UPDATE in first post:Photo ID? and PSAT freak out and whining

[shanvan]

UPDATE: Just wanted to thank everyone who responded to my freak out. I've decided to use a prep book and see how it goes. Ds doesn't care that much about the honor society and we have our hands full with 4H, AKC showing, piano, and volunteering. Plus, he's got other things he wants to do besides. AND, I'm tired of second guessing and feeling insecure. Dh and my great uncle have gotten on my case about this quite a bit lately. I remember years ago thinking it was crazy to pay those astronomical fees for test prep. The crazy 9th grade roller coaster we've been on this year seems to have gotten to me! I may have come back to my senses!

 

 

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I'm hyperventilating this morning after reading info about PSAT & SAT. Also found out the vacation home we usually rent in Sept costs significantly more in August. We really wanted to go in August before online classes start. I'm considering signing Ds up for an SAT prep before he takes the PSAT and that is going to be expensive. I'm not even worried about college finances anymore, high school is getting bad enough!

 

Also wondering how taking a test in a strange location (local high school) is going to affect Ds who is rather sensitive to that sort of thing.

 

I think I'm done with my rant, now on to my real question....does he need a photo ID? How do I get him one? He is not going to be old enough for a permit. I remember a thread about this, tried searching and can't find it.

 

Trying to just breathe and face today's schoolwork. "A coward dies a thousand times..."

 

Oh, and I really don't want to give up my vacation in the mountains.

[mereminerals]

When my son took the ACT last year, we went to the local tag agency and got him a state ID.

[Jane in NC]

The ID should not be hard. States often issue these. In NC, the DMV issues them with the proper paperwork (birth certificate) for a ten dollar fee.

[cbollin]

non driving photo id can be used. check your local state options for those.

 

 

 

Also.. read the other options here

http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/id-requirements

 

and ...

 

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-reasoning/test-day/expect/id

 

it says

Home-schooled students

 

Home-schooled students who do not have a driver's license, passport or government-issued ID can download and print a Student ID Form to complete and take to a notary public for validation. A current photo must be attached to the form in the area indicated before the form is notarized.

[regentrude]

your student can get a non-driver state ID at the DMV.

 

Is your son a junior this fall and does he have a shot at National Merit Scholar? If not, I would not sweat the PSAT, and certainly not have him take a prep course, because the score will not matter for anything.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

your student can get a non-driver state ID at the DMV.

 

Is your son a junior this fall and does he have a shot at National Merit Scholar? If not, I would not sweat the PSAT, and certainly not havie him take a prep course, because the score will not matter for anything.

 

 

I agree with this. Unless this is THE Test to screen for National Merit treat the exam as a learning experience. It might be helpful to do a practice test online or to get a book from the library. But I don't think a course is necessarily the best investment.

[Candid]

I'm hyperventilating this morning after reading info about PSAT & SAT. Also found out the vacation home we usually rent in Sept costs significantly more in August. We really wanted to go in August before online classes start. I'm considering signing Ds up for an SAT prep before he takes the PSAT and that is going to be expensive. I'm not even worried about college finances anymore, high school is getting bad enough!

 

Also wondering how taking a test in a strange location (local high school) is going to affect Ds who is rather sensitive to that sort of thing.

 

I think I'm done with my rant, now on to my real question....does he need a photo ID? How do I get him one? He is not going to be old enough for a permit. I remember a thread about this, tried searching and can't find it.

 

Trying to just breathe and face today's schoolwork. "A coward dies a thousand times..."

 

Oh, and I really don't want to give up my vacation in the mountains.

 

Does the vacation home have wifi or any kind of internet connection? Could he do the online classes while you are on vacation? I know, he won't want to, but it would just be them.

[Musicmom]

I would not bother with an expensive SAT prep course--esp not for the PSAT. You really don't need it. (And unless your child absolutely needs the structure of a class, you'll never need it--you can easily prep for the SAT on your own, for much less $$.)

 

For PSAT, if he will be in 10th grade this fall, I would go ahead and have him take the test for practice, especially if you're concerned about how he will do in a strange location. It's an easy, low-cost (the test is only about $15), no-risk way to get experience testing in a school environment, and is in itself good prep for the 11th grade PSAT (which counts) the SAT itself. No one but you will ever see the score from a pre-11th grade PSAT. You can easily prepare for it just by using the PSAT booklet that is given out by the school, which contains a real practice test, and using another prep book if you wish. For the PSAT that counts (11th grade), you'll definitely want to prep well with a good prep book (we like McGraw-Hill), the PSAT booklet and any other real practice tests you can find--but that can all come later. No need to hyperventilate yet! :)

 

Regarding photo ID, we got each of our kids a state ID from the DMV. We just needed a birth certificate to apply for it. It worked out really well. If you go this route, be sure to allow plenty of time (like months) for it to come before you need it. We allowed only 6 weeks before ds's first SAT subject test, and were biting our nails because it didn't come until just 2 days in advance! Yikes!

