I usually help one of my high school friends test for SAT and ACT on Saturdays. This particular day there were many 7th graders as a part of the Duke Talent Search. Let me just say this: I have 28 years working with students--14 of those years were spent working with 7th graders--7th graders have no business taking the SAT or ACT in the same classroom as 11th and 12th graders.
Smart they may be....but they just simply don't have the maturity to be in the same classroom for college testing as juniors and seniors. They are fidgety, they don't follow directions, they are needy and want help with the questions (which they cannot receive help because this is a standardized test!) I actually had one student say: "when they say signature-do we have to put our last name?"
As a counselor for 14 years, no one, I repeat, no one ever even looked at these scores that "gifted" seventh graders paid for.
Which leads me to believe this. January and February are very "slow" months for Collegeboard and ACT because most 11th and 12th graders test in June or in the Fall---could it be that these supposed non-profits are trying to "drum up" business during their "slow" months.
At any rate, I think it is a direct disregard of optimum testing conditions to place 7th graders in with 11th and 12th graders--the Junior and Seniors have high "stakes" for their testing because this is their score that will be reported to colleges to which they will apply. 7th graders have no stake in a high score--they are usually there because their parents want them to be.
Shame on you Collegeboard and ACT....shame on you.... shame on you....you are just as mercenary as the rest of the world and we expected more from you than this!!!!
Smart they may be....but they just simply don't have the maturity to be in the same classroom for college testing as juniors and seniors. They are fidgety, they don't follow directions, they are needy and want help with the questions (which they cannot receive help because this is a standardized test!) I actually had one student say: "when they say signature-do we have to put our last name?"
As a counselor for 14 years, no one, I repeat, no one ever even looked at these scores that "gifted" seventh graders paid for.
Which leads me to believe this. January and February are very "slow" months for Collegeboard and ACT because most 11th and 12th graders test in June or in the Fall---could it be that these supposed non-profits are trying to "drum up" business during their "slow" months.
At any rate, I think it is a direct disregard of optimum testing conditions to place 7th graders in with 11th and 12th graders--the Junior and Seniors have high "stakes" for their testing because this is their score that will be reported to colleges to which they will apply. 7th graders have no stake in a high score--they are usually there because their parents want them to be.
Shame on you Collegeboard and ACT....shame on you.... shame on you....you are just as mercenary as the rest of the world and we expected more from you than this!!!!
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