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    #166088 08/31/13 05:22 AM
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    The College Board SAT site has for some time had a full practice test and a "question of the day" feature. They have recently added SAT Skills Insight http://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-skills-insight

    Quote
    Skills Insight helps you to recognize the skills you need to achieve your goals on the SAT.
    SAT Skills Insight is a free tool to help you get a score that really shows your abilities. It identifies the types of skills that are tested on the SAT with sample test questions so that you can do your best if you're taking the SAT for the first time, or if you got your SAT scores and are thinking, "I want to do better than that."
    If you have already taken the SAT (for real, or a practice test at home) you specify your score on one of the sections and are given questions in various topics that are at your level. A document describing what students at various score levels need to study is at http://sat.collegeboard.org/SAT/public/pdf/SkillsInsight_WEB.pdf .

    People disagree about whether students should prepare for tests used in talent searches. I favor at least some preparation and think Skills Insight could be a useful and interesting tool.



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    Yeah.... but....

    1995 study by Onwuegbuzie & Seaman, “The Effect of Time Constraints and Statistics Test Anxiety on Test Performance in a Statistics Course, concluded: “Both low- and high-anxious students performed better… under the untimed condition… However, the benefit of the untimed examination was greater for high-anxious students than for low-anxious students.”


    Pearson's examination of Timed assessment--2003
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    This demonstrates that procedures established by
    Pearson over the past 80 years for setting time limits have allowed adequate time for non-disabled students to complete the test without undue strain or errors owing to time pressure. More
    important, however, is the evidence that
    the allowance of extended times accommodates
    disabled students so that they may demonstr
    ate what they have learned while not unfairly
    inflating the scores of
    non-disabled students

    The tricky part is in the detail here-- HOW MUCH time? The problem is that the SAT uses time as a pressor in testing. Once you do that, you are now in a situation in which allowing time as an ACCOMMODATION can be used as unfair advantage. (Note that I don't say "is" an unfair advantage, because clearly it isn't for people who truly have disabling conditions which REQUIRE more time... but that it CAN be an unfair advantage, because the "fair" amount of extra time is that which produces "normative" time pressure... and the accommodations are not set up individually that way.)

    This is specific to the assessment instrument-- to determine what "adequate time" looks like, and then to decide whether you WANT to shift that time so that it becomes a selection factor in testing.

    Specifically (to the SAT, I mean):

    Disabling the SAT

    Quote
    Guidelines for administering norm-referenced tests such as the SAT are laid out in professional technical standards that testing companies follow. The leading authority in this regard is the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing developed jointly by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education. On the issue of flagging, the most relevant standard reads:

    When there is credible evidence of score comparability across regular and modified administrations, no flag should be attached to the score. When such evidence is lacking, specific information about the nature of the modification should be provided, if permitted by law, to assist test users properly to interpret and act on test scores.

    In other words, the standards require test administrators to note when a test has been taken under modified conditions unless there is “credible evidence” that the scores of students who took the test under standard and modified conditions are comparable–that is, that the scores carry the same meaning and weight. Historically, to comply with this requirement, the College Board and other testing companies have flagged results that were obtained under modified conditions such as extended time. This practice has long been considered legal under both case law and more than 25 years of guidance and rulings from the federal Office for Civil Rights. While the laws require reasonable accommodations for disabled individuals, they do not require fundamental alterations or the lowering of standards.

    Now, am I glad that my DD's SAT results are unflagged? You bet I am. But she also doesn't get any extra time, and you had better believe that she could get a 780-800 on every one of those sections every time if time were NOT a factor. Let me also note, here, that allowing a particular accommodation to be "chosen" by anyone, but noted as "modified" (as the author suggests as a solution to flagging) doesn't really solve the problem, either.

    Quote
    Notably, in the 2003 College Board study, Bridgeman and his associates acknowledged this reality, writing that if all students were given more time on the math portion of the SAT, “the pressure for students to get a sometimes questionable diagnosis in order to qualify for extra time would be substantially reduced.”

    The rates at which students receive testing accommodations also vary dramatically by zip code, with well-to-do, empowered parents being able to pressure the system into giving their children extra support. Is it fair for children of the wealthy to receive accommodations without consequences while poor children with undiagnosed learning disabilities languish under the rigors of a timed SAT? The panel majority encouraged the College Board to reach out proactively to disadvantaged students in order to inform them of their right to request accommodations, but the decision to end flagging certainly wasn’t made contingent on its happening.

