<p>Hahahahah, oldfort-- that is so similar to conversations with my D, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry! I do laugh when she does that though and thank the heavens she will laugh with me and realize that she’s transferring all her fears onto me. (For 5 or 10 minutes, she’ll realize this.) I’m finding CC a pleasant addiction myself, but I feel it’s important since D is an only child and we live in an area where most kids don’t aim too high-- I really need to learn things from this site. (Like–take the PSAT sophomore year-- D came home with this suggestion and I didn’t even know it was possible.)</p>
<p>And it’s also good to remember how much changes in these years, how little can be predicted sophomore year.</p>
<p>Gwen, I’ve learned a lot on CC, too. DD '12 took the PSAT in her freshman yr. No prep - just took it and bombed most of it. She blamed me for making her take the test too soon. She didn’t know that she would be penalized for guessing on certain questions, had no idea how stressful the timed test would be. She said next time, she would be better prepared because she hated feeling like she was blindsided. (mission accomplished)</p>
<p>DS '10 is the exact opposite but is really coming around (albeit a little late in the game for my comfort level) and has a set list of schools he’d like to apply to. It has been a wild ride with this one. One day, he’s got an essay ready to go and another day, he won’t even talk about SAT retakes. He said, “Mom, you’ve got to stop talking to [his friend]'s mom about the SAT. She keeps nagging her about signing up and its stressing her out.”<br>
Wow, I’ve got that much influence?</p>
<p>^ You got more influence than you think! When it comes to college-bound kids, especially those kids whose parents are aiming high, any mentioning of what your kid does is likely to prompt other parents into action!</p>
<p>Two of my kids had solo performances at a church gathering two years ago, and they’ve not had any performances at the church since then. My wife just told me couple parents called her recently for teacher references citing our kids’ performances two years ago!</p>
<p>I just saw a old thread resurrected where I had posted last spring. So much happens in a matter of months. This fall, DS '10 is filling out college apps and writing essays. Last spring, I couldn’t have imagined him doing all of that without my nagging. (Well, of course, I’ve been nagging! Just not as much as I thought!) </p>
<p>This thread prompted me to look back at what I’d posted and it made me realize that cc has really been a great place for me to vent and voice my concerns. So, now I’m more rational when I talk to DD '12. She gets to see the more pleasant, less type A side of me. On the other hand, I’m better informed and can guide her with more confidence. Of course, this is still her sophomore year! :)</p>
<p>Last weekend, the family went on a college visit w/DS for the weekend. DH asked our youngest (still in elem. sch.), how do you like this school? I laughed - “Aren’t we starting too early with this one??” “Nah,” DH said, “This one’s going to Harvard.”</p>
<p>Bumping up this thread to ask everyone what their sophomores thought of Wednesday’s PSAT test? My son came home from school exhausted after that test (and promptly went to sleep for two hours). He later told me that he believes that he did “worse” this year than last year (he took it as a freshman too) because he is just too slow at the critical reading section (although he said the math was ok). Guess I will need to find him a good SAT tutor at some point. He will need to learn how to move more quickly through reading material that he despises.</p>
<p>Our kids don’t take the PSAT until Saturday—the morning after the homecoming football game and before the homecoming dance, which seems like odd scheduling to me Generally, DD is so glad to have it over, she doesn’t have much to say about it.</p>
<p>D came home after PSAT on Wed. exhausted. She reported that there were 3 problems she may have gotten wrong in the math section. And then she proceeded to tell me that she was really down on the reading part. She said that she can’t read fast enough and couldn’t finish answering the questions. Any suggestions are welcome!!!</p>
<p>My D took the PSAT yesterday for the first time. She did the practice test in the booket the past weekend, and her scores were not in line (ie they were much lower) with her grades/which are B+/A- . We’ll see how she did on the real thing, I hope it identifies patterns of areas to look at. I think that in the summer we will visit a variety of test optional schools. Then we can discuss if she wants to invest in test prep during Junior year.</p>
<p>lilmom - my D had a similar reaction to the PSAT - she thought the math was “not bad” but she was not able to finish the reading. We’ll wait for the full score report to see just how many she had to skip. I think the solution to reading faster may just be practice.</p>
