Perfect ACT Score

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, my kid who got crappy education from crappy MCPS did better than your kid - 36/15 APs all 4s and 5s. What does that say about about your private school education OP?

I realize OP was obnoxious about private school, but these comparisons are everything that is wrong with the college admissions arms race. goo luck to your kid. They are going to need it in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, my kid who got crappy education from crappy MCPS did better than your kid - 36/15 APs all 4s and 5s. What does that say about about your private school education OP?

I realize OP was obnoxious about private school, but these comparisons are everything that is wrong with the college admissions arms race. goo luck to your kid. They are going to need it in life.

They are fine but thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, retaking the test with 35 to get 36 may actually do more damage at the process of application. My kid with the score 34 and 4.0/4.4 GPA got to several IVYs and few other highly competitive colleges.

Colleges will see how many times your kid took the test, and they will see all his scores. Seeing a kid retaking from 35 to 36 may raise some eyebrows, and they might assume the kid got some issues.

Thank you for the great insight. Signed OP

I suppose that you are being sarcastic, although I can't be sure. The PP's comment actually did provide two insights. One, a 36 isn't necessarily any more worthwhile than a 35, or even a 34. Two, taking the test after getting a 35 may seem nuts to some people, including admission officers.

Don't ask for advice if you aren't willing to listen to it without responding with sarcastic comments.

Here is my advice: Dial it down and take it easy. I am concerned that the vibes that you (and indirectly your husband) are giving to the readers in this forum you are also giving to your son. The vibes do not seem healthy.

OP here. It was not sarcastic. Your input is valuable and sensible. What nobody seems to recall is that my original post stated that I do not agree with retesting. I did point out the grade inflation issue because you just can’t compare many private students’ courseload with public students. The offerings and cultures are starkly different in many cases. Sorry for those who took offense, because it was not meant to be so. I was really hoping to see more posts like yours.

I also agree that my DH needs to dial down. He is obsessed with test scores. I can’t talk sense in him because he is so adamant on this. And this is someone who is generally laid back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, my kid who got crappy education from crappy MCPS did better than your kid - 36/15 APs all 4s and 5s. What does that say about about your private school education OP?

Um, you do realize that MCPS grade inflates though, correct? They also offer AP’s earlier than any other district in the hope to bump their scores.

Most kids that do well in MCPS that actually do well with test taking had outside help. It isn’t like the school really was so great. No different than mine in MCPS elementary. The only kids doing well have parents supplementing at home. The rest of the kids are the bottom of the achievement gap and MCPS doesn’t have a clue how to actually teach those kids.

Why did MVPS get rid of exams again?

I am going to clear up some misleading info here.

It is misleading to say they got rid of exams. They went to quarter, not semester exams. Regardless, the second quarter exams can't help but be cumulative because they build on earlier material. This is the way I conduct my courses as a professor, as well. We have a midterm, and then a final which is weighted toward the second half of the semester (the quarter), but obviously has to draw on earlier material.

My understanding of why there are so many APs is because we have 500-600 kids in each high school grade in each high school. Out of those huge numbers, there are going to be kids who are ready to take APs earlier. If you have been through the high schools, you also know that AP allowances at younger grades have shrunk.

Our experience has been that the students who generally have tutors are kids who are in on-level or below. This mirrors a post on here from not too long ago that quoted Sylvan and one other tutoring center. A larger portion of their clients come from private schools.

Comparing the big districts to individual private schools is ridiculous anyway if only because of the relative sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, my kid who got crappy education from crappy MCPS did better than your kid - 36/15 APs all 4s and 5s. What does that say about about your private school education OP?

Um, you do realize that MCPS grade inflates though, correct? They also offer AP’s earlier than any other district in the hope to bump their scores.

Most kids that do well in MCPS that actually do well with test taking had outside help. It isn’t like the school really was so great. No different than mine in MCPS elementary. The only kids doing well have parents supplementing at home. The rest of the kids are the bottom of the achievement gap and MCPS doesn’t have a clue how to actually teach those kids.

Why did MVPS get rid of exams again?

I am going to clear up some misleading info here.

It is misleading to say they got rid of exams. They went to quarter, not semester exams. Regardless, the second quarter exams can't help but be cumulative because they build on earlier material. This is the way I conduct my courses as a professor, as well. We have a midterm, and then a final which is weighted toward the second half of the semester (the quarter), but obviously has to draw on earlier material.

My understanding of why there are so many APs is because we have 500-600 kids in each high school grade in each high school. Out of those huge numbers, there are going to be kids who are ready to take APs earlier. If you have been through the high schools, you also know that AP allowances at younger grades have shrunk.

