Significant discrepancy between ACT subject scores
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Anonymous
| My daughter has multiple learning disabilities but has worked very hard throughout school to succeed. She has done well enough so that—in terms of her grades—she could reasonably be considered at relatively selective schools. However, there is a significant discrepancy between her English and Reading scores on the ACT and her Math and Science scores, after multiple ACT attempts. I used to think that she wouldn’t need to disclose to her colleges that she has learning disabilities, but this discrepancy paints the picture very clearly. Thoughts? Should she address it in her application? Anyone have a child who had this happen? TIA! |
Anonymous
| MY DD, who also has learning disabilities and had a good GPA, also initially had big discrepancies in her ACT scores. Her two verbal scores were high, but math and science much lower. She was able to bring up the science through prep sessions with Educational Connections, who focused on the specific learning disabilities and taught test taking specifics for the science session. They also had her review some math, but the science went up 12 points with that focused support so that was enough to make the composite score work for the schools she was interested in. Not sure if that strategy would work for you, but just passing on in case. |
Anonymous
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Are her math and science scores above what ACT designates as the "college readiness level" or at least above the 25th percentile for schools she's interested in?
You appear to be talking about a large discrepancy, but if the math score is still within range and the overall composite is good, it might not be necessary to explain the discrepancy. If your DD has a 36 in English and a 20 in math, that might warrant some explanation. A 36 and a 26 - maybe not. |
Anonymous
| One of my kids was like that. Have her try the SAT, if she hasn't already. Free practice tests are available on the College Board website. Have her sit for one, timed, and see how it turns out. If she feels more comfortable with SAT, have her prep with a tutor for that one. SAT has more time per question, which is often more suitable for those who find the ACT too fast. |
Anonymous
| Thank you so much for these helpful ideas. I will check out Educational Connections. The difference is approximately 34s on English and Reading and 28s on Math and Science. I'll also talk with her about considering the SAT although honestly she seems burned out from testing. I don't blame her! |
Anonymous
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Our DD had a 36, 36, 35...and a 29 in math. Accepted to Tech.
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Anonymous
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Selective schools? You do realize, don’t you, that those are a lottery for even those with near perfect SATs, ACTs, GPAs, and great ECs.
If your daughter has a hook then fine, but otherwise, don’t keep unrealistic expectations. |
Anonymous
| OP those are good scores--no need to start in on the SAT. My DS raised his math score by several points by focusing practice on just that and focusing energy on math during the test. With superscoring, they will take the best score for each category. I suggest your DD practice math more and take it one more time in 12th grade. If your DD talks about it in the "additional info" section, she could say that math has been a weak area but she's done X Y and Z to improve. What I've heard is to focus on the growth more than the disability. |
Anonymous
The SATs aren't as time sensitive and if your DC has a documented LD she may be able to get extra time--usually 1.5 times what other kids get. |
Anonymous
The OP said "relatively" selective schools. |
Anonymous
| I would hire a private tutor for a few sessions just to focus on math and then retake. |