<p>Sadly, our DD’s 529 plan is age-keyed to move into safer investments (bonds) right about now, so I don’t think we’ll be able to recover the money we’ve lost over the last year or so before she goes to college. Frankly, if I were to do it all over again, I wouldn’t have bothered with our 529. It won’t be a big help; it might pay for travel costs and books. Our significant college money will have to come from other investments. </p>
<p>DD also took the PSAT on Wednesday; said it was “okay,” her standard response to everything. I realize that this test doesn’t “count,” but it will provide us with a sense of where she falls in the selectivity band for colleges. I’d like to think that test scores don’t matter, but I’ve seen kids with high grades and mediocre test scores get rejected from superselective colleges and become very bitter. I’d like to ask the parents of those kids why they didn’t direct their children towards more realistic choices.</p>
<p>That is what I am concerned with with my son. He is a very competitive (literally, he loves the competition) student and takes the most challanging classes BUT, he also is a slow reader who felt that the reading section did not go well. Last year he did very poorly on the CR section so I know that he is being fairly realistic. There are many threads here on CC about the B/B+ student…but with great test scores. I haven’t seen any about great students with iffy/or crappy test scores. Where do these kids belong (or which colleges should they target to apply)???</p>
<p>seiclan- test optional schools. I plan to visit a variety with my D this summer and see if she thinks she could find some she likes among them. If not, I’d like her to be on board with test prep and not have it be forced apon her.</p>
<p>I logged on tonight seeking advice, and here everyone was already talking about test scores, test taking, grades, etc… but I need the help with my youngest in middle school.</p>
<p>For the past four years scores on NJASK have declined. He is now partially proficient in Math and just proficient in Language Arts. The form letter says “might be eligible” for additional services.</p>
<p>Yikes! Forget SAT, PSAT, ACT - I am petrified right now about passing HSPA! All tests in academic subjects are low as well - so there is some correlation. Any ideas on any boards, academic services, etc that I might turn too? I figure I have two more NJASK exams to figure this out before he gets to highschool.</p>
<p>Oh my, educate me please. Your kids do PSAT in 10th grade? Not 11th? Or do they do it every year? We’ve always assumed it would only be taken in 11th year…that is when they do it at our kid’s school.</p>
<p>Starbright, many kids take the PSAT in freshman and/or sophomore year for practice. In our school district, the county actually signs up and pays for all sophomores to take this test because they use it to identify students for enrichment or even remedial programs (so the letter stated). Freshman AND Juniors (yes, the county dosen’t care if juniors take it or not) have to sign up and pay for the exam themselves. Most of the honors/AP track freshman take the test. Many of the Juniors take it but I am surprised at how many Juniors(probably not NM contenders) do not know that they should take this test. My son was supposed to take the SAT in 7th grade for the Duke TIP program (althought the morning of the test he balked and I couldn’t convince him to go). I am of the belief that you should never pass up an opportunity to take a test for practice. </p>
<p>advanced Lawlz, are you a sophomore in high school? If you are then good for you, you do well with standardized tests. Perhaps you could pass on some tips for the other 15 year olds and their parents here. If you aren’t, you are posting your comment on the wrong forum.</p>
<p>Our school requires all 10th grader to take PSAT. As usual, D2 thought the reading section was quite easy, not the case with math. Many private tutors also use the PSAT scores to determine how much they’ll charge, higher score = less money.</p>
<p>that’s interesting oldfort. I’m not sure if we are going to do the tutor or prep class route, or either, it would have to be something my D wants. At least the good news (ha ha) is that she will probably have a lot of room for improvement.</p>
<p>Our kids go to a private school and all soph and jrs take the test. Correct that only the 11th grade test counts for NMSF competition, but I agree that the practice experience is worth it.</p>
<h1>234 Cherry Hill mom: I’ve heard that NJASK proficiency rates vary wildly from year to year because the state keeps tinkering with the test and changing the metrics. There isn’t perfect correlation between performance on the NJ ASK (formerly GEPA, etc.) and performance on national standardized tests. So while I’m not saying your child has nothing be concerned about, I would take NJASK results with a grain of salt. (I used to teach middle school language arts in Monmouth County.)</h1>
when I talk to DD '12. She gets to see the more pleasant, less type A side of me. On the other hand, I’m better informed and can guide her with more confidence. Of course, this is still her sophomore year! :)</p>