@lonetreegrad I totally agree with you about SAT 2. I absolutely don’t think SAT 2 test gives more information.
@Ivmjac1 “I used to agree that the AP and IB classes should mitigate the need for the SAT 2’s until I heard of other high schools in other districts and states that typically do not even try to finish the curriculum or even encourage the students to take the exams!”
Then colleges should require SAT subject tests for students that have not taken any AP or IB classes. Actually, SAT subject tests are much easier and cover less topics than AP and IB courses, so for students who have taken those, it is a waste of time. I guess more money for College Board!!
@sseamom Our family is very different. On my side, all the aunts, uncles and grandparents believe that D can easily go to a very selective school. They don’t realize how selective they have become, in some cases less than 5% of kids can get in. Most family members have graduate degrees with doctorates. My husband’s (D’s dad) family are completely opposite, so they think that D should go to the cheapest local college. They have some college graduates, but mostly average jobs. So, poor D is getting mixed messages in each family get together!
I agree that the subject tests are easier than the AP or IB exams. Therefore, I purpose that SAT subject tests be culmination of what we call the “gennie pop” classes and AP and IB exams serve as the culmination for the AP & IB class for the high schools. The grading timeframe may have to be adjusted but in our district students must take a school final exam in their AP classes (as I guess is the same in other high schools). This is overkill but I understand the reasoning (that the AP exam grade does not come back in time for graduation or report cards). Fix the timing issue and the system works better for all IMHO. LOL.
@Waiting2exhale - regarding your rotary phone comment (and totally off topic - sorry everyone), my grandfather holds several patents for designing the dial telephone (1940s-1950s) when he worked for Bell Labs. It was considered amazing back then!
@4kids2graduate My uncle worked for Bell Labs eons ago and worked on the programing for when pay phone used to ask for certain amount of change for x amount of minutes and then if you put in some of it but not the total amount it would then prompt you for the additional amount needed. Funny the things that come back to you from being on this forum. Thanks everyone it has been so very informative, helpful, calming, interesting and fun.
What do you mean “back then?” It was an amazing piece of technology; no one could deny that. I can still hear the hard metal of my grandmother’s phone doing its return spin…it’s sort of the music of my young life.(Insert normal smiley face here…the array on CC is freaky, and that one seems to be missing!)
@Ivmjac1 I agree with you about the timing issue, but most of the colleges that require these SAT subject tests are highly selective schools (eg, Ivy leagues) that attract most of the overachievers. Most of these students have already taken several AP courses (many more than the 2 SAT subject tests these schools require) in their first 3 years of high school, so they would have enough AP grades to add to their applications, so the timing of graduation wouldn’t matter.
I really think that this is another way for highly selective schools to make themselves look more selective, but requiring a ton of things, including several extra essays, etc!!!
Excellent point @lonetreegrad ! I couldn’t agree more. Its funny, all these school kids are tested more and more and have more homework then we ever had, kindergarten isn’t just learning your numbers and colors anymore and still the national average of the SAT score continues to decrease…
I also heard about the national average of the SAT decreasing. Not sure if I believe College Board these days. Could it be that less people are taking SAT and doing ACT instead? Not sure! Then why all the state cutoffs for PSAT went up by a lot this year! They usually go up because more kids do better on that year!
“SAT II” vs “Subject Test” - didn’t we call them the “Achievement Tests”?
Definitely could be that more students are taking the ACT instead. Probably because the SAT is an aptitude test where the ACT is more high school curriculum based if my D did not do well on SAT she would have taken ACT and if I had to do it over again I would suggest the ACT all the way because then you do not have to worry about the subject tests no matter what school you apply to. Less hoops to jump through.
Actually, D did a bit better in SAT than ACT. She felt that ACT was test of speed rather than your knowledge. She liked the format of SAT more. I think most colleges require either ACT with writing OR SAT with SAT subject tests, but there are several colleges that require the SAT subject tests regardless of what test you submit, ACT or SAT. However, it might have changed since I checked the requirements.
There are a couple of colleges where you have to submit SATII tests even with ACT. Williams College is one.
@momofzag Thanks. Yes, I just checked this site and it has all the requirements.
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/subject-test-requirements-and-recommendations/
@lonetreegrad: That site is awesome. Thank you very much. Have been looking for something like that. Daughter did SAT, one sitting, ate it up, and has excellent SAT IIs and APs. Still, after coming onto CC, I have been going into warp drive trying to figure out who-wants-what-when. Cutting and pasting all over the place. Thanks.
@fretfulmother: Hmmm. Not familiar with that terminology. Maybe it’s all regional.
@Waiting2exhale You’re welcome.
@fretfulmother – I definitely remember them as Achievement Tests, but then again, I’m probably the oldest parent on this thread.
@AsleepAtTheWheel I doubt that.
@AsleepAtTheWheel I am the second member of that “oldest parent on the thread” club!
I live in the opposite corner of the country now, but grew up in Florida (eons and eons ago) and at that time we took the “Florida 12th grade Placement Test” and all of the instate colleges (at least the publics) required that test only for their testing requirement. I never even had to consider taking the SAT since I knew I was going to college in state. I applied to one state school, got in with the one test score.
My high school experience and especially my senior year was very simple compared to now, even though I was college bound. Now my alma mater is VERY difficult to get into! I am so proud of my son and his hard work and aspirations, but I do feel like his childhood has been stolen from him to some extent due to the current achievement/testing focus for college bound students!
Okay. I took the achievement tests. Didn’t know that was SATIIs. Wow. I feel dumb…and old.