S/O on calculators-did your kids use them on standardized tests-and if so, how did you teach it?

[Dmmetler]

DD's SAT math score was low compared to her other scores, and one reason was because she simply didn't finish the math sections-which, I, suspect, was because she was working through the problems rather than taking short cuts (and that she tends to be slow when it comes to math in general-AOPS suits her learning style well in that regard, where it's a small number of hard problems, not a lot of easy ones). I KNOW that she didn't use her calculator-which has been the case on the EXPLORE as well, but it didn't seem to hurt her on the EXPLORE. She's fairly facile on basic calculations, but isn't a lightning calculator and doesn't necessarily pick up that "oh, that's a perfect cube" right away.

 

I'm not too concerned about a single fairly low math score for a kid who was 10 when she took the test-but at the same time, if you have older kids who did math largely or completely without calculators through high school, did they use them on the SAT/ACT and other tests where it was allowed? If so, how did you teach them when it made sense to use them?

 

I will also say that we didn't prep explicitly for the math, or, really, for anything but the essay. She did a few practice questions of each common type and played around on Khan Academy, but we didn't do any sort of timed practice or focused practice, because at 10 I didn't see a point, and I felt that a largely unprepped score would be a better indication of her actual level of readiness.

[regentrude]

DD used a simple scientific calculator on the ACT, the SAT and the SAT2 Math2 subject test. She needed it on few questions; for most it was quicker not to use the calculator.

I did not teach her how to use it - she figured it out. I allowed a calculator for calculations in physics and chemistry.

Figuring out when the calculator is quicker and when it is faster to do it without is IMO a question of experience. After doing a number of practice tests, it will become clear which types of questions are faster without, and where the calculator can shave off precious seconds.

 

Regarding the SAT math score: if you did not prep explicitly, the issue was very likely time. Even with good concept mastery, it is important to drill the format because the test is designed so that time will be very tight, unless the student is familiar with the style of questions and can, in some cases, use the multiple choice format to her advantage.

Edited December 12, 2015 by regentrude

[daijobu]

My dd's didn't start using a calculator until MathCounts when a calculator is allowed on some exams (thought not always necessary).  So I dug out my old HP, and taught them RPN, just to make calculator use easier, faster, and more efficient.  

 

I doubt my kids could have figured out how to use a calculator without being explicitly taught.   (Back in the day, I needed to use the tutorial in the manual to understand how the registers work.)  

 

Checking with dd13 who just took the SAT a few days ago, she tells me she did use the RPN calculator quite a lot.  We use AoPS, so other than for MathCounts practice (team round and target round), they don't use calculators.  

 

ETA:  I ignored your subject heading.  It turns out I still have my HP calculator manual, so we just went through the tutorial, as far as simple calculations go, how to store values in the registers, how to do multiple operations in what order.  It was all very straightforward with the manual.  I'm betting there's probably a website if you don't have a manual handy.  

Edited December 12, 2015 by daijobu

[lewelma]

DS simply practiced the exam multiple times under time pressure.  In the end he only used the calculator to check his calculus answers.  We did not buy him a graphics calculator and he told me that it could have come in handy.

 

Main problem ds had, is when he came across something he had never seen before, he just went into AoPS problem solving mode and took 25 minutes on a single problem.  Obviously, he should have skipped it, but that it not the way he has been trained.  He has the confidence to know that he can figure out any problem, but on a timed test that is the wrong approach.  So live and learn. 

 

Ruth in NZ

Edited December 12, 2015 by lewelma

[Dmmetler]

I think we hit some of the AOPS mode as well-she's learned to crank through and try multiple strategies and figure things out-but on a timed test, that's not a good strategy, especially not on one where she was hitting both the fairly tight time limit, and also questions that were novel to her, so she didn't have a top of the head obvious strategy to use.

[Arcadia]

My kids teach themselves how to use their scientific calculators and their graphing calculators as "toys" outside of school work.

 

My DS11 treat standardised tests different from math book work. He does test with the aim of giving examiners what they want to maximize his scores. What he learnt from being in public school; satisfy red tape for subject acceleration.

 

DS11 didn't need to use his calculator for ACT. He didn't use the calculator for the practise SAT (old and new versions). He is very fast in computation.

 

ETA:

We discussed what to do if a test is timed versus a challenge exam that is not timed. How to maximise scores if timed and how to not give up if not timed.

Edited December 13, 2015 by Arcadia

[Dmmetler]

So it sounds like we just need to add some test prep when she's closer to taking it "for real", then. I guess we've come a long way from taking the SAT once, getting a score, and being done!

[quark]

DD used a simple scientific calculator on the ACT, the SAT and the SAT2 Math2 subject test. She needed it on few questions; for most it was quicker not to use the calculator.

I did not teach her how to use it - she figured it out. I allowed a calculator for calculations in physics and chemistry.

Figuring out when the calculator is quicker and when it is faster to do it without is IMO a question of experience. After doing a number of practice tests, it will become clear which types of questions are faster without, and where the calculator can shave off precious seconds.

 

Agreeing. DS also figured it out by using a calculator for physics and then it was just some simple trial and error and he learned quickly. This month, after reviewing two SAT Math 2 prep books and getting a feeling from the prep (both books were the over-prep variety) that he really needed a graphing calc for the test, DS came out of the test saying he didn't need to use the graphing calc at all (lucky break, because it lost power despite being charged the night before!). I was a little concerned and asked him if he had really taken SAT Math2 and not Math1 by mistake lol. He assured me it was Math2. Now we wait for results to see but it seems that experience was key for him and he is able to tell whether or not he needed a calculator, and if yes, he now knows instantly which one (regular scientific or graphing calc).

 

We don't do regular standardized testing. This was only his second after the let's-see-what-happens SAT early last year (we didn't prep for Explore and he forgot to use the desk calculator for Explore's math subtest anyway).

Edited December 14, 2015 by quark

[Dmmetler]

It sounds like we mostly just need to work on test format and speed, so that when the work is more challenging for her, she can still show what she knows :). We do quite a bit of competition style math, but usually not where speed is an issue.