<p>ashlieaskins, welcome to cc, you might want to ask your question in the college search section. I’m sure if someone here has experience with Sullivan they will let you know, but you would get a wider audience there.</p>
<p>Welcome, curiousmother. I’m glad you joined us. </p>
<p>Interesting about the AP Info sessions, DougBetsy. D’s school doesn’t offer one, but it might be helpful if they did.</p>
<p>To get into AP classes at D’s school, the students are supposed to get recommendations from their teachers. They do allow parents to override a teachers rec, however, and I’ve heard that creates problems for the teacher - they find they have to slow their pace a bit, making it difficult to cover all the material. So far, D hasn’t complained - but she may not realize whether they’re working at the correct pace or not. Guess we’ll find out when it comes time to take the APs in May. All kids taking AP classes are required to take the exams. The school weights honors classes higher than regular classes, and AP classes higher than honors, but the school does not rank.</p>
<p>Welcome to the craziness, curiousmother!</p>
<p>jackief - We are a large public high school – about 670 in each of the 3 classes. We are the only HS in a HUGE district, (one of the largest districts in the country, I believe) that is on the trimester schedule. It is so limiting and frustrating. Bot of my kids took extra classes in the summer, either at the school or online thru the electronic high school to get some reqs out of the way so they would have more room for classes they wanted to take during the school year. S has taken 3 of these so far, and will be taking the first tri of a 2-tri anatomy class online this trimester, so he can take the 2nd trimester of the class at school during the 3rd tri. It’s nuts! (That barely makes sense to ME!) :)</p>
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<p>If the sole high school is only that large in enrollment, there must be a lot of larger school districts. That’s about the size of the sole high school in the school district I live in, which is not unusually large.</p>
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<p>Clear things up.</p>
<p>Anyone have any experience with how closely the sample tests on the ACT website correspond with the actual test? My son is doing a test a night this week, and I am curious if they are reflective, ie are the questions from previous tests?</p>
<p>ag54, are they from the “real ACT” book? If so, I think those are old tests with valid score charts. A whole test a night? wow, I am happy my D has been able to do a section most nights this week. The english section from last night went well.</p>
<p>No, they are the online ACT prep work offered by ACT. We paid for it when I signed up. </p>
<p>The sections are around 45 minutes each, but if you finish early, you can move on. I think that’s why he is cruising through. So far, so good, he is doing really well, I’m just hoping they are really reflective of the questions on the test!!</p>
<p>I missed the key phrase “on the act website” when I first read your mail. I would be interested in hearing others feedback on the online prep also ag54, as if D wishes to retake we might look at that after she exhauses the real act book. If you don’t get an answer here, you could try the act subforum.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t know how your kids are finding time to prep for these tests! D hasn’t had a spare minute to do any practices recently. She did do one practice ACT before I signed her up for the test, and I’m hoping that suffices.</p>
<p>LIMOM- she did one section over the weekend. Monday night she was too tired after HW was finished to do a section. Last night I suggested she do a section earlier before HW was done when she ws less tired. So two sections down, two to go, plus reviewing the sections she has done. I hope that she can do a third section either tonight or tomorrow and then the fourth on Fri plus the review. YES it is a crunch but with the sections only 30-45 mins apiece I am asking her to find the time. I think it is also helpful for her to do the sections timed to see if she is having a problem with the amount in each as is said that time is a big factor inthese tests. For the science section she did rush, but for english last night she said she had sufficient time.</p>
<p>She did read through all the intro stuff including what they are looking for in the essay over the weekend.</p>
<p>LIMOM, mine has no time either. She is currently in 2 plays, she auditioned for a 3rd yesterday, and there is a “review” (and not test review either ;)) she is auditioning for right after winter break. </p>
<p>Did I forget to mention 3 honors and 2 AP classes along with all the work that requires.</p>
<p>Who has time for test prep?</p>
<p>ag54 – I certainly hope the ACT online test prep will be very similar to the test coming up on Saturday. S did both prep tests over the last 2 weeks and did really well. It surprised both of us since his PSAT scores were fine, but not super. He says the ACT practice tests he has done have been much easier.</p>
<p>I would hope that since we got the practice tests from ACT itself that they will be fairly true to the real test.</p>
<p>I have to get D to make time for ACT prep. I have a feeling she might do better on it. We were originally going to have her take it this week, but there was no way she could fit it in.</p>
<p>My daughter also backed off from doing the ACTs this week - just too many other things going on to be able to properly prepare for the tests. Not sure when that prep will occur but this month wasn’t it.</p>
<p>Life has been quite a bit less crazy since football ended. My son gets home from school around 4:30, so has tons of time. Also, because of the hurricane, the school district has decided to make “final exams week” a regular week with no finals! So, it’s pretty easy going around my house.</p>
<p>No excuses to not be doing ACT prep work!! haha!</p>
<p>OK, new problem. I am avoiding sending a nasty email to D’s guidance counselor until I have calmed down somewhat. </p>
<p>When H went to a school meeting they were told the kids would get their naviance passwords with their first report cards. When D did not get hers then, I emailed GC. She said D would get it with PSAT scores. Well, D’s PSAT scores are in some bureaucratic limbo, so I emailed GC again for the password. She said we would get it after winter break. OK.</p>
<p>I just got the school bulletin in the mail. All juniors apparently got their passwords with their 1st report cards.</p>
<p>Other than going over to the school and screaming bloody murder at this woman, what do you suggest I do now?</p>
<p>Send her email back to her and ask her what is the deal… Quote from the school bulletin as well. If you don’t get the password with her response, escalate with an email to the principal.</p>
<p>Queen’s Mom - that’s crazy! Why would they be holding back on providing you with the Naviance password when everyone else has received it? If the GC won’t give it to you, I’d call the principal’s office. </p>
<p>jackief - here’s where your D’s smaller schedule is a big plus. Don’t forget, my D is taking 4 AP classes, plus honor’s pre-calc, pre-AP Spanish, band, and gym. She was up until after 2 AM doing her homework last night, and she wasn’t even finished. She planned to finish her remaining assignment during her free period this morning. Usually, she’s done with everything by midnight, but every so often, she gets a little overwhelmed. She was out sick for a few days last week, and had lots of work to make up in addition to the new assignments. And last week, she was too sick to study for anything 
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<p>She happened to do really well on the practice test she took, and she finished it very quickly, so time shouldn’t be an issue for her - that’s the only reason she’s taking it now. Friday night, she has a school event that she has to attend, so she probably won’t even get a chance to review then. Whatever it is, it is. If it’s not good, then she’ll try again in the spring.</p>
<p>Sorry to hijack the thread for a moment but----</p>
<p>*** IT’S SNOWING IN HOUSTON!!!</p>
<p>Just looked out the window at work and there are big fat snowflakes falling!!</p>
<p>I know it’s not a big deal to you northerners, but it’s pretty darn exciting here! Last time it snowed, I had 3 kids at home, one in elementary school, now I have one getting married in June, one other in college, and only my junior left at home. Time flies…</p>
<p>I’m sure it won’t stick, but it is lovely to see the flakes falling!</p>
<p>Okay, back to regularly scheduled posting :)</p>