Another perspective on “prepping” from a lower income mom

[Anonymous]

Every test instrument is vulnerable to prepping.

Everything in life, not just test instruments, is susceptible to prepping. Being prepared is a virtue (so says the old Scout motto, anyway). I try to be prepared for everything I encounter - tests in courses I'm taking, assessment tests, job interviews, volunteer projects, etc. - especially if there is anything riding on the results. The idea that prepping is wrong in any way is absurd.

In this particular case, FCPS announces what tests they're offering and has their own teachers prep the students in advance. As such, supplementing that preparation with additional preparation can't possibly constitute cheating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since when does America have to apologize for educating its next generation, and to whom?

Cheating is rampant, across grade levels. You must be proud.

I'm not.

Do you have any proof for this or it’s just anecdotal?

I don’t think there’s much cheating in elementary grades.

[Anonymous]

Hey not to sidetrack the thread, but I’m kind of new to all of this. I have a 3rd grader that I think is really smart in math only. We are in Loudoun county. Does Loudoun county have AAP programs? Would teachers have already identified my kid if he qualified?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Every test instrument is vulnerable to prepping.

Everything in life, not just test instruments, is susceptible to prepping. Being prepared is a virtue (so says the old Scout motto, anyway). I try to be prepared for everything I encounter - tests in courses I'm taking, assessment tests, job interviews, volunteer projects, etc. - especially if there is anything riding on the results. The idea that prepping is wrong in any way is absurd.

In this particular case, FCPS announces what tests they're offering and has their own teachers prep the students in advance. As such, supplementing that preparation with additional preparation can't possibly constitute cheating.

The teachers aren’t prepping the students, they’re going over directions and a couple sample questions to ensure the students understand the format of the test. They aren’t handing out full sample tests and drilling the kids on questions. This test is designed to be accurate when seen for the first time. Just like a WISC is no longer valid if given twice w/in a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Every test instrument is vulnerable to prepping.

Everything in life, not just test instruments, is susceptible to prepping. Being prepared is a virtue (so says the old Scout motto, anyway). I try to be prepared for everything I encounter - tests in courses I'm taking, assessment tests, job interviews, volunteer projects, etc. - especially if there is anything riding on the results. The idea that prepping is wrong in any way is absurd.

In this particular case, FCPS announces what tests they're offering and has their own teachers prep the students in advance. As such, supplementing that preparation with additional preparation can't possibly constitute cheating.

The teachers aren’t prepping the students, they’re going over directions and a couple sample questions to ensure the students understand the format of the test. They aren’t handing out full sample tests and drilling the kids on questions. This test is designed to be accurate when seen for the first time. Just like a WISC is no longer valid if given twice w/in a year.

Here’s the wisc manual:
http://downloads.pearsonclinical.com/images/Assets/WISC-V/WISC-V-Tech-Manual-Supplement.pdf

Can you point to how you decided that prepping is cheating, or that reviewing questions invalidates the study?

[Anonymous]

Guidance on retesting:

https://support.pearson.com/usclinical/s/article/Clinical-Customer-Support-Test-Retest-Minimum-Time-Advice

Note that prepping is not taking the test over and over to exhaust the bank of questions. Prepping is taking “like” tests based on the interpretation of a third party on what concepts and format are relevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guidance on retesting:

https://support.pearson.com/usclinical/s/article/Clinical-Customer-Support-Test-Retest-Minimum-Time-Advice

Note that prepping is not taking the test over and over to exhaust the bank of questions. Prepping is taking “like” tests based on the interpretation of a third party on what concepts and format are relevant.

Right. This applies to enrolling at testing sites that “prep” AND going through practice tests w/ parents to understand why the right answer is correct and learning to apply that concept to other similar questions. It’s not how their brain actually interprets the question to arrive at the answer un-coached. That’s what this test is intended to show.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guidance on retesting:

https://support.pearson.com/usclinical/s/article/Clinical-Customer-Support-Test-Retest-Minimum-Time-Advice

Note that prepping is not taking the test over and over to exhaust the bank of questions. Prepping is taking “like” tests based on the interpretation of a third party on what concepts and format are relevant.

