emzhengjiu Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 My DD is thrilled the PSAT is over, at least for this year. She's in 10th grade. Our local public school staff have been very accommodating. This year however, all the students were required to use the same, school provided calculator. It was one of the Ti graphing calculators. Thankfully, she is used to the TI 30X IIS which has similar key strokes. She was slightly frustrated that she could not use her own, familiar one though. Her's is one of the allowed calculators. She had it at her desk, but a proctor told her to put it up. As I mentioned, she was okay, but I could see how an unfamiliar calculator would be frustrating to some students. She didn't see any problems that required graphing capability anyway, I'm curious if this is common. Otherwise, she finished all the sections with time to check her work. She thought she did "okay." Whatever that means. We'll see in December. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Wow! I would have a fit about that. I'm not sure who I would have the fit to, but I'd find someone. :lol: I would contact the school and the College Board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 WOW! I would definitely say something to the school. It's a good thing your child was not completely thrown by this and that it's not her junior year when it counts for National Merit. My 9th graders are taking the test on Saturday and this circumstance would completely throw one of the two. The "Official Student Guide" talks about calculators on page 17. It specifically says to bring a calculator you're comfortable with and that the school is NOT required to provide one. I'd make sure the school knew this was not the correct policy and cleared it up before next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 I would pitch a screaming mimi about this one. The school is NOT the owner of the test. The CollegeBoard is. The school must abide by the CollegeBoard's standards--they cannot impose extra standards on the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 The school has NO business dictating calculator choice! the school is merely the administrator of the college board tests. if the CB allows a certain type of calculator, the school can not arbitrarily prohibit its use. I would complain, bitterly, to both the school and the College Board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 I'm with Harriet Vane on this one. There's no difference between requiring students to use school provided graphing calculators and requiring them to use only school provided bare minimum calculators when graphing calculators are allowed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aprilleigh Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Agreed. The school overstepped their bounds here, and even if your DD was not thrown by it this needs to be addressed so it doesn't happen again. I'm sure they thought they were doing the right thing and will continue to do it in the same spirit unless it's brought to their attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Oh, Lordy, I'd have a conniption fit! That is very uncool. If the PSAT will be high stakes for your dc (any Nat. Merit potential), I'd make 10000% certain that they don't face that issue for JR year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Do follow up with this with the school and college board. The problem likely lies with state testing vs college board testing. Our state (now) requires that the school provide all the math calculators and that all memory is cleared from them before we administer the test - hence - the policy you saw. College board does not (yet) require this. The school may not know the difference and simply fall back on state testing policy. It would be good to educate them about the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 (edited) Update: Now I'm angry. I called the PSAT office this morning. After a lengthy discussion, I was told that schools have the right to set their own calculator policy. This is an agreement with the schools. I've been given a case number and will be filing a complaint. The staff at the high school have been very nice to us and may be accommodating next year, but I'm not taking a chance. Next year if this isn't worked out where my daughter can bring her preferred calculator, I'm going to try to find a private school. Edited October 17, 2013 by emzhengjiu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 That is very interesting. I had no idea that schools could set their own policy. I guess if the students are all used to that calculator it isn't a big deal, but it sure is for "guests". I think I'd check with another school and ask their calculator policy just to be safe. That is just one more question that I never would have thought to ask, although the counselor I spoke to specified for ds to bring a calculator so I guess he answered it without me asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I would definitely look for a private school for the next test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I would keep pushing on College Board about this. It contradicts the PSAT Calculator Policy online. It disadvantages a student who brought an allowed calculator they were familiar with if the school can require them to use an unfamiliar device. It presents a possible equity issue if schools policies differ from district to district and are allowed to overrule published CB guidance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I would keep pushing on College Board about this. It contradicts the PSAT Calculator Policy online. It disadvantages a student who brought an allowed calculator they were familiar with if the school can require them to use an unfamiliar device. It presents a possible equity issue if schools policies differ from district to district and are allowed to overrule published CB guidance. Emphatically agree. Also, be aware that the drones who answer the phones at the CollegeBoard may or may not be accurate in what they tell you. In that sense, it's a lot like when you call an insurance