so I could see how we did from year to year and also for them to have experience taking the test. I don't sweat TOO much about the scores. They are weird, though. One of my sons did really well in 7th grade on the ACT as part of Duke. His English score was high, but he scored in the 47 percentile in language mechanics that year on the SAT-10 yet a 98 percentile in language expression and the rest of his scores were high except social science which was 78. Social science is always a guess because you may or may not study what is in the national curriculum. But his language mechanics just didn't make sense. I'm thinking he got off in filling in the answers or something..

 

Christine

[Debbie in IL]

Dd 15 had an excellent experience this morning. I'm really pleased. We had signed her up to take the PSAT's at a private high school in town, and I have had a few conversations with the guidance counselor there before today. The counselor met her at the office, made her feel very welcome, and made sure she was settled in. I was very appreciative. The counselor had also taken it upon herself to get the homeschool state code for her - dd had brought it with her, but again, I feel like the counselor went above and beyond what I had expected.

 

Dd felt very good about the test, especially about the critical reading section. She felt as though it was easier than the 2 practice ones she had taken this fall at home. And - she told me that she thinks that her years of Latin have helped her greatly. :) Music to my ears.

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

I just wanted to make sure because it sounded like the poster asking the question meant the "real" one.

 

Yep, that is what I do, too. I wanted to have some kind of test so I could see how we did from year to year and also for them to have experience taking the test. I don't sweat TOO much about the scores. They are weird, though. One of my sons did really well in 7th grade on the ACT as part of Duke. His English score was high, but he scored in the 47 percentile in language mechanics that year on the SAT-10 yet a 98 percentile in language expression and the rest of his scores were high except social science which was 78. Social science is always a guess because you may or may not study what is in the national curriculum. But his language mechanics just didn't make sense. I'm thinking he got off in filling in the answers or something..

 

Christine

I'm glad you caught it because I missed it and would hate to accidentally be misleading!

 

I agree, the scores can be weird! My ds who STINKS at spelling (truly pathetic) got an almost perfect score in...spelling:001_huh: His critical thinking skills are awesome:lol: I've been surprised at how well my kids have done on the history and science sections because we don't follow the state standards at all and have spent the least amount of time on American History. They also seem to always do really well in science. I think it's more beneficial at evaluating math and language skills, though still far from perfect.

 

When my oldest took it for the first time in 6th grade he BOMBED it because of test anxiety, especially the timed aspect of it. It looked like I'd locked him in the closet all day and never schooled him:001_huh: The next couple of years I had him take it in the un-timed room and then worked him up to the regular room. Now he is totally fine and thinks it's fun:lol: I know he would not do very well if he hadn't had previous testing experience!! Now my one who can fake out the spelling part has never had any problem and I think he would have done fine even without the years of practice. Still, I don't know that for certain and it certainly didn't hurt him.

[Sophia]

I remember feeling very anxious when I dropped off ds last year at the public h.s. for his Psat (10th grade.)

 

He walked into the school like he owned the place...cracked me up, lol!

 

I've often thought because he's never had to deal with the hierarchy of school politics, it just doesn't occur to him that he's supposed to be nervous.

 

Glad we did the practice run~he feels pretty good about today.:001_smile:

[Beth S]

I posted a summary of our ds' experience on the General Board. :D

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2102940#post2102940

 

They evacuated the school for 2 hours because of a phoned-in bomb threat.

 

Of all the mornings to pick!

[Imprimis]

I posted a summary of our ds' experience on the General Board. :D

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2102940#post2102940

 

They evacuated the school for 2 hours because of a phoned-in bomb threat.

 

Of all the mornings to pick!

 

Oh my goodness! How scary.

[elizabeth]

Piece of cake. She has no friends who are hsers and only those who she knows through music and library board were taking it so no big whoop. We prepare for weeks in advance for exams.

[Farmgirl70]

My dd is a junior and took the PSAT today. We decided kinda last minute to take it and so she did very little prep other than taking a practice test. She says she thought the real test was easier. I hope so. The whole timed test thing really made her anxious. We've taken few standardized tests so we were seeing this as a practice and ramp up for her SATs. I think she'll do fine on the English. Not so sure about the math...I guess we'll find out in December.

 

She took it at a public school in the neighborhood and commented on how friendly the adults were. She even said she thought it might be fun there. A little late to jump into school now, though. Next step, Community College classes, I think.

 

Glad to come here and find that others had similar feelings and experiences!

[AngieW in Texas]

My oldest took the PSAT last October and the SAT in January. Her scores for all three areas were within 30 points of what the PSAT predicted. Her writing score was 30 points higher than the PSAT predicted, but I figured that the essay made the difference there. Her math and critical reading scores were both 10 points higher than predicted.

[3andme]

Yes, sorry for the confusion. It never occurred to me that anyone would think that I was talking about THE SAT. I also was talking about it being valuable for getting a child experience at taking standardized tests (as in the REAL thing not being the first time they've taken a standardized test), not in using it as a tool for studying. I hope that is more clear.

 

Thanks for the clarification:001_smile:. I should have thought of the Stanford Test but those acronyms sure get confusing! I know some people take the high school SAT test early to qualify for some gifted programs but I'd never heard of using it on a regular basis so I was curious.

[ereks mom]

...during normal school hours. She was a little jittery, but not bad, and she said the test really wasn't too hard. We didn't do major test prep; she just did the practice test in the booklet provided by the school.

[lisabees]

...during normal school hours. She was a little jittery, but not bad, and she said the test really wasn't too hard. We didn't do major test prep; she just did the practice test in the booklet provided by the school.

 

Wow. So many kids thought it was easy! First thing ds said to me was that he thought he did poorly. And he has been practicing. Yikes. I should have started hs a long time ago! :D

[asta]

Wow. So many kids thought it was easy! First thing ds said to me was that he thought he did poorly. And he has been practicing. Yikes. I should have started hs a long time ago! :D

 

Why? It's just a snapshot in time. It doesn't define your child. You already know what he is capable of.

 

I find it more telling that major universities across the country are dumping the SAT because they were getting so many applicants with lovely scores and nothing to back them up. eg: they had learned how to take a test, but they hadn't learned how to learn.

 

Don't worry about your child, he'll be fine.

 

 

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