Thursday, September 22, 2011

ACT Versus SAT

Getting ready to schedule Kay for those infamous standardized college admittance tests. As you recall, Kay was not able to take the PSAT last year because the ball got dropped in applying to College Board for accommodations. I'm not pointing any fingers and I also had mixed feelings about it. I hate to subject Kay to testing that really doesn't count for anything. So, she took the day off from school and chilled. We didn't get the accommodations letter until almost Christmas. The lesson here is, if you want your kid to take the PSAT and need accommodations, you need to start early in their freshman year.

Now, about the tests. We have decided to take the ACT's versus the SAT's. The rationale is that colleges accept either one. In fact, I think they are favoring the ACT right now. Secondly, the testing schedule isn't as rigid as the SAT's would be. For the SAT's, Kay would have to take the test the Monday and Tuesday following the Saturday dates that it's offered to the general population. There is two sections to the SAT's so she would take one one day, and the other the next. The math portion is what she is going to need an inordinate amount of time to take. The ACT's give you a "testing window" in which to complete the 4 sections. We will be able to schedule it on days that she doesn't have school and having it broken into 4 sections will make it easier also. Another interesting thing I learned is that the testing company will pay Kay's school aide to scribe for the test. I had wondered how that would work.

Another side note. Honors Pre-Calc is really tough. Not so much the material, but the pace. Kay had to have emergency surgery on her foot and a week later she is still behind one test and two quizzes. Seriously hope that she doesn't want to take Calculus next year. I may shoot myself!

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