How important are these MCAS/SATs?

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My kids’ school has SATs this week. It is my kids’ private school’s equivalent of the MCAS. My older daughter has had a bad cold or virus for the past couple of days. Last night she was up most of the night with her throat hurting her and her stomach bothering her. She does not have a fever and is not the same as when she had strep throat so by all appearances it seems to be some sort of virus. I decided to let her stay home today.

So I called the school and they reminded me that it was SAT testing week. So what the h*ll am I supposed to do? Did I make the right decision to leave her home so she could rest? I doubt she would do well seeing her lack of rest and how she feels. The instructions we receive from the school simply say if they miss 2 full days of school during that week their test scores will not count.

In the past, we get a copy of the results. It does not impact their grade or as far as we can see impact anything. It is explained the test results are used to make changes/improvements in the school curriculum or where they need to focus.

They almost make you feel guilty to have your child miss school – where is on “normal” days, they encourage you to keep your child at home when sick so as not to infect the other children. So how important is it for her to be there?

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Type: Question • Score: 3 • Views: 3,964 • Replies: 21

[+3] - cicerone imposter - 04/17/2011May I put in my :2c: worth? I believe parents put too much emphasis on grades. Grades do not result in a successful life - economically or life-wise. I believe in motivating children to go...

@Linkat,

Friends of ours are in clinical research in mental health and childhood development. Theyve found that SAT's are really good for diagnosing latent or unrecognized ADD ADHD. Kids can get very high SAT's but be extremely low achievers and the causes are often ADD and related focus problems. The kids have great potential but lousy performance. In our selection committees for grad students and undergrads, now they look more at overall balance Grades, oustide interests, as well as SATs and GRE's.
XCourse , once were at the GRE phase we already can see underachievers with High GRE's.

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@farmerman,

These aren't the SATs to get into college. She is in the 6th grade. It is a standardized testing like the MCAS. And your description of the testing results for ADD does not fit my kid. If anything, she is the opposite - does worse on the SATs than her grades. Not significantly, but ( a little like I was) not as a good a SAT type tester as a performer in school.

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I thought private schools got to avoid all that testing malarky.

I'd ask what kind of changes had been made in the curriculum based on the test scores in the past.

And why the school doesn't seem to have a solid grasp of how the kids are doing and what changes might need to be made without test results factoring into it.

I'm willing to bet that the scores are used as an enrollment tool -- so parents contemplating sending their kids there have some kind of score to compare to other, similar schools.

I think you made the right decision to keep her home.

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@boomerang,

That was my take - that these tests are more for the school rather than my child.

They did change one item in the past year - I forgot for what subject - not sure if it was directly related to the test scores or not - when we start the new school year there is a parent/teacher night where you sit through the usual routine - bring your kid to school on time/all the rules/blah blah blah and then you go to the classrooms where the teacher will discuss what the expectations are for the year - which would include a change in whatever text books/and related crap they use as a curriculum.

The test results saw overall ratings and comparsions to averages so I assumed they use these averages (ie if they feel they are falling in History compared to others or prior years, they may look at other curriculums).

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@boomerang,

Also they are part of the Christian Accredited Academic something or other - so this could be part of the requirements to be part of this accrediation.

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@Linkat,

That's probably a good guess.

In your first post you said...

Quote:

The instructions we receive from the school simply say if they miss 2 full days of school during that week their test scores will not count.

... so obviously the scores "count" for something.

But that really doesn't fit in with their claim of altering the curriculum based on the tests because they could easily "count" that by asking the student or parent what they thought was good or bad about their instruction that particular year or simply by looking at the classwork they've turned in.

If you find out what they're counting, I'd love to know what it is.

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@boomerang,

They may have to kill me if I find out.

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@Linkat,

You're a dangerous girl living a dangerous life of danger.

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@Linkat,

oh, thought you were talking about a college prep thing.

