Melissa B Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 My dd just arrived home from the ACT. She said everything was fine except for the fact that they were in the classroom adjoining the band room - and there was band practice going on!! :confused::confused: During most of the language arts tests and about half of science they got to listen to the band practicing and then all of the students leaving the school, shouting to each other down the halls, etc. For my dd it doesn't really matter - this was only a base test and a chance to become familiar with standardized testing. But most of the students in there today were rising seniors planning to use these scores for their college applications. Honestly, I would be irrate. How does a school make an error as large as scheduling band practice and the ACT at the same time in adjoining classrooms?! At least I hope it was an error.:banghead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 That could be very frustrating for some students. I would call the school and mention it to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 ACT has a process for evaluating test day problems. I think I would be filling out a test center complaint form. http://www.actstudent.org/faq/answers/testcenterproblems.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 How awful! It makes our ACT scheduling conflict story pale in comparison. My ds -- one of those rising seniors for whom this test matters -- is taking it at the local university today. Turns out the parking instructions on the ACT ticket are useless today because it is graduation and the entire lot is being reserved for the ceremony. The street was blocked and we had to detour around the dorms through narrow streets choked with parents helping their kids move out of the dorms. Fortunately I know the campus and we got there early enough not to feel harried by the detour and traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 My dh is a school teacher and give the SAT/ACT. He said that you should file a complaint. He said that should never have been allowed to go on and the testing board needs to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in WA Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 My boys had a great ACT testing experience this morning at a local CC. The proctors were much kinder and more respectful of the students than the proctors at the high school they took SAT subject tests at last weekend. The SAT proctors treated the kids like morons and were mean to kids who asked questions. Next year we will be looking for a different test location for subject tests, but use the same ACT location for our year end testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 ACT has a process for evaluating test day problems. I think I would be filling out a test center complaint form. http://www.actstudent.org/faq/answers/testcenterproblems.html Thanks for the suggestions to report a complaint. I didn't even realize there was a complaint form. I'll have my dd sit down with me and we'll fill one out this evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 How awful! It's amazing that the proctors didn't anticipate this or march over there during the exam. Dd took the ACT this morning. She's been so busy and this is the last of her test season. She has mostly studied for the SAT, but took a crack at the ACT this morning to see how she fares. Once she got to her room, she realized she'd forgotten her calculator! :tongue_smilie: She called home in a panic and dh drove it to her. We were praying that they were starting with a reading section! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 Ds took the ACT this morning as well. After hearing horror stories here, I was glad to hear that he was in a classroom of about 25 and no one said a word. He said they had 8 or more classrooms full of students. There was certainly a steady stream walking in when we arrived. I had written down the HS Code 969-999 on ds's admission ticket. I just asked him about it and he has no memory of using it.:banghead: I wonder how that will affect anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigid in NC Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 (edited) How does a school make an error as large as scheduling band practice and the ACT at the same time in adjoining classrooms?! Astounding! I would definitely file a complaint. There is no excuse for that! Once she got to her room, she realized she'd forgotten her calculator! :tongue_smilie: She called home in a panic and dh drove it to her. We were praying that they were starting with a reading section! Wow! You're lucky they let your ds have it! The first time my ds took the SAT the room had no clock and the proctor asked for someone's watch. My ds gave her his watch. :eek: Edited June 12, 2011 by Brigid in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4wildberrys Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 Oh no---that's awful! Yes, follow the advice of the wise ones here and file a complaint! DD took hers too today with no problems. ;) Our only Horror Story to add is that we had to leave the house at 4:30 AM in order to drive the 2 1/2 hours to make it to our testing site. We literally live in the middle of nowhere and our choices were 2 1/2 hr drive or about 5 :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lagirl Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 We had a good testing experience at a local high school today. Surprisingly our dd said she found the science portion of the test to be the most difficult and the math portion much easier than she had anticipated. Just wondering what your student had to say about the test. ???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted June 12, 2011 Author Share Posted June 12, 2011 My dd thought the science was definitely the hardest as well. She said it felt as if she guessed on 3/4 of the questions. :ohmy: We had a good testing experience at a local high school today.Surprisingly our dd said she found the science portion of the test to be the most difficult and the math portion much easier than she had anticipated. Just wondering what your student had to say about the test. ???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 DD17 said exactly the same thing. She said the science questions were strange....but the rest was easier than she expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in VA Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 My 16 yo dd thought she did fine on the English and math, but didn't finish all the reading comprehension ( guessed on those left) and thought the science was very hard. In her words she thought the whole thing was "unprofessional." The students went into the lobby of the huge school and there was nobody there, no signs, nothing. Then after awhile an adult came out and moved the tables which had been blocking a hall, never saying anything. The students walked down that hall, so she just followed the group until she ran into the room she was supposed to be in. She just thought it was strange that there was really no communication. I told her it was just "herd" mentality and the ps students were used to it. She was also miffed that following the instruction on her admission ticket she left her cell phone at home, but everyone else had one and just had to turn it off or to silent. It appears the ACT web site has conflicting info about cell phones. Also the site said no mechanical pencils, which she always uses. She had regular pencils, but there were mechanical ones everywhere. It is always annoying to be the ONE person following the unenforced rules :glare: Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 My ds thought the last 15-20 questions on the math were hard, but that the rest of the math and everything else was easy. Time, the lack of it, was his biggest complaint. Always the homeschooler, he hated the time constraints because wished he had longer to read the science sections as he found them interesting. He also said one of the reading comprehension sections was really well written and he was enjoying reading it. In other words, the test would be great if it wasn't a timed test. He was in a large lecture hall at a UC, with the only problem being those little fold up desk tops -- there wasn't room for the bubble sheet, the test booklet and a calculator. It was an interesting juxtaposition having commencement starting about the time the test was getting out with all the beaming parents with their grads and all the starry eyed high school students excited to be on campus. It was also interesting timing from a parking and driving standpoint... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjbucks1 Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 I was reading all the posts and asked ds which section he thought was the hardest. He also said science. He scored fairly well on this section last year, even with having no high school science courses. I know that science is also about reading comprehension, but he scored well on this last year as well. It will be interesting to see the scores this year. Ds said he only saw one person with a cell phone. The testing center he was at (our local high school) seemed to be very organized and the kids knew exactly where to go :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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