Calm down about SSAT scores, everyone.

[Anonymous]

I think you should prep your kid to get the best score he or she can get, within reason. ie take the test twice and study. We did this, both our kids scores increased and they got in where they wanted. We don't know if they still would have gotten in with lower scores, but if they hadn't and I hadn't given them the opportunity to study/ improve their scores I would have felt terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, OP. Great perspective. However, my worry is actually WITH child who is in the extremely top tier on SSAT and with top grades at a strong school. Some may think him quirky or "superior" sounding. In reality, he's ASD and his growth area is on the social side. That means a school will have to be willing to take a chance on him.

People think the high performers on a test have it easy. They are still just kids with their own, very different, issues.

For above poster, how old is your child? For younger (elementary school age kids) finding the right fit is probably hardest. Of course each ASD kid is so different from the next, it is hard to generalize on the best fit but generally I believe you will have more options as he gets older. I would recommend you look at a variety of mainstream privates -- you can include the big X if you want but don't get hung up on those. There are plenty of other schools that can challenge a really smart kid. I would look for a place where he will not be singled out as much for his quirks and a culture of working with kids (and parents) to get the best outcomes. I would seek out a place where he will be less stressed while still challenged, and also a place where not everyone is a type A. If he shines a bit more academically to offset a social deficit that will likely breed more confidence and less stress. And that will be far more important for college and for the rest of his life than the brand name of his high school. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you should prep your kid to get the best score he or she can get, within reason. ie take the test twice and study. We did this, both our kids scores increased and they got in where they wanted. We don't know if they still would have gotten in with lower scores, but if they hadn't and I hadn't given them the opportunity to study/ improve their scores I would have felt terrible.

At what score would you decide it isn't worth it to take it twice, even if the kid didn't prep?

[Anonymous]

The scores don't go up significantly. DD took it twice and percentiles didn't move up much. I would say if your DC got above 70th percentile I would stop. It may go up 4 percentile points and that isn't going to make a huge impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you should prep your kid to get the best score he or she can get, within reason. ie take the test twice and study. We did this, both our kids scores increased and they got in where they wanted. We don't know if they still would have gotten in with lower scores, but if they hadn't and I hadn't given them the opportunity to study/ improve their scores I would have felt terrible.

At what score would you decide it isn't worth it to take it twice, even if the kid didn't prep?

It depends on which schools you're interested in. If it's Sidwell, I'd try to get above 70%. If it's Field, anything about 40% is probably fine - they just care less about the tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, OP. Great perspective. However, my worry is actually WITH child who is in the extremely top tier on SSAT and with top grades at a strong school. Some may think him quirky or "superior" sounding. In reality, he's ASD and his growth area is on the social side. That means a school will have to be willing to take a chance on him.

People think the high performers on a test have it easy. They are still just kids with their own, very different, issues.

For above poster, how old is your child? For younger (elementary school age kids) finding the right fit is probably hardest. Of course each ASD kid is so different from the next, it is hard to generalize on the best fit but generally I believe you will have more options as he gets older. I would recommend you look at a variety of mainstream privates -- you can include the big X if you want but don't get hung up on those. There are plenty of other schools that can challenge a really smart kid. I would look for a place where he will not be singled out as much for his quirks and a culture of working with kids (and parents) to get the best outcomes. I would seek out a place where he will be less stressed while still challenged, and also a place where not everyone is a type A. If he shines a bit more academically to offset a social deficit that will likely breed more confidence and less stress. And that will be far more important for college and for the rest of his life than the brand name of his high school. Good luck.

Thanks PP. Looking at high schools. Did find one mainstream private that seemed like a good fit, but his interview was mediocre there. One of his quirks is that he wants a super advanced math curriculum. That limits things down tremendously.