Prepping/Scamming the Cogat

[Anonymous]

It depends on how much it matters to you and your DC. If you really want DC to get in, prep. If not, don't. If you don't care "let nature take it course"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on how much it matters to you and your DC. If you really want DC to get in, prep. If not, don't. If you don't care "let nature take it course"

Let's cut the nonsense, shall we? No teacher has ever told parents not to prep their kids for school, not to make them do their homework, not to check their worksheets, etc. On the contrary, everyone, including teachers, AAP specialists, test administrators etc. have mentioned repeatedly not to prep kids for certain tests that are not designed to prep for. Get it? It's as simple as that.

And because of all of you who try to beat the system and prep your kids to death for everything, irrespectively of whether you should or not, FCPS had to change their testing practices in an effort to minimize the effect of prepping and trying to game the system... So, enough with the nonsense about "hard work" and "work ethic"! Prepping for tests which explicitly require "no prepping" constitutes cheating, not "work ethic".

[Anonymous]

I must have missed something, where does it say that prepping is "cheating"?

08:05 is right, if you don't care if you kid gets in, then don't prep. I did, and my summer birthday DC made the pool cutoff. I am glad I did as I cannot rely on Fairfax County's ability to make, administer, score, and send out in a timely manner a fair, age normalized test. My DC needed the extra prep to keep up with all the red shirts who benefited from their oversight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a question for those who believe that prepping is OK--especially those who believe it's actually the *right* thing to do:

Have you shared the fact that you prepped your child with your child's teacher and/or school administration? Your AAP teacher, if your child did get into the center?

If you haven't, why not?

I would happily share the fact that we prepped when the teacher and the AAP teacher share their methodology in scoring the GBRS. Our older DC made it in on appeal after easily making the pool with scores, having a perfect report card for two years (solid O's in all effort and material sections), excellent work samples, chess club/ranking and a strong showing at the state tournament, and mathnasium documentation that he was working at the 4th grade level in math in grade 2. He only scored a 9 on the GBRS.

Point is, as they see it is no business of mine to explain how they evaluate and arrived at the GBRS , I see no reason to share who we arrived at our scores and grades. By the way, my DC is doing great, is in the top math group out of 4 and loves the program, despite the lack of support from his base school's the AAP teacher and local school.

[Anonymous]

To those who think prepping is cheating, I would ask them to review the fcps aap link. "how can I prepare my child to take the tests?" Sample questions are practiced by students as part of the test preparation. Sample tests are not commercially available. The best test preparation is a good night sleep and healthy breakfast." I dont see where fcps says anything about prepping constitutes cheating. If fcps advised prepping, they would have lawsuits against them from less advantaged families who can't afford prepping and in the end fcps would probably be forced to subsidize the prepping cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a question for those who believe that prepping is OK--especially those who believe it's actually the *right* thing to do:

Have you shared the fact that you prepped your child with your child's teacher and/or school administration? Your AAP teacher, if your child did get into the center?

If you haven't, why not?

I would happily share the fact that we prepped when the teacher and the AAP teacher share their methodology in scoring the GBRS. Our older DC made it in on appeal after easily making the pool with scores, having a perfect report card for two years (solid O's in all effort and material sections), excellent work samples, chess club/ranking and a strong showing at the state tournament, and mathnasium documentation that he was working at the 4th grade level in math in grade 2. He only scored a 9 on the GBRS.

Point is, as they see it is no business of mine to explain how they evaluate and arrived at the GBRS , I see no reason to share who we arrived at our scores and grades. By the way, my DC is doing great, is in the top math group out of 4 and loves the program, despite the lack of support from his base school's the AAP teacher and local school.

This is crazy - if your child did not make it in, there is no way my child will get in. Sorry you had to go through an appeal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To those who think prepping is cheating, I would ask them to review the fcps aap link. "how can I prepare my child to take the tests?" Sample questions are practiced by students as part of the test preparation. Sample tests are not commercially available. The best test preparation is a good night sleep and healthy breakfast." I dont see where fcps says anything about prepping constitutes cheating. If fcps advised prepping, they would have lawsuits against them from less advantaged families who can't afford prepping and in the end fcps would probably be forced to subsidize the prepping cost.

But the system is already stacked against "less advantaged families" who cannot afford the $400 WISC that is the key to a successful appeal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here, students should not be prepped! They are then qualify for something they are not prepared for. We have students at my center that are inadequetly prepared. Struggling with reading and/or math and overall stressed and unhappy. Do yourself a favor and let the process take place naturally.

I knew my kids were smart.
I let them go through sample questions once.
Kids got Excellent scores 99% mostly on NNAT/CogAt.

One kid got a lousy GBRS from a teacher, and rejected at first round.
I let DC go through a sample test on WISC.
Got 140+ on WISC, and accepted.