Right. This applies to enrolling at testing sites that “prep” AND going through practice tests w/ parents to understand why the right answer is correct and learning to apply that concept to other similar questions. It’s not how their brain actually interprets the question to arrive at the answer un-coached. That’s what this test is intended to show.

No, you are making this up. The question is testing the understanding of the concept, regardless of how that knowledge was acquired. You are actually making the case that prepping is an educational service since they explain the why and how to apply it. That’s how regular school instruction works too, the only difference is the content of the lessons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guidance on retesting:

https://support.pearson.com/usclinical/s/article/Clinical-Customer-Support-Test-Retest-Minimum-Time-Advice

Note that prepping is not taking the test over and over to exhaust the bank of questions. Prepping is taking “like” tests based on the interpretation of a third party on what concepts and format are relevant.

Right. This applies to enrolling at testing sites that “prep” AND going through practice tests w/ parents to understand why the right answer is correct and learning to apply that concept to other similar questions. It’s not how their brain actually interprets the question to arrive at the answer un-coached. That’s what this test is intended to show.

So now you’re an expert on how brain interprets questions!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guidance on retesting:

https://support.pearson.com/usclinical/s/article/Clinical-Customer-Support-Test-Retest-Minimum-Time-Advice

Note that prepping is not taking the test over and over to exhaust the bank of questions. Prepping is taking “like” tests based on the interpretation of a third party on what concepts and format are relevant.

Right. This applies to enrolling at testing sites that “prep” AND going through practice tests w/ parents to understand why the right answer is correct and learning to apply that concept to other similar questions. It’s not how their brain actually interprets the question to arrive at the answer un-coached. That’s what this test is intended to show.

So now you’re an expert on how brain interprets questions!

No, I have a basic understanding of how aptitude tests work, which quite a number of you are clearly lacking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guidance on retesting:

https://support.pearson.com/usclinical/s/article/Clinical-Customer-Support-Test-Retest-Minimum-Time-Advice

Note that prepping is not taking the test over and over to exhaust the bank of questions. Prepping is taking “like” tests based on the interpretation of a third party on what concepts and format are relevant.

Right. This applies to enrolling at testing sites that “prep” AND going through practice tests w/ parents to understand why the right answer is correct and learning to apply that concept to other similar questions. It’s not how their brain actually interprets the question to arrive at the answer un-coached. That’s what this test is intended to show.

So now you’re an expert on how brain interprets questions!

No, I have a basic understanding of how aptitude tests work, which quite a number of you are clearly lacking.

It’s very basic, that’s for sure!

Although you claim to know how brain interprets questions, the intent of the test, the retesting validity and so on. I’m wondering what your credentials are that make your expertise so relevant.

Prepping does increase the scores, some of it from being familiar with the format, some from actually having a better understanding of the concept through learning. None constitute cheating. Take for example sorting based on a characteristic, you seem to be fine if this is learned at home using legos, but it’s a big no-no if the student explores sorting through a paid third party service that may be designed to match typical wisc sorting questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guidance on retesting:

https://support.pearson.com/usclinical/s/article/Clinical-Customer-Support-Test-Retest-Minimum-Time-Advice

Note that prepping is not taking the test over and over to exhaust the bank of questions. Prepping is taking “like” tests based on the interpretation of a third party on what concepts and format are relevant.

Right. This applies to enrolling at testing sites that “prep” AND going through practice tests w/ parents to understand why the right answer is correct and learning to apply that concept to other similar questions. It’s not how their brain actually interprets the question to arrive at the answer un-coached. That’s what this test is intended to show.

So now you’re an expert on how brain interprets questions!

No, I have a basic understanding of how aptitude tests work, which quite a number of you are clearly lacking.

It’s very basic, that’s for sure!

Although you claim to know how brain interprets questions, the intent of the test, the retesting validity and so on. I’m wondering what your credentials are that make your expertise so relevant.

Prepping does increase the scores, some of it from being familiar with the format, some from actually having a better understanding of the concept through learning. None constitute cheating. Take for example sorting based on a characteristic, you seem to be fine if this is learned at home using legos, but it’s a big no-no if the student explores sorting through a paid third party service that may be designed to match typical wisc sorting questions.