I guess they give these SAT-like tests and you will see, as your child gets older AND KEEPS READING LIKE A MANIAC, his/her "rea;" SATs will be up there.
I dont know what the pwrcentile conversions are any more but you should compare your childs overall academic achievement with SAT performance. If the kid is A material, he/she should be in the 95% percentile and higher. It used to be that 700 was a 98%ile and 725 -740 was 99%ile and anything higher was in the decimal

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@farmerman,

Its a weird sort of rating - they have several different type of stats - that are supposed to mean different things. In the end I can't tell if she is in the highest percentile or average. Some conclude high grades some average some in between average and the highest grouping.

Probably designed that way so parents do not understand the meaning and thus do not have to be killed for knowing these secrets.

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@Linkat,

She typically gets As - in a school that rates As are being above 94% out of 100%. Some classes she has an average of over 100% (although it is supposed to be out of 100% so don't ask me how she has above 100%).

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If the SATs are the same as the MCAS, they are used for checking the efficacy of the school/teachers. The results can show relative strengths and weaknesses in what a school is teaching to the student body ("Our grades in math were better than in English", or "Our number sense is great, but our geometry is weak").

Funding may be based on results. Maybe tuition rates could be influenced by school rank. Of course if it truly wasn't about the kids, the grades wouldn't come attached to student names - they'd be more raw data than student performance. Of course, school rank is based on student scores, so they want all their good students there on test day!

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When I was in elementary school, we took achievement tests twice a year, in January and June. They were machine scored tests designed to measure the progress of the individual student against some established mean. Scores were given as grade levels. No one knew your score except you, your parents and your teacher. As I remember them, we looked forward to the tests and enjoyed taking them.

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@littlek,

Well and it is a good chance she will be No. 1 this year in her class. The No. 1 student last year left and she was number 2.

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@plainoldme,

Yes - I believe that is all who knows these scores as well. Although it isn't a measure of progress as it is only once a year.

In any case she is back today. When I got home she was causing trouble with her little sister so that was a good indication she was better.

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@Linkat,

May I put in my 2 Cents

worth? I believe parents put too much emphasis on grades. Grades do not result in a successful life - economically or life-wise.

I believe in motivating children to go into a field that will make them happy and content in life. Unlike many parents, I told my two sons I expected them to go to college, but to choose a career field that they would be happy in working for most of their life.

I was not a high achiever in grade school, and almost flunked out of high school. Like many on a2k, I was a "late bloomer" who achieved much more than I could have ever dreamed as a child, and I have been happy for most of my adult life. My wife was a high achiever in high school, nursing school, and college. She graduated all with honors as did our two sons; summa cum laude and cum laude. Yes, I'm proud of both our sons, as well as all my siblings and their children.

I also believe our schools are failing our children by trying to teach them to pass standardized tests, and forgetting that not all children learn at the same rate based on age and interests.

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@cicerone imposter,

I'd agree overall. Although I do feel children should "work" in school. Not as much as the grade - but to be able to achieve as high as they are capable. In other words not to be a slacker. Sometimes we come down on our daughters when they do poorly - more because we know they did not try to their potential rather than because of the actual grade.

Sometimes you do need to push your children, but in a way that encourages them to do their best and to work. Their job in school is to be a student.

I do agree some of the stuff they teach is crap that isn't going to help them much if at all later on. Some times we do talk about that - but I let them know - in life you are sometimes going to have to do what you don't want to.

I am all about letting the kiddos decide what they want to do.......

as long as it is legal and moral

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@Linkat,

In addition to the encouragement to our sons, we also tried to live in areas with a good school district. When we moved to Illinois, a friend of mine who worked for the same company gave me a personal tour of Naperville and the surrounding area, because they had good schools. We ended up building a home in Naperville.

It's important not only to encourage our children to do well in school, but to select communities to live in where they have better than average standards.

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The SAT results tell her one thing: how well she does taking the SAT.

Since she'll eventually take the SAT "for score" and that score will be
passed on to the colleges of her choice, how she'll do is a good thing
to know.

The SAT results of all the students tells the school one thing: how well
the students are doing on their SATs.

Since the students will be applying for college (see above), and since
the SATs are a part of getting in, and since the school judges itself on
how many of its students get into "good colleges", how the students
do is a good thing to know.

I'm glad to hear to kept her home. I would have, too.

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How important are these MCAS/SATs?

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