Prepping/Scamming the Cogat

[Anonymous]

FCPS staff members chose to administer the custom form of the CogAT this year after it came to our attention that some students, in previous years, had prepared for the CogAT using the exact form of the CogAT being administered in FCPS.

What does using the "exact form" mean? If FCPS meas the test was leaked in advance and students had it then I understand their concern. But if exact form means "essay form" or "fill in the blanK form" or "multiple choice form" or "oral exam form" and in the course of studying and preparation students practised these forms then sounds like much ado about nothing -- in other words, more crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I actually did not miss the point. The parent tells us that the child did great on her own in school without extra tutors and missed TJ acceptance by a hair because she did not show "genuine interest" in math and science. I don't know why the parent put the words "genuine interest" in quotes, but it appears to indicate that the child did not have a true passion for math and science. If the child truly loved math and science, it would have been evident to her middle school teachers who would have written their strongest recommendations to the committee for this child. If the child was close to the edge of acceptance, then very strong recommendations would have put her over the top.
If the child is not passionate about math and science, telling the child to fake it to gain acceptance is wrong and does a disservice to the child and the child's classmates. It is no benefit to the child to be in an inappropriate learning situation. This child has a great chance to follow her true educational passions in her regular school, and that will benefit her in the long run.

And this thread really isn't about general academic enrichment for children, it is about second graders who are being taught specific test questions in advance that are supposed to be seen for the first time on test day.

Proove that children have the "specific test questions" in advance of the test. I have not heard of this. Hallucinating plenty today.

Here's the link:
http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/pdfs/FAQre2012CustomizedCogAT.pdf

And here is the pertinent quote from the document:
"FCPS staff members chose to administer the custom form of the CogAT this year after it came to our attention that some students, in previous years, had prepared for the CogAT using the exact form of the CogAT being administered in FCPS."

And, yes, test questions are exactly what these companies sell to parents. The point is to have the children do the questions over and over again so that when they take the FxAT or CoGAT, the questions are so familiar that the child answers easily without having to think much about it during the test itself. The test-prepped second-grader has been taught in advance how to answer the types of questions that will appear on the test.

[Anonymous]

I see on the other thread that Fairfax County has finally come out and said that studying exact tests ahead of time, otherwise known as test prep, is against policy and invalidates test results.

So the evil, scamming, cheating parents are now getting extract copies of the AAP tests in advanced. Wow. I did not know that the conspiracy ran so deep. I thought that scammers were just reviewing some practice questions that may be similar to questions that that will be on the actual AAP tests.

But instead the scammers actually have the exact questions. Truly impressive. No wonder some posters on this forum are so upset. And all this time, I thought that they were just being petty and pretentious.

[Anonymous]

Here's the link:
http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/pdfs/FAQre2012CustomizedCogAT.pdf

And here is the pertinent quote from the document:
"FCPS staff members chose to administer the custom form of the CogAT this year after it came to our attention that some students, in previous years, had prepared for the CogAT using the exact form of the CogAT being administered in FCPS."

And, yes, test questions are exactly what these companies sell to parents. The point is to have the children do the questions over and over again so that when they take the FxAT or CoGAT, the questions are so familiar that the child answers easily without having to think much about it during the test itself. The test-prepped second-grader has been taught in advance how to answer the types of questions that will appear on the test.

Do not beat around the bush.

Answer the question.

Was the CogAT test the kids used the same as was administered? Yes or No

No waffling, no defensiveness, no hedging. If not. Case closed.

[Anonymous]

So the evil, scamming, cheating parents are now getting extract copies of the AAP tests in advanced. Wow. I did not know that the conspiracy ran so deep. I thought that scammers were just reviewing some practice questions that may be similar to questions that that will be on the actual AAP tests.

But instead the scammers actually have the exact questions. Truly impressive. No wonder some posters on this forum are so upset. And all this time, I thought that they were just being petty and pretentious.

I would not leap to conclusions unless evidence is provided. So far, all we have here are spinsters speculating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Here's the link:
http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/pdfs/FAQre2012CustomizedCogAT.pdf

And here is the pertinent quote from the document:
"FCPS staff members chose to administer the custom form of the CogAT this year after it came to our attention that some students, in previous years, had prepared for the CogAT using the exact form of the CogAT being administered in FCPS."

And, yes, test questions are exactly what these companies sell to parents. The point is to have the children do the questions over and over again so that when they take the FxAT or CoGAT, the questions are so familiar that the child answers easily without having to think much about it during the test itself. The test-prepped second-grader has been taught in advance how to answer the types of questions that will appear on the test.

Do not beat around the bush.

Answer the question.

Was the CogAT test the kids used the same as was administered? Yes or No

No waffling, no defensiveness, no hedging. If not. Case closed.

I bolded the pertinent information from Fairfax County Public Schools.

Does it really seem that this poster is "beating around the bush"? If anything, the quoted post is very specific and on point.