Our experience has been that the students who generally have tutors are kids who are in on-level or below. This mirrors a post on here from not too long ago that quoted Sylvan and one other tutoring center. A larger portion of their clients come from private schools.

Comparing the big districts to individual private schools is ridiculous anyway if only because of the relative sizes.

OK, so how are those quarterly exams weighted in the student's grade? At my DC's private, the mid term and final exams are worth 1/3 of the semester grade.

[Anonymous]

OP, with her "everyone knows," doesn't seem to know much herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, my kid who got crappy education from crappy MCPS did better than your kid - 36/15 APs all 4s and 5s. What does that say about about your private school education OP?

I realize OP was obnoxious about private school, but these comparisons are everything that is wrong with the college admissions arms race. goo luck to your kid. They are going to need it in life.

An obx post brings out obx replies. If you read OP's follow up posts, you know she is an obx person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS who is a junior took the ACT yesterday. Prior to taking the test, he had been tracking on his mock tests at 35-36. Hoping to see him get a perfect score or 35.

DH thinks if he gets 35 that he should try again for 36. I disagree because why?

Is there any reason to do this? His grades are excellent (3.89 unweighted GPA), but his rigor is not strong enough for likely admission to top 20 (only 2 APs and 2 honors this year). He is at a private...not a public where there are APs galore and inflated grades. Next year he plans to take 4 or 5 APs.

DH seems to think the perfect score will be significant and help the fact that he wasn't one of those students that took each and every AP available to him. I don't think so, but thought I would put it out there to get some opinions.

You're a jerk, OP.

+1
My child is at a FCPS public school and if anything, the grades are deflated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hope the kid is nicer than the parents. Both parents sound insufferable.

+1

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm an MCPS parent and I did not take your post amiss -- I just figured you were employing a short-hand way of putting your kid's stats in context, Here's what I think. A 35 means the kid could easily have scored a 36, depending on the day. But if he takes the test again and gets a 34 or 33, now, he looks like a kid who can't really score a 36. So the downside to taking the test again is too great, with little upside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone here is pathetic. Both sides. Your kids would be so embarrassed of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone here is pathetic. Both sides. Your kids would be so embarrassed of you.

+1

vir·tue sig·nal·ing
noun
noun: virtue signalling; noun: virtue signaling

the action or practice of publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one's good character or the moral correctness of one's position on a particular issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone here is pathetic. Both sides. Your kids would be so embarrassed of you.

+1

vir·tue sig·nal·ing
noun
noun: virtue signalling; noun: virtue signaling

the action or practice of publicly expressing opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one's good character or the moral correctness of one's position on a particular issue.

ho·li·er-than-thou

adjective
characterized by an attitude of moral superiority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm an MCPS parent and I did not take your post amiss -- I just figured you were employing a short-hand way of putting your kid's stats in context, Here's what I think. A 35 means the kid could easily have scored a 36, depending on the day. But if he takes the test again and gets a 34 or 33, now, he looks like a kid who can't really score a 36. So the downside to taking the test again is too great, with little upside.

Another excellent post with good advice. Thank you for this!! Signed OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, my kid who got crappy education from crappy MCPS did better than your kid - 36/15 APs all 4s and 5s. What does that say about about your private school education OP?

Um, you do realize that MCPS grade inflates though, correct? They also offer AP’s earlier than any other district in the hope to bump their scores.

Most kids that do well in MCPS that actually do well with test taking had outside help. It isn’t like the school really was so great. No different than mine in MCPS elementary. The only kids doing well have parents supplementing at home. The rest of the kids are the bottom of the achievement gap and MCPS doesn’t have a clue how to actually teach those kids.

Why did MVPS get rid of exams again?

I am going to clear up some misleading info here.

It is misleading to say they got rid of exams. They went to quarter, not semester exams. Regardless, the second quarter exams can't help but be cumulative because they build on earlier material. This is the way I conduct my courses as a professor, as well. We have a midterm, and then a final which is weighted toward the second half of the semester (the quarter), but obviously has to draw on earlier material.

My understanding of why there are so many APs is because we have 500-600 kids in each high school grade in each high school. Out of those huge numbers, there are going to be kids who are ready to take APs earlier. If you have been through the high schools, you also know that AP allowances at younger grades have shrunk.

Our experience has been that the students who generally have tutors are kids who are in on-level or below. This mirrors a post on here from not too long ago that quoted Sylvan and one other tutoring center. A larger portion of their clients come from private schools.

Comparing the big districts to individual private schools is ridiculous anyway if only because of the relative sizes.

Would agree with the PP on the subject of exams. I was worried about this but the quarterly big cumulative tests are quite rigorous. The biggest problem is that since there is no official final exam they often have big deadlines during exam week including papers and projects