Prepping/Scamming the Cogat

[Anonymous]

No angst here, but others appear to have drunk the Koolaid that says the test prep can make any difference in the long run.

Chance favors the prepared mind ... in the short and long run. Discipline, hard work and test prep is the best investment in the short and long run. All else is a gamble. Fools gamble.

[Anonymous]

Haha, how many times is "test prep" going to be compared to general preparation for life?

"Test prep" is very different and has been defined many times here, and is what is being discussed, not whether kids should study and work hard.

[Anonymous]

Here is an excerpt from a lawsuit filed against the test prep company by the publishers of the cogat test. Specifically mentions fairfax county.

Riverside's evidence of irreparable harm is meager. According to Riverside, Mercer's previous practice exams were so similar to the CogAT that Riverside's customers perceived that the integrity of the exam had been compromised. The sole evidence of this harm, however, comes in a single paragraph of the declaration of Tracey Barrett, a Riverside vice-president. She declares that "Riverside received complaints from several school district customers regarding extensive similarities between [Mercer's] practice exams and Riverside's CogAT exams." Barrett Decl. ¶ 4. The sole example she provides is that an unnamed person or persons at Virginia's Fairfax County Public School District "complained that Mercer's practice exams were strikingly similar to Riverside's exams," and that it "belie[ved] that Mercer's practice exams defeated the integrity of Riverside's CogAT exams." Id. Riverside provided no evidence from anyone at the Fairfax school district or any other school district. Ms. Barrett states that "several" customers had similar complaints, but there is no evidence of how many, and there is no evidence of how many customers had no complaints. Moreover, the evidence shows that Mercer has continued to publish the practice exams it submitted in 2009, with minimal changes due to Riverside's objections. Despite the widespread availability of those exams for at least several years, Riverside has no evidence that it has lost a single customer because of the belief that the Mercer practice exams compromise the integrity of the CogAT.

[Anonymous]

Yes, people earlier on this thread suggested checking with the school AART about the specific materials parents are planning on using with their children. It's a good idea, but apparently people don't really want to know what is and isn't okay to use according to FCPS.

Some of us use our own brain to educate our children. No need to buy any materials GoCAT or hire tutors or fancy test prep centers. A number 2 Pencil and blank white paper will suffice to train any monkey for GoCAT. I can do this the night before or over hot chocolate years before.

This is not rocket science.

[Anonymous]

Here is what is being discussed in this thread:

Anonymous wrote:

It all depends on the definition of prepping. from the FAQ @http://www.fcps.edu/is/aap/pdfs/FAQre2012CustomizedCogAT.pdf : "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."

That tells me FCPS considers that type of "prep" cheating and unethical.


Oh, please! Would it be better if I said that kids who have to prep for these tests really aren't that bright?


There is absolutely nothing on this thread whatsoever to support your contention that FCPS considers prepping for the CogAt to be cheating, scamming, unethical or discourages it in any way.

I have bolded the the statement that FCPS changed the second grade test because some students had been prepared inappropriately. Despite the protests of some, it is actually written in plain and clear English. The only way this is difficult to understand is if the reader is refusing to understand because it is not what he or she wants to hear and not what he or she wants others to hear.

It is as though some readers have put their fingers in their ears and are chanting, "Nah, nah, nah, I can't hear you, I can't hear you!"

[Anonymous]

21:02- citation with link please?

[Anonymous]

I think having learned and intelligent parents who care about education and prepare their children on a daily basis for the ennui or rigor of any test is frankly cheating. These adults and their children are cheaters since they prepare their children for school work, tests and exams. This is not fair. It's illegal, unethical and cheating. Test prep using parental neuronal material should be banned.

[Anonymous]

Haha, how many times is "test prep" going to be compared to general preparation for life?

"Test prep" is very different and has been defined many times here, and is what is being discussed, not whether kids should study and work hard.

How many FCPS students use the actual test to "test prep"?

[Anonymous]

No one has a problem with people educating their children with their own brain. I educated my children with my own brain from the moment they were born, but I never needed to drill them on questions that were just like the ones they'd see on a second grade test. One is at TJ now without ever needing "test prep."

These tests are constructed so that smart kids will do well on them without the need for "test prep."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:21:02- citation with link please?

Here is a link to the full case

http://wa.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.20110804_0001768.WWA.htm/qx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Haha, how many times is "test prep" going to be compared to general preparation for life?

"Test prep" is very different and has been defined many times here, and is what is being discussed, not whether kids should study and work hard.

How many FCPS students use the actual test to "test prep"?

You do understand. don't you, that a sample test does not need to be the "actual test" to be so close to the actual test that it's use is not quite ethical?

[Anonymous]

No one has a problem with people educating their children with their own brain. I educated my children with my own brain from the moment they were born,

but I never needed to drill them on questions that were just like the ones they'd see on a second grade test.

One is at TJ now without ever needing "test prep."

These tests are constructed so that smart kids will do well on them without the need for "test prep."

You and your children clearly have better brains. I needed to drill my kids with my brain in elementary school for these tests including geo bee and spelling bee. I know you are against repetition and drilling. Since my kids always took home the prize all the repetition and drilling over elementary school tests was cheating. They know precisely what Phelps and Woods learned at a young age about focus and preparation for the long haul.

I will turn myself in to the FCPS authorities for using test prep material and place my brain in formaldehyde.

If smart kids do well (like yours) without "test prep" why all the fuss over dumb kids who "test prep"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't that the company that has a selling plan that involves getting parents to sell to other parents?

There is no mention of this on their website. More Urban Myth methinks.

Yes, there is.

Not urban myth at all, right there on the we site, They call it their "affiliate" program. So you can make a little money by talking up these material among your friends and neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

No one has a problem with people educating their children with their own brain. I educated my children with my own brain from the moment they were born,

but I never needed to drill them on questions that were just like the ones they'd see on a second grade test.

One is at TJ now without ever needing "test prep."

These tests are constructed so that smart kids will do well on them without the need for "test prep."

You and your children clearly have better brains. I needed to drill my kids with my brain in elementary school for these tests including geo bee and spelling bee. I know you are against repetition and drilling. Since my kids always took home the prize all the repetition and drilling over elementary school tests was cheating. They know precisely what Phelps and Woods learned at a young age about focus and preparation for the long haul.

I will turn myself in to the FCPS authorities for using test prep material and place my brain in formaldehyde.

If smart kids do well (like yours) without "test prep" why all the fuss over dumb kids who "test prep"?

No problem with repetition and drill, just a problem with using materials that are not considered appropriate by the school district.

And the fuss is just because I and many others value honesty and feel that it is an important trait to model for our children.

[Anonymous]

You do understand. don't you, that a sample test does not need to be the "actual test" to be so close to the actual test that it's use is not quite ethical?

The sample tests and drills came from my creative brain? It's hard for me to shut my brain down when interacting with my children. We discuss myriads of topics and problems from many vantage points and perspectives.

Is this an ethical breach when my kids come home and tell me my exercises with them prepared them for most tests they have ever taken in school...down to the topic material most of the time. I am sure I am not alone as a parent, like others, who have already gone to school and have a good idea what will be on an English, Math, Science, History, or Reading exam. Many parents are well versed in classic literature, basic math and sciences to guide their children without the need for the mysterious "materials" and "businesses" you constantly refer to.

And you had better believe this interaction is "test prep" indeed ---the best kind!

Guilty as charged!