Kids thriving in AAP and happy with no help.

[Anonymous]

Let's cut the nonsense, shall we? No teacher has ever told parents not to prep their kids for school, not to make them do their homework, not to check their worksheets, etc. On the contrary, everyone, including teachers, AAP specialists, test administrators etc. have mentioned repeatedly not to prep kids for certain tests that are not designed to prep for. Get it? It's as simple as that.

And because of all of you who try to beat the system and prep your kids to death for everything, irrespectively of whether you should or not, FCPS had to change their testing practices in an effort to minimize the effect of prepping and trying to game the system... So, enough with the nonsense about "hard work" and "work ethic"! Prepping for tests which explicitly require "no prepping" constitutes cheating, not "work ethic".

Let's cut the nonsense. Which scientists, statute, law or court claims prepping for tests constitute cheating? Sounds like a bunch of hens cackling about what they no nothing about because the principal or web site said so. No one here can produce any statutes, scientific data, laws forbiding parents to prepare their children for their school work and any tests (standard or non standard). Show us the laws and statutes not baseless evidence, hearsay, inneundo and anecdotes. The latter religion doesn't matter.

[Anonymous]

I knew my kids were smart.
I let them go through sample questions once.
Kids got Excellent scores 99% mostly on NNAT/CogAt.

One kid got a lousy GBRS from a teacher, and rejected at first round.
I let DC go through a sample test on WISC.
Got 140+ on WISC, and accepted.

Kids thriving in AAP and happy with no help.

Of course, and your naturally smart kids don't prep or study. Sarah, I have a bridge to sell you. PM off line.

[Anonymous]

PP:

1. Lucky you could afford the WISC., others cannot.

2. Lucky you knew to take the WISC, others parents who are disadvantaged or language deficient may not know the process.

3. Why did you cheat the system and buck the "natural" course of events through additional testing? The teachers know best, if they give your child a low GBRS, then obviously the all knowing system deemed them not worthy.

Don't delude yourself. YOU helped plenty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP:

1. Lucky you could afford the WISC., others cannot.

2. Lucky you knew to take the WISC, others parents who are disadvantaged or language deficient may not know the process.

3. Why did you cheat the system and buck the "natural" course of events through additional testing? The teachers know best, if they give your child a low GBRS, then obviously the all knowing system deemed them not worthy.

Don't delude yourself. YOU helped plenty.

In fact great points!!
That's just how much I can and am willing to do.
I thought if it requires extensive prepping for a kid to get into AAP, it's not worth it or rather not good for the kid.
The kid will be stressed and unhappy in AAP.
I let my kids go through sample test once at home, so that they are familiar with the types of questions.
If you want to blame me for cheating, go ahead. That's just the way I'm.
I would do it again and have my kids run through a sample test once.

Also more importantly, like you say I care about my kids education so that I got myself understand the AAP program and the process.
Spending $400 is the least I can do as a caring parent.

Totally disagree on the last point. Teachers don't know the best. They are not the subject matter experts.
That's why there's the appeal process and WISC score overturns GBRS.

The proof that I did the right thing and the teacher was wrong is that my kids are thriving and very happy in AAP with minimal guidance.

[Anonymous]

There are kids who study for weeks on end, foregoing playtime. Maybe you just reviewed the format, but others do a lot more.

As for all of the "work ethic" posters, I agree to an extent. Where we part company is the kids who have no downtime and are really pressured by their parents. I think if the child then doesn't measure up on the test, it could do some real damage. Modeling and encouraging hard work is a good thing, but it can be taken too far.

In all the AAP kids in my kids' classes, I have never met a single kid like that.

Most of the ones who have no time to play are the ones who are doing travel and highly competitive sports.

The others play all the time, including the handful that go to Kumon.

[Anonymous]

Umm, I'd consider this a cheating scandal, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/education/harvard-forced-dozens-to-leave-in-cheating-scandal.html?_r=0 and prepeping for the AAP not so much.

But keep screaching about it ad-nausium in threads like this and perhaps one day someone (err, anyone) outside of this forum will pay attention and those dirty nasty cheaters and scammers will get what they all deserve and all of their poor abused children will all be taken into protective services or something...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Umm, I'd consider this a cheating scandal, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/02/education/harvard-forced-dozens-to-leave-in-cheating-scandal.html?_r=0 and prepeping for the AAP not so much.

But keep screaching about it ad-nausium in threads like this and perhaps one day someone (err, anyone) outside of this forum will pay attention and those dirty nasty cheaters and scammers will get what they all deserve and all of their poor abused children will all be taken into protective services or something...

Hahaha!

Parents studying with their children...the nerve of them. How dare they! Cheaters, villains, all of them! A pox on their houses :roll: