High School Parents- Are Your Kids Registered for the ACT and SAT?

[Jdarg]

I have been fortunate enough to work with some really great parents who are helping us navigate the road to college- it is quite complicated!

A group of parents are currently working to help the SWHS guidance office with college planning/guidance and other post-high school opportunities. We have some long term goals for this group, but one short term goal is simple- make sure every junior pursuing college takes the ACT and SAT at least once by the end of 11th grade- waiting until senior year is too late!

Our son is a sophomore, and he will be taking both tests for the first time this spring, since it is wise to take the tests several times. I spent several hours on the college board test websites yesterday, filling out the registrations, looking around- they have a wealth of info for parents and students.

SAT- :: College Planning Made Easy | Inside Source for College Admissions Requirements

ACT- ACT, Inc. : A Student Site for ACT Test Takers

SWHS puts out an e-mail newsletter each week- the Seahawk News Network (SNN). If you are a parent and not receiving this e-mail, please call the school 622-5020, and say that you want to get on the SNN e-mail list. Every week, the new "It's Your Future" section will include a planning tip or important info.
Here is last week's announcement (thanks Grayton Girl!);

It's Your Future! (Life after High School)

Beginning with this week's edition of the SNN, we will be highlighting some of the steps that your student should be taking in order to successfully plan for life after high school.

Topic for the week: SAT & ACT tests. If your student is currently in the 11th grade and plans to attend college (whether community college or 4-year university), now is the time to take the ACT and SAT college entrance tests. The tests are required for eligibility for Bright Futures Scholarships (which will cover partial or full tuition costs for Community Colleges and State Universities) and for admission to public and private Universities. Every student should attempt both tests at least once, and the preferred time to take the tests is in the Spring of the 11th grade year.

While the SWHS Guidance Counseling office encourages students to register for and take these tests, you and your student are responsible for signing up for these tests. You must register for the SAT online at :: College Planning Made Easy | Inside Source for College Admissions Requirements and submit the $45 fee by using a credit card or debit card. You must register for the ACT online at ACT, Inc. : A Student Site for ACT Test Takers and submit the $46 fee by using a credit card or debit card.

You need to do this ASAP, as there are only 2 more SAT dates left this school year: May 2 (must register by March 31) and June 6 (must register by May 5).

There are also only 2 more ACT testing dates left: April 4 (must register by today, February 27, or face penalty fees for late registration) and June 13 (must register by May 8).

Do not wait until your Senior year to take these college entrance exams! Stay on top of the college admissions process and register for the SAT and ACT today!

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[Miss Kitty]

...such a great service y'all are providing for the parents and students! It makes me realize how much we took for granted being in a small private school environment when we navigated this process.

 

[Here4Good]

A group of parents are currently working to help the SWHS guidance office with college planning/guidance and other post-high school opportunities.

I know this is off-topic, but isn't the guidance office supposed to be helping the parents, not the other way around? Maybe we should just make guidance a volunteer office at the school.

 

[gardening1970]

My son is in the 10th grade and has taken only the PSAT. I wonder how closely it resembles the SAT. My knowledge of ACT is very limited, but I know I will need to learn.

I recall when I was applying to colleges in the UGA system, only the highest SAT score was evaluated, as opposed to an average of all scores. Is that the common way scores are evaluated or does it vary by school?

 

[Mermaid]

...such a great service y'all are providing for the parents and students! It makes me realize how much we took for granted being in a small private school environment when we navigated this process.

Isn't that the truth. I had almost forgotten that all the resources Alex and Philippa had when they were in high school aren't always available to public school students. Makes me think all that tuition was worth it because I never had to sit on the computerfor hours finding this stuff like Jenny!!

You're a mom in million, Jenny, to be generous enough to share the fruits of your hard labor with everyone else. I daresay there will be more than one parent out there who will be grateful to you.

 

[scooterbug44]

I strongly encourage you to have your kids take these tests several times.

My friends and I took them so many times (to test them for companies, the PSAT, both the ACT and SAT because of different college requirements) that they became old hat - and our scores were higher because of the reduced stress, the repetition, and taking the higher scores.

 

[gardening1970]

I think I found the answer to my previous question. My concern was that if my tenth grader took the SAT now before he has taken all the upper level math classes he needs, he could be at a disadvantage if all his SAT scores (10-12 grades) are averaged. After reading this excerpt from PrincetonReview.com, it appears to me that the extra "practice" would be essentially risk free.


Starting in March of 2009, the College Board is unrolling a new score-reporting policy that will allow students to pick and choose the SAT test scores they want released. Score Choice? will give students the option to choose their best SAT results to send to colleges. So those terrible scores never need see the light of day.

Score Choice Fast Facts:

Score Choice is optional and free
The new policy does not affect scores sent directly to students and their high schools; both will continue to receive all scores
To take advantage of the new policy, students simply select the test scores they want released according to the date the test was taken; If students DO NOT choose Score Choice, all of their test results will be sent to the schools specified as recipients
Once the program is launched, students can choose scores from earlier test dates, too
Only scores from an entire SAT test (Critical Reading, Writing and Mathematics) will be sent; students may not choose individual sections from different test sittings for release.
Students who choose to send all of their test scores can still do so at no charge
Students can also choose to release specific, individual SAT Subject Tests, rather than all of their Subject Tests

 

[dgsevier]

I think I found the answer to my previous question. My concern was that if my tenth grader took the SAT now before he has taken all the upper level math classes he needs, he could be at a disadvantage if all his SAT scores (10-12 grades) are averaged. After reading this excerpt from PrincetonReview.com, it appears to me that the extra "practice" would be essentially risk free.


Starting in March of 2009, the College Board is unrolling a new score-reporting policy that will allow students to pick and choose the SAT test scores they want released. Score Choice? will give students the option to choose their best SAT results to send to colleges. So those terrible scores never need see the light of day.

Score Choice Fast Facts:

Score Choice is optional and free
The new policy does not affect scores sent directly to students and their high schools; both will continue to receive all scores
To take advantage of the new policy, students simply select the test scores they want released according to the date the test was taken; If students DO NOT choose Score Choice, all of their test results will be sent to the schools specified as recipients
Once the program is launched, students can choose scores from earlier test dates, too
Only scores from an entire SAT test (Critical Reading, Writing and Mathematics) will be sent; students may not choose individual sections from different test sittings for release.
Students who choose to send all of their test scores can still do so at no charge
Students can also choose to release specific, individual SAT Subject Tests, rather than all of their Subject Tests

This is very good info.

One caveat:

Several of the more selective universities I work with are debating whether to "buy in" to this concept. These schools want to reserve the right to see the full range of scores. Other schools are content to let College Board do this aggregation for them because they we already taking the highest scores anyway. In the end it will be a campus-by-campus or board-by-board decision.

Hope this helps

 

[gardening1970]

Thanks very much for the clarification! So what's the concensus? Is it worth taking the SAT in the 10th grade or early 11th grade before the student has been exposed to all the higher math concepts he will learn by the end of the 11th grade? Is the experience worth the risk of a lower math score?

BTW - I took the SAT four times and fully appreciate that taking the test multiple times is beneficial.

Thanks to all who have input. This is a timely topic for my family.

 

[scooterbug44]

I think it really depends on your child's math level - it varies so much depending on curriculum. I believe the SAT only covers algebra and basic calculus and higher math knowledge is tested through the AP exam.

I would take it anyway - if only so you know.