After-school programs such as the Russian School of Math (RSM)
http://www.russianschool.com/sat_results.html are producing some 7th-8th graders with high SAT math scores (average of 672 in their case). RSM is primarily about teaching math, not test prep (though there is not a bright line between those activities) , but many students who have been with RSM during elementary school are ready to do well on the SAT by 7th grade.
And I'm not knocking programs like RSM, or the other math prep programs out there. I would love to know, though, what percentage of award winners have done programs like RSM (or Khan Academy, or Kumon, or a computer class, etc) and what percentage are truly being instructed at grade level and are somehow able to make that leap.
I'm also NOT knocking the award winners at all or saying it's undeserved (especially since both my boys had scores at qualifying levels this year). I'm honestly just curious. For my ds12, who took the SAT through his school district, I've been talking to more parents since the results came out, and I was surprised at how many had bought SAT study guides.
And I don't think that's a bad thing - I bought those for my older kids and plan to buy them for my younger ones when they take it for real.
I think, for me, the difference is that way, way back when, when I was younger, the people who took talent search had never seen a test like that, had no prep, usually weren't getting any kind of enrichment (this was before it was such a big industry)... now, I think most kids taking it have had *some* kind of enrichment, if not necessarily prep. Back in my day, differentiation was unheard of - I was grade skipped when I was bored, but that was pretty much the end of it.
