SA Homeschooler Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 My ds who is usually a pretty good test taker got a much lower than expected PSAT score. He is an 8th grader so I did not do any real prep with him. Mostly I wanted to see where we were and also to take some of the "scariness" out of the test process for him. Now, I see that we definitely have some work to do...and lots of prep for next time. Any advice? Words of encouragement welcomed...LOL!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/535968-average-psat-scores-for-homeschoolers-in-8th-grade/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I really don't think that that's an eek at all! Unless I'm badly mis-reading the scores, he scored at about the 31st percentile for kids 3 grades above him. I think this is really pretty good! I bet just finishing algebra will bring it up a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 126 for an 8th grader is not bad at all. I wouldn't put a ton of effort into studying for 9th grade either - esp with a new test next year. After next year's test, then start looking for gaps that can be covered in 10th grade while prepping for the test that "counts" junior year. In the meantime, a good reading program and a math curriculum he's understanding well are your best options IMO. You used this test just to get him used to testing - and it seems to have been a decent option for that. I wouldn't worry him a bit nor consider him behind. I also wouldn't worry a single bit myself. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 If it is any comfort, my daughter's score went up over 20 points from eighth to eleventh grade, and she had already had all of the math by eighth grade. Just being older was the key, as best as I could tell. I would imagine that would be even more important for a boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I've been pretty surprised to realize this last couple of days that 8th graders are taking the test now! That phenomenon has not hit our part of the US yet. It's not even terribly common for the 10th graders to take it (though I had my daughter start in 9th grade.) I absolutely would not worry at all about the score in 8th grade though. The math will not be all there, the vocabulary will not be all there, and that is really okay! To me, those early tests are simply about experiencing the format (unless, of course, you are trying for a qualifying score for a particular program. I guess I can see the need for prep/concern in that case.) FWIW, my now-junior did not prep at all for her 9th and 10th grade PSATs. She did prep this year, and it appears her score will be high enough to qualify for NMSF in our state (and likely any state :-) ) Don't stress too much about this. There are way more important academic tasks to focus on in 8th-10th grade than PSAT prep, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 My dd took it as an 8th grader last year with zero prep and only a few weeks of Algebra I. She got a 155 and I'm not concerned at all. She took it again this year as a 9th grader with zero prep. I don't know her score yet but I'm not worried. I think it's good for her to take it to see what it's like but I also think it's good for her to see that we, as parents, don't think it's too huge a deal. Don't freak out. Stay calm and just keep teaching. It doesn't mean you've fallen short or need to catch up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2samlibby Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 For an 8th grader, I think that is good. I wouldn't worry. I'm telling myself that too. My son did not do as well as I had hoped he would. He's a sophomore and this was his first time ever taking a standardized test. He scored a 116. :( We haven't covered much algebra yet, so I hope that will bring it up. I also need to have him officially diagnosed with dyslexia and to see if he needs accommodations for next years test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I've been pretty surprised to realize this last couple of days that 8th graders are taking the test now! That phenomenon has not hit our part of the US yet. It's certainly not common in our area. Not a single 8th grader took it at our school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I took the SAT in 4th grade (to get into a specific class) and then again in 6th, 7th, and 8th for talent search. Of course when I took it the first time my score was quite mediocre, and I was disappointed. That is when I got a crash course in statistics to explain what percentiles were. There were a fair number of kids taking it -- honestly I think if the kid and the parent can handle it and say "well yes I didn't do very well when compared to much older students, but I think I'm doing awesome for my age" it's a good idea. It sort of demystifies and de-stresses the test taking process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Just adding on here, but I really don't understand taking a test for which one hasn't yet learned the math topics on the test, which isn't necessarily the case for very advanced 8th graders, but even most advanced 8th graders haven't yet finished geometry (the fraction of 8th graders taking alg 2 must be very tiny indeed). What am I missing? Isn't geometry on the test? And of course algebra? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chanley Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 My daughter wanted to take it because she just wanted to see where she would stand. She was curious as to how she would do in that environment and...her ps friends were taking it. She took algebra in the 7th grade and because we were not pleased with how well she learned the concepts, she is taking it again with a different program in the 8th grade. She will take it, the PSAT not algebra, again next year simply because I intend to use it has the standardized test required by the state. For the $20 the school charged for kids who are not juniors, it is a cheap way to get that requirement filled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 126 is an average of 42 per section. That is in the 40-50 percentile for sophomores. So your kid did as well as half the students who are two years older, with two more years of school including math classes that are a major part of the test. If a fourth grader did as well as half the sixth graders who took the same test I think you'd be pretty happy and figure they would learn and mature even more in the coming years. Breathe. And the PSAT and SAT will change in the next school year anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 My daughter wanted to take it because she just wanted to see where she would stand. She was curious as to how she would do in that environment and...her ps friends were taking it. She took algebra in the 7th grade and because we were not pleased with how well she learned the concepts, she is taking it again with a different program in the 8th grade. She will take it, the PSAT not algebra, again next year simply because I intend to use it has the standardized test required by the state. For the $20 the school charged for kids who are not juniors, it is a cheap way to get that requirement filled. Be sure to double check that it does fill your state requirements. I know in NC, the ACT does, but the PSAT and SAT don't because they are reasoning tests, not achievement tests. Your state may be different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Homeschooler Posted December 12, 2014 Author Share Posted December 12, 2014 What some of you have pointed out about him not having the math skills yet is VERY true. He had just begun Algebra I when the test was taken. Thank you all so much for giving me some perspective. I appreciate the insights provided. Hopefully next year we will see better results. And yes, he did score around the 50% for sophomores so that IS good considering he is an 8th grader. Thank you all again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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