[dirty ethel rackham]

Agreeing with above advice. We got a state ID for my kids. The only hassle was finding the appropriate documentation. I've heard you have to upload a picture these days, but it shouldn't be that difficult. As far as test prep is concerned, don't break the bank on that. I have a friend who teaches an expensive test prep class with Kaplan. She jokes that parents are wasting their money because they don't teach anything you can't find in the official SAT prep book. Definitely get the official book - it is worth it. Look up the Xiggi method of test prep. In addition to the Xiggi method, do lots of SAT practice tests at home under test conditions to help build mental stamina.

 

Unless your child is a rising junior AND getting scores close to the National Merit cut off for your state (take a practice SAT and divide by 10), don't sweat the PSAT and look at it as just practice (which is what it was meant to be.) If your child is a contender for National Merit, consider having him take an SAT test before the PSAT so he can become accustomed to the testing site situation. It is more expensive than the PSAT, but cheaper than a test prep class.

 

Oh, and BREATHE. You'll get through it. Nobody will die. We're here if the elephant lands back on your chest again:).

[shanvan]

Thanks to all who replied. I am considering just doing the PSAT prep myself. It's funny I always assumed I'd do all the test prep myself and all of the high school teaching. I had ZERO prep classes for either and I did very well. But it seems, the older I get and the longer I do this the less confident I get and the more willing I am to outsource. And, this has been a very rough year--all kinds of outsourcing look good to me right now! I'm fed up with decision making. Sometimes I think I'd like to outsource that! Ha! I'm too much of a contro freak.

 

I'm taking a look at test prep books sometime this week to try to make up my mind. Ds has friends in a local homeschool honor society and he can only become part of it next year if his test scores are high enough--no exceptions. That is why I give a hoot about his 10th grade scores, though I may decide the honor society isn't that important. We have very little time to add anything else into our schedule anyway.

[cbollin]

sounds like me with the honor society thing. My oldest missed it by one point on her 10th grade PSAT. but she had plenty of other service opportunities in the community, so it was all ok. And now.. her ACT score is several points above the honor society application minimum. and she's wondering if she needs honor society or not. she is friends with those kids in other ways and has community service consistently with a local group.

 

grab a book from local bookstore and let him practice from that for test prep. also ask the honor society people if "group achievement" scores will work too. around here, as long as it was in group setting it could be achievement tests that qualified too.

[shanvan]

sounds like me with the honor society thing. My oldest missed it by one point on her 10th grade PSAT. but she had plenty of other service opportunities in the community, so it was all ok. And now.. her ACT score is several points above the honor society application minimum. and she's wondering if she needs honor society or not. she is friends with those kids in other ways and has community service consistently with a local group.

 

grab a book from local bookstore and let him practice from that for test prep. also ask the honor society people if "group achievement" scores will work too. around here, as long as it was in group setting it could be achievement tests that qualified too.

 

 

They do, but we've never done any. In younger years I just thought it was silly b/c I already knew where strengths and weaknesses were. Now I wish we had done some just for the practice at test taking. With all the other tests upcoming, I'm not anxious to add anything additional.

[shanvan]

Does the vacation home have wifi or any kind of internet connection? Could he do the online classes while you are on vacation? I know, he won't want to, but it would just be them.

 

 

Yes, but I'm not sure how reliable it is b/c we are in the mountains. I've thought it all through and there is just no way I'm going in Sept. It's too disruptive. We did it 2 years ago and it was too much packing, preparing, unpacking etc to deal with right at the beginning of our school year.

 

I'm also not eager to have to stop what we are doing 3 days out of vacation so we can be available for class, homework turn-in, and quiz. Nor do I think Ds will get much relaxation out of trying to find 1&1/2-2 hrs a day to do the work.

[regentrude]

Ds has friends in a local homeschool honor society and he can only become part of it next year if his test scores are high enough--no exceptions. That is why I give a hoot about his 10th grade scores, though I may decide the honor society isn't that important. We have very little time to add anything else into our schedule anyway.

 

 

Really, prepping for the PSAT is not so time consuming if he is on top of things in English and math, i.e. has good reading comprehension, can recognize grammar mistakes (no grammar terms or formal knowledge required!) and has had algebra 1 and geometry. (If he has not had geometry yet, I would not consider it worth taking the test.)

A few weeks of occasional work with the test prep book should suffice. When you sign up at the school three weeks prior to the test, they give you a booklet with a practice PSAT. Other than that, you'd simply take an SAT practice book for prepping. You can take that along on vacation.

[shanvan]

I've come to my senses......update in first post. Thanks for all the responses!