Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Identification, Testing & Assessment Keep or Purge 7th grade SAT scores?

I am debating whether to just let College Board purge my kids' 7th grade SAT scores or send a request to keep them. One kid already has very high scores (enough to apply to elite colleges) and the other kid has pretty high scores (around minimum DYS level). They don't plan on testing again until high school (around junior year).

The reasons I want to keep the scores are as follows: One kid has an 800 and there is no guarantee that he will score an 800 every time (he missed an 800 previously due to missing one question). Both kids will likely participate in dual enrollment (perhaps as early as 9th grade, which would have to be arranged in roughly one year) and having SAT scores will eliminate the need to be tested by the college. I am also thinking in case there are other programs/opportunities that use SAT scores.

The reasons I don't want to keep the scores are as follows: Both kids should get higher scores in four years' time. Even the higher scoring kid has room for improvement (mostly Language/Writing). Having these old SAT scores might suggest to certain people that my kids score well (assuming that will be the case) due to excessive prep from a young age. A College Board survey indicated that about half the students actively prep for the March SAT using Khan Academy - while my kids did not do so they did use two of the four available College Board practice tests.

Anyhow, what would you do?

I think I would keep the scores. I take what back: I did keep the scores. Here's why: you choose the test date scores that you want sent, right? Or is that only ACT?

It's been years since I took these but I thought the SAT was a test you could take as much as you want and then just report the highest scores?

Anyway I would lean towards keeping.

It is my understanding this is now or will soon be a moot point as P20W student data collection is expanding.

As the SAT has been revised and is now described as a predictor of college and career readiness and success, it matches the broad data descriptor #10 from the US DoE data collection factsheet dated 2009: Data on whether K-12 students are prepared to succeed in college. The factsheet also states this requirement: "The ability to share data from preschool through postsecondary education data systems."

This indicates that SAT scores would become part of the "comprehensive data systems... will capture data on students from one grade to the next", sharing the data with governments, researchers, and postsecondary institutions.

Regardless of whether parents decide to keep or strike SAT scores, these scores will already be recorded in other databases.

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The US DoE's 2009 data collection factsheet is archived on the WayBack Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20210809095250/https://www2.ed.gov/programs/slds/factsheet.html

Let's put it this way - I wouldn't really want my kids going to any college that would hold their 7th grade SAT scores against them. So I'd keep them.

I think it is up to the college which test scores you send. I know there are some schools that require all scores even if they do "superstore".

It is possible, for colleges that allow it, to only send scores from specific test dates, but I don't think it is possible to send just Math scores or just CR scores from one administration.

Of course, whether colleges can search for and locate your scores in a database or whether they will choose to do so are two different issues.

That's a valid point.