CCO-MKAA Guide to Standardized Testing

Standardized testing is far and away the most complicated and misunderstood part of the college admissions process. Some students even begin SAT testing at age 12 as part of summer talent identification programs at universities like Johns Hopkins. The testing doesn’t stop until winter of the senior year.But college admissions testing, most educators agree, is necessary. No one claims that a test of four hours is as important as classroom performance day in and day out, year in and year out. No two schools, however, are alike and the United States, lone among developed countries, has no national curriculum. It is impossible for colleges to compare the value of an A in rural Idaho with its counterpart in northern New Jersey.College admissions examinations have been developed as a national yardstick to help compare the performance of two students anywhere. This is an important concept to grasp. Because more and more students are presenting more and more honors grades to colleges, standardized test scores gain in importance as the only academic common denominator.Almost all MKA students sit for College Board examinations designed by the Educational Testing Service. These tests, briefly outlined below, include the PSAT, SAT Reasoning, SAT Subject, and Advanced Placement. In recent years, the ACT examination and its preliminary test, PLAN, have increased in popularity among MKA students.

Test

PSAT

SATReasoning

SATSubject

AP

Academic Coverage Section Time

Critical Reading: passages, sentence completion

Math: numbers, operations, algebra, functions, geometry, measurement, data analysis, probability, statistics

Writing Skills: sentence errors, sentence/paragraph improvement

2 50 min.

2

1 30 min.

Writing Skills: sentence errors, sentence/paragraph improvement, essay

Math: numbers, operations, algebra, functions, geometry, measurement, data analysis, probability, statistics

Critical Reading: passages, sentence completion 3

3

3

70 min.

60 min.

20 individual tests of knowledge, skills, and their application in specific subjects within five broad disciplinary areas: English (1), History (2), Science (3), Mathematics (2), Languages (12). Students may take up to three different tests during one administration.

MKA offers 14 of the 35 courses in 20 different subject areas. The school’s courses, by discipline, include Computer Science, English (2), Languages (4), Mathematics (3), Sciences (3), and Studio Art (1). These exams are intended for placement following matriculation.

1 60 min.

3 3 hrs.

50 min.

70 min.

ACT Math: pre-algebra, algebra, coordinate/plane geometry, trigonometry11

45 min.60 min.

Reading: passages in social/natural sciences, prose fiction, humanities

English: sentence errors, sentence/paragraph improvement

Science: graphs, tables, research summaries, conflicting viewpoints 11

35 min.35 min.

Writing: essay based on prompt 1 30 min.

Each student's testing calendar is unique and represents consultation with parents, teachers, department chairs, and the Academic Dean. The CCO works indirectly with the various departments and the Dean until students begin visiting the college counselors in February of their junior year.

ENGLISH

GRADE 9 GRADE 10

English 1 English 1 Honors

English 2 English 2 Honors

SUBJECT

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Chinese, French, Spanish, Latin 1

Chinese, French, Spanish, Latin 2 Chinese, French, Spanish, Latin 2 Honors

Chinese, French, Spanish, Latin 3 Chinese, French, Spanish, Latin 3 Honors

HISTORY Civilization Civilization Honors

Revolutions Revolutions Honors

MATHEMATICS

Algebra 1 Algebra 2 Algebra 2 Honors

Geometry Geometry Honors

SCIENCE Biology 1 Biology 1 Honors

Chemistry 1 Chemistry 1 Honors

Science ResearchFundamentals course

Science ResearchHonors course

Subject

AP

World History

Math 1

Biology 'E' Chemistry

Year-by-Year Course Offerings

9 10 PSATPLAN

Subject Test

Subject Test

Subject Test

AP Exam

The CCO helps juniors and seniors with course selection and standardized testing decisions. Approximately 160 colleges and universities use SAT Subject Tests and about 60% of each class takes one or more examinations. MKA students are encouraged to take Subject Tests in all disciplines for which they have prepared. AP examinations conclude a course of study and are not elective.