You are free to cheat as much as your conscience allows. There's no honor system for the Cogat test. Which is why FCPS ignores high scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey not to sidetrack the thread, but I’m kind of new to all of this. I have a 3rd grader that I think is really smart in math only. We are in Loudoun county. Does Loudoun county have AAP programs? Would teachers have already identified my kid if he qualified?

Loudoun has Futura starting in 4th grade, that you will apply for in a few months. It is I think once a week, sometimes bused to other schools. This continues to Spectrum in middle school. I'm not sure , but I don't think it is comparable to AAP, and it doesn't do advanced curriculum but something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guidance on retesting:

https://support.pearson.com/usclinical/s/article/Clinical-Customer-Support-Test-Retest-Minimum-Time-Advice

Note that prepping is not taking the test over and over to exhaust the bank of questions. Prepping is taking “like” tests based on the interpretation of a third party on what concepts and format are relevant.

Right. This applies to enrolling at testing sites that “prep” AND going through practice tests w/ parents to understand why the right answer is correct and learning to apply that concept to other similar questions. It’s not how their brain actually interprets the question to arrive at the answer un-coached. That’s what this test is intended to show.

So now you’re an expert on how brain interprets questions!

No, I have a basic understanding of how aptitude tests work, which quite a number of you are clearly lacking.

It’s very basic, that’s for sure!

Although you claim to know how brain interprets questions, the intent of the test, the retesting validity and so on. I’m wondering what your credentials are that make your expertise so relevant.

Prepping does increase the scores, some of it from being familiar with the format, some from actually having a better understanding of the concept through learning. None constitute cheating. Take for example sorting based on a characteristic, you seem to be fine if this is learned at home using legos, but it’s a big no-no if the student explores sorting through a paid third party service that may be designed to match typical wisc sorting questions.

You are free to cheat as much as your conscience allows. There's no honor system for the Cogat test. Which is why FCPS ignores high scores.

I don't plan to take a cogat test any time soon. Feel free to justify for yourself that any high score is the direct result of cheating, because, of course, that's the only way anyone can score higher than your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Guidance on retesting:

https://support.pearson.com/usclinical/s/article/Clinical-Customer-Support-Test-Retest-Minimum-Time-Advice

Note that prepping is not taking the test over and over to exhaust the bank of questions. Prepping is taking “like” tests based on the interpretation of a third party on what concepts and format are relevant.

Right. This applies to enrolling at testing sites that “prep” AND going through practice tests w/ parents to understand why the right answer is correct and learning to apply that concept to other similar questions. It’s not how their brain actually interprets the question to arrive at the answer un-coached. That’s what this test is intended to show.

So now you’re an expert on how brain interprets questions!

No, I have a basic understanding of how aptitude tests work, which quite a number of you are clearly lacking.

It’s very basic, that’s for sure!

Although you claim to know how brain interprets questions, the intent of the test, the retesting validity and so on. I’m wondering what your credentials are that make your expertise so relevant.

Prepping does increase the scores, some of it from being familiar with the format, some from actually having a better understanding of the concept through learning. None constitute cheating. Take for example sorting based on a characteristic, you seem to be fine if this is learned at home using legos, but it’s a big no-no if the student explores sorting through a paid third party service that may be designed to match typical wisc sorting questions.

You are free to cheat as much as your conscience allows. There's no honor system for the Cogat test. Which is why FCPS ignores high scores.

I don't plan to take a cogat test any time soon. Feel free to justify for yourself that any high score is the direct result of cheating, because, of course, that's the only way anyone can score higher than your child.

I’m a different poster. Stop being obtuse. You prepped your kid for the test bc you knew it would artificially raise their score, which is the boost you clearly felt they needed to get in, otherwise you wouldn’t have done it. I didn’t prep my kid bc I knew they didn’t need to cheat to get in. I also don’t know or care what anyone else’s kid scored compared to mine. I do care that ppl are muddying the entire selection process by artificially raising scores through prep.