Anonymous wrote:ITA with pp.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Alice thinks test preparation and a robust habit of voluminous reading and tinkering are mutually exclusive.
Some talented and bright children have the capacity for both.

Of course they have the capacity for both. It is up to their parents to teach them the best way to do things in life. The school has asked parents to refrain from practicing particular types of test questions with our children. What am I teaching my child when I do it anyway?

Teaching a child how to learn and not take shortcuts will be more valuable in the long run. It might appear that the test prepped child is smart because of a test score, but the ability to handle new information and challenges will not be affected by a test score. A "talented and bright" child does not need to waste time practicing those questions in advance of the second grade test; that child will do fine on the test and would be better off doing something truly educational.

How about the kid that preps, gets into AAP, and then gets to do something "truly educational" for the next 7 years? He has better teachers, more challenging assignments, and an enriching environment full of all those kids "doings something truly educational". Before you say he will not do well, or be overwhelmed in AAP having prepped to get in, save it, as it is an academic program where studying and good work practices (like the one's he learned while prepping) are all that is needed for a kid in the 85%+ percentile to do well. I know, I have two kids who barely made it in the program and both were prepped.

Anonymous wrote:Alice thinks test preparation and a robust habit of voluminous reading and tinkering are mutually exclusive.
Some talented and bright children have the capacity for both.

Honestly, this just sounds like playing word games. Specific test prep only teaches a child how to take tests. Maybe some people think test taking is synonymous with education, but it is a very narrow and shallow definition. The results for a child who has prepped for the CoGAT by practicing questions over and over do not give a good picture of that child's ability to handle new information.
I stand by my contention that a child will learn much more vocabulary and correct grammar by exposure to good books than by any test prep program in whatever format you can devise. Once a child can read well, they can learn to speak and write well and then can move on to learn any subject they need to.

Anonymous wrote:

There are all sorts of educational activities that parents can do with their young children that don't involve sample ability test questions. The school system is asking people not to use test prep courses and materials, not to avoid any kind of educationally enriching situation. Test prep businesses woud have you believe that only their books and courses can increase your child's intelligence. All they do is increase a child's ability to take tests, not to actually do anything with their intelligence.

Instead of spending 30minutes a day with test prep, spend 30 minutes a day reading to your young child. Fairfax County has a fantastic library system with all sorts of resources- totally free to all of us. Exposure to good books enhances vocabulary and allows a child to hear grammatically correct sentence structure while learning about almost any type of content you can imagine.
You can get way more bang for your buck with a library book and an armful of books than any test prep book you can buy!

OK, Einstein. As long as I don't buy any commercial materials I am fine; but, I can prepare my child with the knowledge I possess and make up my own form questions--even if these will mimic the test form?
You are going down a very slippery slope since many students who prepare are using non commercial methods for very effective prep!! These students do not even use the County's fantastic library system with the plethora of resources. Many prefer the comfort of their homes in front of the computer screen where the limits of the imagination and the world wide web are the only barriers to simulating any testing form or format you desire.

There are all sorts of educational activities that parents can do with their young children that don't involve sample ability test questions. The school system is asking people not to use test prep courses and materials, not to avoid any kind of educationally enriching situation.

Test prep businesses woud have you believe that only their books and courses can increase your child's intelligence. All they do is increase a child's ability to take tests, not to actually do anything with their intelligence.

Instead of spending 30minutes a day with test prep, spend 30 minutes a day reading to your young child. Fairfax County has a fantastic library system with all sorts of resources- totally free to all of us. Exposure to good books enhances vocabulary and allows a child to hear grammatically correct sentence structure while learning about almost any type of content you can imagine.
You can get way more bang for your buck with a library book and an armful of books than any test prep book you can buy!

There are all sorts of educational activities that parents can do with their young children that don't involve sample ability test questions. The school system is asking people not to use test prep courses and materials, not to avoid any kind of educationally enriching situation.

Test prep businesses woud have you believe that only their books and courses can increase your child's intelligence. All they do is increase a child's ability to take tests, not to actually do anything with their intelligence.

Instead of spending 30minutes a day with test prep, spend 30 minutes a day reading to your young child. Fairfax County has a fantastic library system with all sorts of resources- totally free to all of us. Exposure to good books enhances vocabulary and allows a child to hear grammatically correct sentence structure while learning about almost any type of content you can imagine.
You can get way more bang for your buck with a library book and an armful of books than any test prep book you can buy!