company, lol. The answer your received about calculator usage makes NO sense given their published policy. I also encourage you to both push back and work up the chain of command on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 I would definitely look for a private school for the next test. I wouldn't look for a private school, I would look for a school that doesn't have this policy. Private schools could certainly do the same, so it's definitely something to ask each school beforehand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I guess I would pursue this a bit farther, I suspect an actual complaint will get more attention than a conversation with the person who answers the phone. If schools may set their own policy then surely one school could ban all calculators (I realize that is not in the school's best interest but nevertheless). Can the school set different guidelines for different test takes-ie enrolled vs non-enrolled students, 9th vs 11th graders, etc? While a school could certainly offer to let students use a school owned calculator I cannot help but see that this creates a problem for a student unfamiliar with the calculator presented as well as being in violation of College Board's own published regulations. Is this then also true for all the other College Board tests? Can testing sites set the same policy for SAT, SAT Subject Tests and AP exams? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbollin Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 as you keep checking with College Board.....you might want to have the links handy to direct them on this. I'm still thinking "really???? schools can make their own policy? wha?" This is what is online for the administrators http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/psat/test-day/during and it sends them to this on student page http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about/calculator.html ((supportive hugs)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emzhengjiu Posted October 18, 2013 Author Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm going to file a complaint with the college board today explaining my concerns and asking for clarification about the policy not just for the PSAT but for the other tests as well I'm also going to talk to the school counselor as well. Although my daughter is studying alegbra 2 this year, she's not using a graphing calculator. This year, I going to have her learn how to use a graphing calculator just in case. This situation is unnecessarily frustrating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm going to file a complaint with the college board today explaining my concerns and asking for clarification about the policy not just for the PSAT but for the other tests as well I'm also going to talk to the school counselor as well. Although my daughter is studying alegbra 2 this year, she's not using a graphing calculator. This year, I going to have her learn how to use a graphing calculator just in case. This situation is unnecessarily frustrating! I am glad you are going to do so. It doesn't seem right to me that individual schools can set policies that are at odds with the published policies of the CollegeBoard. Test takers have no way of knowing what to expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'll be following. Around here, public schools require parents to purchase a TI-84 Plus graphing calculator once kids begin pre-algebra (which is absurd). I sent my daughter to the SAT in one district, ACT in another and both were okay with her bringing in a basic calculator (she is used to doing her math without a calculator at all, but is comfortable with a basic one to speed up calculations). This year, since she's in Alg I, we're adding a scientific calculator, but do not plan to buy a graphing one as I consider it total overkill, so this will be something to watch for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Our PSAT is tomorrow. I would pitch a screaming mimi about this one. The school is NOT the owner of the test. The CollegeBoard is. The school must abide by the CollegeBoard's standards--they cannot impose extra standards on the test. The school has NO business dictating calculator choice! the school is merely the administrator of the college board tests. if the CB allows a certain type of calculator, the school can not arbitrarily prohibit its use. I would complain, bitterly, to both the school and the College Board. I'm with Harriet Vane on this one. There's no difference between requiring students to use school provided graphing calculators and requiring them to use only school provided bare minimum calculators when graphing calculators are allowed. The school may be trying to reduce cheating (not sure if that could help) or level their playing field, but it's not their job to dictate which calculator to use, so I'd complain for sure, and before scores come out. However, the school's calculators were graphing calculators. There is a lot of cheating that goes on & many ways kids do it, so I can see the schools POV even though it is wrong if it is different than the College Board's guidelines. My DD is thrilled the PSAT is over, at least for this year. She's in 10th grade. Our local public school staff have been very accommodating. This year however, all the students were required to use the same, school provided calculator. It was one of the Ti graphing calculators. Thankfully, she is used to the TI 30X IIS which has similar key strokes. She was slightly frustrated that she could not use her own, familiar one though. Her's is one of the allowed calculators. She had it at her desk, but a proctor told her to put it up. As I mentioned, she was okay, but I could see how an unfamiliar calculator would be frustrating to some students. She didn't see any problems that required graphing capability anyway, I'm curious if this is common. Otherwise, she finished all the sections with time to check her work. She thought she did "okay." Whatever that means. We'll see in December. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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