Reply to Best way to prep for the IAAT?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If you need to prep, you shouldn't apply. Prepping is basically cheating. That spot should go to a kid with natural ability.[/quote]
Spots?  IAAT is used to determine readiness for Algebra.  There are no spots to take away from anyone else.

That being said, you shouldn't prep.  The bar for being permitted to take Algebra is generally pretty low (91st percentile in FCPS, which is around 43/60 correct).  The IAAT tests fairly basic pre-algebra concepts and should be a trivial test for kids who are good at math and will do well in Algebra.  If you have to prep to overcome this very very low bar, then Algebra is likely to be a nightmare.  [b]The goal should be to be placed in the correct math level[/b], which isn't necessarily the highest and fastest one.  [/quote]

+1 I'm not against test prep generally -- I think it's good to prep for SAT/ACT; I can understand why people who think their child will get a more appropriate education in AAP prep for the Cogat.  But prepping for the IAAT really doesn't make sense.  It's not a hurdle to get over; it's a diagnostic for readiness.  It's a really easy test for any kid who is ready to take algebra--the 91% bar is really too low.  There are only disadvantages if you take algebra before you're ready and no upside--you'll struggle in that class, get lower grades (that go on your HS record) and then have to take a higher sequence of math to meet the 4 year requirement many colleges want and likely get lower grades in that.  Taking algebra in 7th vs 8th doesn't make a difference in whether your child is deemed having taken "the most rigorous course offerings" in any FCPS high school.  Colleges want to see kids that take calculus, don't care about beyond, so 8th grade algebra is acceleration enough for elite college admissions.  Pushing an unready kid ahead in algebra  is far more likely to result in worse college options due to low grades or a long-term unsteadiness in algebraic thinking that reduces math opportunities.  This is why you're getting such pushback on the prep--it's not just the usual people who are against all prep, it's actually not a good prep.  There are a lot of kids who are getting 4s all the years in AAP math who still just aren't developmentally there for algebra and it's good to know that.  They might be math whizzes and yet just need a bit more time for brain development to be ready for algebraic forms. 
I work in a STEM field and my eldest qualified for Algebra 7 Honors (with a 93% on the IAAT and 10 points above the SOL) but I didn't think they were quite ready (I think the cut-off should be >95%) so waited until 8th.  DC is now a first year in a STEM oriented major at a top school.  That extra year of solidifying pre-algebra concepts was really needed.  So sorry you deem our answers unhelpful, but a common opinion--even among those not against test prep generally--is that this is not a test you should prep for.

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NP. I don’t disagree with anything you are saying about algebra readiness. However, I believe there is a difference between prepping and familiarizing yourself with the test format. When my kid took it, I gave him a practice test the weekend before so he knew what to expect. It reduces his anxiety. This is true in classroom tests too. He does much better if he knows what format a test or quiz is going to be in.  He scored in the 97th percentile on the IAAT. Is that a “real” number or a “prepped” number?  I do know he had no issues with alg 1 in 7th. [/quote]

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