Prepping/Scamming the Cogat
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Anonymous
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true that through prepping even average to slighly above average kids can get into a selective and very prestigious program.
In that sense prepping is very "democratic." It levels the playing field. Perhaps that is what some are objecting to. |
Anonymous
| Actually, if look at the majority of PhDs awarded, not ABD, they are awarded to mostly Asians. I am not Asian, but know that the Asians do it right when it comes to education. Most Americans are ignorant and never move beyond a basic 4-year degree. Moreover, grades DO matter, even in 5th grade. prepping for an assessment test is NOT cheating. cheating can best be defined as being deceitful or dishonest in order to get an unfair advantage. Reviewing questions that look similar in nature to the CogAT is not akin to cheating. If it was, FCPS would not provide practice of these types of questions to their 2nd grade population. In fact, what is dishonest and deceitful is FCPS making the statement on the website that there are no commercially available tests. |
Anonymous
FCPS teaches to the SOLs, not the CogAT or NNAT. The AAP tests are the latter and have zilch to do with the SOLs. |
Anonymous
You tell me how test scores in the 2nd or 5th grade reflect anything other than that score. As for the asian educational model, I could not disagree more (excluding Japan. I am a scientific professional. I have seen the students from Korea and China come to the US knowing how to solve problems they have seen. Ask them to do something original, and they fail. Not always, but often enough to make me wonder. If the Advisor lays out the problem, Chinese and Korean educated people can do fine. I will say, the Chinese and Korean people do fine when in another system. And Taiwan produces brilliant scientists -- showing that the problem is cultural in the education system rather than genetic (Chinese and Taiwan are ethnically the same). |
Anonymous
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But kids have gotten into AAP with CogAts of 118, 115 - maybe even lower. So obvioulsy the CogAt test score isn't the only determinative thing in the process.
No I think the key determinative factor is how hard the parents want to push. |
Anonymous
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I will say it again: Preparing for an exam in college, HS, is not what we are against. No one I know who is successful takes an exam cold. I am a 50 yo research scientist. Everything I have done in my career is based on preparation.
Using the spelling bee example brought up: there is a difference in learning word origins, and how to spell many words, compared with obtaining the limited word list by the test organizer, and memorizing that. The latter is what we are complaining about. The CogAT's purpose is to: To assess students’ abilities in reasoning and problem solving using verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal (spatial) symbols This is from http://www.riversidepublishing.com/products/cogAt/ They are trying to assess the ability to think and solve problems. Using practice exams may improve the score =, but it does not improve the ability to reason. Chess will improve the ability to reason. Reading, imagination, playing music, all fire those neurons. Practice CogAT's may (or may not) improve the score, but they will not improve the root intelligence. Since the county is going for a measure of the root intelligence, improving the score without improving what is being measured is called gaming the system. I suppose if your child had a WISC scheduled, you would prep for that. I do know how to improve ones score in the WISC. It is possible, and is considered unethical. I am sure you will pick that apart. ________________________________ Absolute rubbish. Practice, practice, practice for the task at hand. That's how you learn and become proficient in that task. No one gives a horses ass whether the task is the SAT, AAP, 50 yd dash, AP exam, oral exam, debate, acting class, IQ test or even CoGAT. Practicing for the task = learning and proficiency. Ask any athlete, musician, driver, pilot, brain surgeon, newscaster, gambler...there is absolutely nothing unique to CoGAT. It is not sacred. Test prep at home at school at the business learning center .... doesn't matter. Preparation and practice breeds familiarity and most kids in FCPS are good at this whether or not cash exchanges hand. |
Anonymous
| Every tests is attempting to assess proficiency. CoGAT is not unique. |
Anonymous
| Since mental aptitude and IQ are fixed, why do all these morons worry and keep pulling their frail and stringy hair out over children who test prep in the open or behind closed doors or not at all? Chill out, it really doesn't matter, in Fairfax County you inherit or are either born with your prescribed portion of grey and white matter -- scrambled neurons. |
Anonymous
| But, there are folk in Fairfax County who think other children are taking their child's spot in AAP because these children are better prepared (sounds like life and my job). Oh may gosh, that's the definition of entitlement by the entititled who think another child tis taking their child's anointed and endowed seat! The entitled are the only ones crying foul and cheat for hard work and preparation during infancy and childhood by other children. |
Anonymous
Hahaha, here we go with the "entitled" stuff again! How many times is that old chestnut going to appear? 
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Anonymous
| I think the poster supplied the example for the benefit of your education. A number of posters want to know what it means and who these characters are. This poster has provided an example. You have every right to quibble but this closes the loop in case you were not paying attention. |
Anonymous
What makes these kids "average"...their SES or zip code? While some can only afford a few dog eared workbooks for their children; others have private tutors for their children year round to complement their higher resourced elementary schools and summer enrichment camps. I guess the former are simply average to slightly above average kids while the latter spawned zygotes from generations of knock out breeding are the real McCoys--the gifted and the intelligentsia? |
Anonymous
Some posters are so dense. |
Anonymous
I agree with the assessment of dense. This poster is against preparing for an exam in elementary school but admits is not against preparing for an exam in college and HS. I suspect he wants his kids to stealthily get out of the kindergarten gates ahead of the crowd with a jump start! Donkey. |
Anonymous
And some people know how to be polite in a policy debate.... 
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