Soumya’s parents just looked at her SAT scores online and found that she only needed ten more points on her math score to qualify for a prestigious gifted program. Determined to help their daughter however they can, they enroll her in an afterschool tutoring program (more on test prep). Soumya retakes the SAT and when her scores come in, her parents find that she actually performed 20 points lower in math than she did before. Her parents are shocked and quickly blame the tutoring service. … [Read more...] about Should my child retest? Scores can go in two directions
Testing
Ask the Experts: Mixed Test Results and Acceleration
Dear Dr. Courtright, My daughter was recently able to take the ACT as a part of the Duke TIP program. Her results came back, and she was placed in the 99th percentile among the other tested Duke TIP students in reading, 81st percentile in English, and mid 50s for math and science. Following the recommendations from the Duke TIP resources regarding interpreting scores, I met with the school counselor, principal, and English head. All seem to be extremely hesitant about allowing my daughter to … [Read more...] about Ask the Experts: Mixed Test Results and Acceleration
Ask the Experts: Career Counseling
Dear Dr. Courtright, I recently had my daughter tested for A.D.D., and it turns out she is off the charts on the facial and pattern recognition tests. Do you have any suggestions on what we might do to foster the development of these skills? Is there use for these skills in any careers? Any thoughts or suggestions you may have would be greatly appreciated. … [Read more...] about Ask the Experts: Career Counseling
And, Or, and Mean: What Multiple Criteria Means and How it can be Implemented
Many gifted programs rely on more than one assessment when identifying eligible students. However, multiple criteria for identification can be a double-edged sword. Although it may sound like more criteria should automatically lead to more students being identified as gifted, this is not … [Read more...] about And, Or, and Mean: What Multiple Criteria Means and How it can be Implemented
How Will They Do in High School?
One of the most common questions that parents and educators ask when they receive their seventh grade students' above level test scores from either the SAT or ACT as part of talent search participation is this: How much better will students do on this test in high school when they take it again? … [Read more...] about How Will They Do in High School?
Above-Level Tests Identify Extraordinary Academic Potential
Do extremely high test scores identify individuals who will grow up to achieve extraordinary accomplishments? This is the broad question asked in a collaboration between Duke TIP and researchers from Vanderbilt University who led the longitudinal Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY). The study also assessed whether test scores identified different types of academic promise and whether outcomes from Duke TIP participants would be similar to outcomes from SMPY participants. … [Read more...] about Above-Level Tests Identify Extraordinary Academic Potential
Some History of the SAT
Nothing in this post will help prepare you for taking the SAT. …But that doesn’t mean it isn’t cool. I took the SAT back in March. No, not the new SAT. I got bumped from that. I’m talking about taking the very first SAT from 1926, thanks to a very cool link from the Smithsonian website. Another nice feature of the Smithsonian site is the added yellow pop-up information boxes that give additional context information about the test (for example, in 1926, multiple choice items were pretty new … [Read more...] about Some History of the SAT
Impressionability and the Unanswerable Questions
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you take the SAT at the age of 36.” Mark Twain said that, I think. Please forgive any minor transcription errors. Dear Matt, May 7 is your big test day. I humbly offer a series of loosely connected, slightly cryptic quotes to impress upon you the momentousness of the occasion: First, to quote you to you: “[S]tudents are impressionable. Their mindsets are shaped by the way the adults in their lives act…” … [Read more...] about Impressionability and the Unanswerable Questions
Ode on a Grammatical Turn
I present to you an ode to the grammar questions that no longer appear on the SAT. Every sentence in this post, with the exception of the previous sentence (but not the sentence you’re currently reading), contains a grammatical error for which the SAT and the College Board no longer holds students accountable. Arcane and frustrating to some, we must now bid adieu to these short-lived grammar questions. No longer will you see “Sentence Error” or “Improving Sentences” questions while you’re taking … [Read more...] about Ode on a Grammatical Turn
Initial Reactions to the New SAT: Mostly Positive
This past Saturday, while TIP’s researcher Matt Makel did not get to take the test, more than a quarter-million high-school students did. When it was all said and done, they participated in several surveys and took to social media (#SAT) to vent their reactions. You can see a nice summary here, courtesy of the Chronicle for Higher Education. Did the College Board make good on their promise to deliver a fairer and more straightforward test? Let’s just say the debate has begun — but student … [Read more...] about Initial Reactions to the New SAT: Mostly Positive