SAT Today anyone?

[silkiechick05]

I took it.

Blah.

 

[WyandotteTX]

One of my players took it today also. Hope he scores high enough, he has a chance to go to some pretty good colleges if he scores well.
Hope you did great also!!

 

[PineappleMama]

OY I remember the SAT... even though I registered super early I ended up having to take my in Tyler... quite a drive... and my mom's car was not available so instead of cramming for the test the night before instead I got a crash course in driving a stick... my Uncle's truck was the only available vehicle. We went around our residential neighborhood... had plenty of stops... well... once we got out of the driveway that is... after about five tries and a severe case of whiplash my Uncle backed it out for me... after a couple rounds people at the stop sign intersections pulled out the lawn chairs... they cheered when I stopped without stalling and gave encouragement when I did. Interesting to say the least.

ACTs I got to take at UTA... a whole five minutes from my house.

Best best best of luck with your results.

 

[silkiechick05]

Pineapple,

LOL I know what you mean about the whole stick shift thing. My car is a stick and it took a bit of encouragement to learn how to drive it. I live in Burleson and had to drive all the way to Decatur to take the test. It was about an hour drive so we got a hotel. This was my second time taking the SAT. I wanted to do a bit better, but I am not sure if I improved any... you just never know what will be on the test.

Did you think the ACT was easier? I have heard that from numerous people.


wyandotte,

I wish him the best of luck!

 

[PineappleMama]

That was over 10 years ago... honestly I don't remember... just that the trip was a LOT easier on the ACT...

Geez how sad is that. But I imagine the test has changed a lot... I know the scoring scale has changed.
Used to a 1600 (I think?) was perfect... now it's like 2400 or something.

What the heck happened to a plain ol' ___ of 100% anyways?

I've a devil of a time trying to decipher TAKS scores... son's... finally I just broke down and divided the correct answers by total questions to get a number... REALLY annoying. They made DS skip his SS class for SIX WEEKS to take extra Reading TAKS tutoring... in addition to doing nothing but TAKS practice during his LangArts classes... the results... after getting 87% on the practice "benchmarks" ALL YEAR he ended up with a 76% on the actual... so either their benchmarks aren't in line with the actual test OR they put so much stress (that skipping dropped his SS grade 10 points!) on the test that he choked... of course they wait until the last day of school to release the results (I know for a fact they had them at least a week before that) so you can't ask them about it. I am really disappointed with public school at the moment... hence trying HS starting July 5th... OY, didn't mean to go off on a tangent there but standardized tests are a sore spot.

 

[silkiechick05]

Oh I can't stand the TAKS test. Thankfully it was my last year of taking it. I absolutely hate it how teachers are programmed to teach students how to pass the TAKS rather than actual course work that is beneficial in preparing us for college. I think the seventh graders from the school year that just ended are the last ones to take the TAKS because they are starting the End of Course exams (whatever those are).

Anyways, I hate standardized testing. I had so much test anxiety when I was younger due to the constant stress from teachers wanting us to pass to make them look better. I still get anxious when big tests roll around.

 

[PineappleMama]

The STAAR testing... yup... instead of taking basic exit level TAKS... I did, you prolly did... so on...

Instead kids will have to take THREE exams in EACH of the following: Eng I, Eng II, Eng III, Eng IV, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II (and any higher level ones too), Geography, World History, US History, Government Economics... okay well basically you will be given a TAKS test for EVERY SINGLE CLASS you take... rather than a single Reading TAKS for all the English classes you take... electives and P.E. don't have one that I've heard of but ANY required course for graduation will be state tested now.

And the STAAR tests for 3-8 are all geared to built up to the exit levels... think that could be problematic since those kids have been trained for years to do TAKS and now they've got to learn a new system Or Else.

Tried asking our VP what those 3-8 tests will be like (my kids are 2&7th next year) and she just regurgetated the blurb I read on Wikipedia... that's all they knew... and they're supposed to start teaching this new system come August... kind of scary that they've got less than six months prep on this... and it's the kids that will suffer for it.

Like I said, it's a sore spot... and one more reason we're trying HS... they literally took a full six weeks off teaching actual curriculum to teach bubble filling for pete's sake... I thought you learned to color in the lines in kinder... but that's on top of every 'chapter' throughout the year being given in TAKS kind of format. ALL they do all year long is worksheets... and this is at a "good school"... one of the ones I consider 'bad' refuses to teach cursive writing... a 3rd grade teacher I talked to elsewhere said that is SO not allowed... the whole district has to teach the same stuff... but not this school... cousin went off to junior high and couldn't sign his own name! How's THAT going to look on college and job apps?!?! But, TAKS tests your handwriting doesn't matter, even on the writing TAKS, so there's just no motive for them to waste valuable test cramming time teaching it.

I remember, barely... mostly because my results are in my scrapbook, the Iowa Skills Test that I took in 3&4th grades.... all the exact same subjects were tested two years in a row... NO STRESS... just do the best you can.... then the staff sees your weak areas and tries to boost them... low in reading? Do some extra SRAs... low in math... here's some practice... then the second year you can see if the help worked (mind very much did) and reassess to see what's up for next year. THAT IS AN EXCELLENT USE FOR THOSE TESTS... it really did help kids!!

This crap they're doing now though... whoever makes the tests completely controls the curriculum for the state. You might have noticed the 'textbook war' that was raging? What goes in the Texas History books (among others) and what doesn't? But, fact is that if it's not on the test they don't teach it... and the School Board has no control over what's in the test... No One is allowed to see the test... why hasn't anyone noticed that before?? Very odd IMHO.

 

[Duck_feeder]

I can't even remember taking the SAT... or the ACT... or several AP exams.... 17 years will do that to you!

 

[silkiechick05]

Man that sounds awful.

I am so glad I don't have to put up with that s***

I also heard about the history book wars. That is ridiculous. You can't rewrite history.

What is the Texas School Board coming to?

 

[PineappleMama]

Quote:

http://web.mit.edu/senior-house/www/history/roast/steer-roast2001-2.jpg is the mental picture that came to MY mind...

The SAT and ACT are voluntary though... you aren't required by state law to take them AND pass them in order to pass for the year.

So... that's something...

I'm STILL peeved at Perry for signing the one that makes it where if you flunk the TAKS, ONE test, then you fail for the year... n'mind if you are an A student... if you choke that one day (considering the pressure put on it not a surprise), are sick, at a funeral, whatever if you don't get a pass then you can't go to the next grade. That blatantly tells the kids, and everyone else, that report cards don't mean squat... which IMHO is just WRONG...