    The Board’s decision to end flagging is likely to exacerbate these problems. Now that there is no consequence for taking the SAT with extra time, so-called diagnosis shopping will undoubtedly become even more common among the well heeled, who can afford the private psychologists and pricey lawyers. And what’s to stop them? School districts certainly don’t have any incentive to limit the number of students who take the SAT with extended time, since higher scores look good to parents, taxpayers, and real estate agents. Who will be the gatekeepers?

    Moreover, speed, whatever the College Board’s assertions, is an important factor in the SAT. In fact, students report that the hardest thing about the SAT is the speed at which they need to work in order to answer questions accurately and still try to finish. ETS’s own research shows that students perform better when given extra time.


    Yeah, this is kind of a sore spot with me.

    No, not because I'm thinking that students with disabilities are "getting unfair advantage." I know that THAT group is not...

    but I also know that the unscrupulous TigerParents out there have made it INCREDIBLY arduous and stressful to actually get accommodations from College Board when they ARE needed. Which is what MoN was saying also, I think. I don't blame them, though, for viewing application for extended time with a certain degree of cynicism...

    It's a matter of volume. They KNOW that some of the students applying for extra time are just seeking competitive advantage, not "a level playing field." And really, when the time IS part of the test, then what does a level playing field even MEAN??

    Right. Your options are: a) no extra time, b) time-and-a-half, or c) double time. That's it. Nondisabled students (and those who can't muster the considerable resources to apply successfully for accommodations) are stuck with A. On the other hand, students who could legitimately use, say.... 20% more time get... hmmm... to choose from three different but not fair options, one of which is unfairly disadvantaged... but the other two of which offer ADVANTAGE over non-disabled peers by providing testing time which is MORE generous than necessary.

    KWIM?

    Heaven help you if you need to test with accommodations NOT on the "menu." College Board simply hasn't got a clue WHAT to do with such students. Their answer instead is mostly to REJECT those applications for not choosing a "valid" (meaning proscribed) accommodation.

    Are you sure you wouldn't like extra time?

    What? No! I just need to be seated in an accessible room and have extra time at breaks so that I can access the restroom.

    Well, that's not one of the options. Do you mean that you'd like individual testing?

    Aughhhhhhhh...

    While that is not a real conversation, it sure COULD be, given our experience. My DD's actual written accommodations from CB require us to negotiate what she actually needs from the test site. Every.single.time. They don't even include the rather basic and obvious fact that she may NOT be seated for testing in a room that is used to prepare or consume food.


    Gaaaaa!!!!

    ________________________________________

    [/rant]


    Ahem.

    Yeah, I think that for most kids who qualify through talent searches, a few full-length practice tests to get used to the format and sheer stamina needed (at 8-14yo, that is DEFINITELY a factor with the SAT) are a good idea.

    Beyond that, it's prepping. I disagree with prepping. Others don't.








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    Originally Posted by HowlerKarma
    Yeah, I think that for most kids who qualify through talent searches, a few full-length practice tests to get used to the format and sheer stamina needed (at 8-14yo, that is DEFINITELY a factor with the SAT) are a good idea.

    Beyond that, it's prepping. I disagree with prepping. Others don't.
    There is a little point to doing a "few full-length practice tests" unless you look at what you missed and learn what you needed to know to answer the questions. That is "test preparation". Being realistic about your strengths and weaknesses and trying to fix the latter is an important skill not just for the SAT but for life.

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    I don't think that getting used to the test format and timing is truly "prepping". When middle kid took the SAT in 7th grade, she went through some practice problems and did one practice 25 minute CR section and one practice 25 minute math section (refused to look at writing). Eldest didn't want to take the ACT but I had signed her up. She did one practice test the week prior to the actual ACT - I think that is reasonable so that you know the test format and the timing of each section.

    As for accommodations, I have mixed feelings. Most kids would do better given a bit more time. I have an issue with kids who are scoring 2000+ without extra time, then they get extra time and score 2300+. If you are already scoring 90th percentile or above, I don't see why you should get more time. However, I know some kids who truly need the accommodation (for valid physical reasons), and I have no issue with that.