[Anonymous]

It is not. It does not answer my original question. It simple confuses the issue. Were the questions the exact questions or not?

[Anonymous]

And here is the pertinent quote from the document:
"FCPS staff members chose to administer the custom form of the CogAT this year after it came to our attention that some students, in previous years, had prepared for the CogAT using the exact form of the CogAT being administered in FCPS."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Here's the link:
http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/pdfs/FAQre2012CustomizedCogAT.pdf

And here is the pertinent quote from the document:
"FCPS staff members chose to administer the custom form of the CogAT this year after it came to our attention that some students, in previous years, had prepared for the CogAT using the exact form of the CogAT being administered in FCPS."

And, yes, test questions are exactly what these companies sell to parents. The point is to have the children do the questions over and over again so that when they take the FxAT or CoGAT, the questions are so familiar that the child answers easily without having to think much about it during the test itself. The test-prepped second-grader has been taught in advance how to answer the types of questions that will appear on the test.

Do not beat around the bush.

Answer the question.

Was the CogAT test the kids used the same as was administered? Yes or No

No waffling, no defensiveness, no hedging. If not. Case closed.

There is nothing in the quote to say it was the exact test. It says it was the exact form. Form and substance are different, my friend.

[Anonymous]

And here is the pertinent quote from the document:
"FCPS staff members chose to administer the custom form of the CogAT this year after it came to our attention that some students, in previous years, had prepared for the CogAT using the exact form of the CogAT being administered in FCPS."

What does exact form mean?

Is this referring to the same questions?
Is this referring to the presentation (e.g., paper, pattern, video)?
How many "forms" of CogAT are there besides the "form" used in FCPS?

The statement raises more questions than it answers. I will await further details and not bow done to bureaucratic jargon.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like this is an issue with the testing company that fcps has contracted, more than a parent issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Here's the link:
http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/pdfs/FAQre2012CustomizedCogAT.pdf

And here is the pertinent quote from the document:
"FCPS staff members chose to administer the custom form of the CogAT this year after it came to our attention that some students, in previous years, had prepared for the CogAT using the exact form of the CogAT being administered in FCPS."

And, yes, test questions are exactly what these companies sell to parents. The point is to have the children do the questions over and over again so that when they take the FxAT or CoGAT, the questions are so familiar that the child answers easily without having to think much about it during the test itself. The test-prepped second-grader has been taught in advance how to answer the types of questions that will appear on the test.

Do not beat around the bush.

Answer the question.

Was the CogAT test the kids used the same as was administered? Yes or No

No waffling, no defensiveness, no hedging. If not. Case closed.

I bolded the pertinent information from Fairfax County Public Schools.

Does it really seem that this poster is "beating around the bush"? If anything, the quoted post is very specific and on point.

The link refers to the "exact form". Form is just a version. When my older DD took the CogAt several years ago, it was Form 6. Last year it was Form 7. It's just the version of the test. Nowhere do they say that the "exact questions" were available. That would be criminal and I would assume FCPS would pursue legal action against the commercial companies if that was the case.

[Anonymous]

There is nothing in the quote to say it was the exact test. It says it was the exact form. Form and substance are different, my friend.

Ah, finally someone gets it.

When I coach students preparing for exams (or sport) it's important to practice the form!!

SAT .... practise multiple choice material

Oral exam ... practise oral exam form (like for a job interview if this is difficult to understand)

Analogies ... practise analogy form (e.g., for those not understanding: Hot is to cold as Big is to small)

Spelling Bee ... practise spelling (oral not written)

Antonyms and synonyms ... practice this form

Polygons .... practise with shapes and forms




The moral of this story: we can all practise the form of a test, evaluation, exam without having the actual test in hand. This is not cheating. This is not immoral. We do it every day in all walks of life -- even the naysayers on this board.

It sounds like this is like quantum physics for dcum brainiacs.

The only message from the County report is all their "aptitude" tests they claim proudly measures fixed intelligence are bogus because if you train the brain (like muscle) you can improve intelligence (much like strength).

[Anonymous]

There are only so many ways to write these questions. When children practice questions from previous tests over and over again, they become quite familiar with the format of the test. Thus, when they encounter questions which will be similar to those they have been practicing they will be able to answer with very little thought.
One of the qualities the tests measure is how well a child can respond to a type of question they have never seen before. The test results are invalidated when the child has seen similar questions over and over again in practice situations.

[Anonymous]

There are only so many ways to write these questions. When children practice questions from previous tests over and over again, they become quite familiar with the format of the test. Thus, when they encounter questions which will be similar to those they have been practicing they will be able to answer with very little thought.
One of the qualities the tests measure is how well a child can respond to a type of question they have never seen before. The test results are invalidated when the child has seen similar questions over and over again in practice situations.

The tests are bogus period (as used by the County) because individuals with money and the right zip code have access to schools, teachers and tutors that prepare children for all these tests on a daily basis whether the test is scheduled next week or next year..