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    Originally Posted by HowlerKarma
    Yeah, I think that for most kids who qualify through talent searches, a few full-length practice tests to get used to the format and sheer stamina needed (at 8-14yo, that is DEFINITELY a factor with the SAT) are a good idea.

    Beyond that, it's prepping. I disagree with prepping. Others don't.

    My DS 14 qualified for the JHU~CTY Grand Ceremony last year with his SCAT & STB scores. Shockingly, he wanted to go get his medal. So we did. While there I talked to several other parents and all of them admitted to heavy prepping - tutors, SAT classes and whole regimens of practice tests.

    My DS14 took one practice test to get familiar with the format and length. He scored a 670 on the math portion as a 7th grader. I'm certain that if I subjected him to a punishing SAT prep that he would have achieved near perfect scores. However, I thought the point was to get an accurate measure against other gifted kids. Ugh.

    Last edited by CalvinsDad; 08/31/13 08:43 AM. Reason: forgot to list section

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    Having GAD is a major problem in taking tests. If your child has this, the best option is to consult with a psychologist/psychiatrist prior to taking the exam.

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    Bostonian, a "knowledge" test, I agree. On a "skills" basis, I also agree.

    On an aptitude test, however, being used as a proxy for IQ, I disagree.

    That is no different than "preparing" for the WISC.

    If the test subject has been groomed, the instrument loses some of its validity with respect to that particular purpose.


    For typical-age students taking the SAT for college admissions, different purpose. There, they are taking it to demonstrate aptitude for COLLEGE, not 'extraordinary ability relative to age-mates.'

    Ergo, practice exams and remediation of any underlying gaps = fine for students who will soon be applying to college. This is a body of material and a set of skills that the most capable of those students SHOULD have mastered.

    Different population when you look at talent searches. That's a demographic that inherently SHOULD be (mostly) naive with respect to the test vehicle.

    Prepping means that they aren't. It also favors families from higher SES who can afford/invest in such preparation.

    There's probably no clear dividing line on what constitutes "familiarizing" and what constitutes "coaching" here...

    but I stand by my assertion that actively "prepping" a child for a talent search (or IQ test, or testing into a GT program) is ethically questionable.




    Last edited by HowlerKarma; 08/31/13 09:03 AM.

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    Originally Posted by NotSoGifted
    As for accommodations, I have mixed feelings. Most kids would do better given a bit more time. I have an issue with kids who are scoring 2000+ without extra time, then they get extra time and score 2300+. If you are already scoring 90th percentile or above, I don't see why you should get more time. However, I know some kids who truly need the accommodation (for valid physical reasons), and I have no issue with that.

    Just to clarify, two students with comparable medical reasons are each entitled to appropriate accommodations, even if one is already scoring above the 90th percentile, correct?

    I first read your post as indicating the opposite for the already high-scoring student -- that he should not be eligible for accommodation if already scoring 2000+ on SAT, for example.


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    How about a 7th grader who has already taken geometry "competing" on the SAT against a 7th grader who has not? Does the first have an unfair advantage?

    Or the student who participates in AMC & similar math endeavors and is therefor exposed to problem solving strategies & practice that others are not? Unfair advantage?

    Or the student whose classroom teacher includes SAT mini-drills as part of the regular curriculum... unfair?

    If my child doesn't benefit from any of the above, yet curls up with a "test-prep" book of some sort, how is that any different?





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    I should clarify on the accommodations - if a student needs extra breaks to check blood sugar or needs extra time for a serious motor skill disability (knew a kid with a degenerative muscle issue), then I have no problem with that. If the kid gets extra time because they have an ADD diagnosis but they already can score 2000+ without that accommodation - then I have a problem with that.

    Speed figures into a lot of things later in life. My eldest knows a kid who wants to be a surgeon. This kid had a valid reason for extra time (and still was probably not 90th percentile, even with it), but there are just some professions and colleges that are not suitable for someone who needs extra time.

    No one gives my kids extra time to run to first base, because they are physically able to run there - it is just that they aren't that fast. Speed and agility class has helped them, just as SAT prep/practice might help a kid with test speed issues. We all have our limits and we need to recognize those limits. It can get to be a gray area as to which kid should qualify for accommodations, but there are some cases where it seems to provide an unfair advantage - especially since the SAT & ACT test scores are not flagged, so colleges don't know which kid benefited from extra time.

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