ENGLISH

GRADE 11 GRADE 12

AP Literature

SUBJECT

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Chinese, French, Spanish, Latin 4 Chinese, French, Spanish, Latin 4 Honors

HISTORY

Modern United States Modern United States Honors

American & Comparative Gov't Honors Economics Honors Political Theory Honors Electives

MATHEMATICS

Precalculus Precalculus Honors Advanced Precalculus Honors

Calculus Calculus Honors

SCIENCE Biology 2 Honors AP Biology

Chemistry 2 Honors AP Chemistry

Physics 1 Physics 1 Honors Physics 2 Honors AP Physics Astronomy 1, 2

Subject

AP

US History

Math 1or 2

Chemistry

Topics in Literature (Semester)

Science Research Honors Project (3 credits)

Research Distinction

French, Spanish, Latin 5 French, Spanish 5 Honors

AP Chinese, French, Spanish, Latin

AP Statistics AP Calculus AB AP Calculus BC AP Computer Science

Biology 'E'

AP Language and Composition

PSAT/NMSQTPLAN

SAT ReasoningACT w/Writing

Subject Test/AP Exam

SAT ReasoningACT w/Writing

Subject Test/AP Exam

11 12AP

Biology 2 Honors AP Biology

Chemistry 2 Honors AP Chemistry

Literature

Physics

Math 1or 2

and Standardized Testing Options

Subject Test

AP Exam

How many times do most MKA students generally take the SAT Reasoning Test? Is there a particular timetable that most students follow?

Most students take the test three times beginning in January or March of their junior year and again in the spring. (This allows them time to review their PSAT results in December.) October of the senior year is the single most popular test date and a few students do additional testing as late as December or January of their senior year.

How many AP examinations and SAT Subject Tests must I take? Should I take more if I have done well in courses that prepare students for these tests?

An answer to the AP part of the question is easy. All MKA students must take the appropriate examination at the end of an AP course. The Subject Test question is much more complex. Most colleges requiring Subject Tests ask for two; a handful of the most selective colleges ask for three. However, many applicants to highly competitive institutions often present five or more Subject Tests (and several AP scores).

How well do standardized tests predict success in college? Are some test scores moreimportant than others?

The SAT Reasoning Test underwent major revisions in 2005 so its predictive value is still under study (especially the Writing section). These changes were catalyzed by concerns within the University of California system, the College Board’s biggest customer. As part of their background research, the UC Regents discovered that the old Reasoning Test had very little predictive value and that Subject Test scores had as much predictive value as a student’s GPA. AP scores are systematically equated with college student performance and most colleges award course credit and placement for scores above 3.

Will coaching help me improve my standardized test scores? SAT Subject and AP tests are discipline-specific and are ‘coached’ by your classroom teachers every day. In much the same way that you prepare for a term examination covering months of work, so you should prepare for these tests. (Most departments offer exam review within the course or after school; inexpensive on-line reviews are also available.) Coaching for the SAT Reasoning Test is a much more complicated topic. None of the major SAT coaching companies, particularly Princeton Review and Kaplan, have ever subjected their coaching results to independent and objective review despite their bold claims of dramatic improvement. Caveat emptor! The College Board itself has designed its own inexpensive on-line review modules using actual test questions.

Do I have any options if my SAT scores just don’t seem to reflect my abilities and hardwork?

Yes. Two. First, you might consider taking the ACT, the national alternative (and rival) to the SAT. It is based in Iowa City, Iowa, and, until the latest SAT revision, was considered to be more closely linked to high school curriculum. (The SAT, until quite recently, presented itself as a test of innate aptitude.) The two tests are quite similar with analogous sections in English, Mathematics, and Writing. However, the ACT has two additional sections, Reading and Science, not found on the SAT. Reading evaluates student understanding of content passages from history and the social sciences, natural sciences, prose fiction, and the humanities. Science is a reasoning section within the natural and physical sciences emphasizing data representation, research summaries, and conflicting viewpoints.

A second option is to apply to colleges that do not require SAT or ACT scores. There are more than 850 such institutions, including such popular schools as Bates, Bowdoin, Dickinson, and Drew. You can search for these colleges by either first initial or state at Fair Test, The National Center for Fair and Open Testing (www.fairtest.org/optinit.htm).

Standardized Testing FAQ's

ScoreChoice permits students to have some control over which SAT scores to send to colleges (unless the college does not allow this option). For more information, read this CCO.MKA handout:http://www.mka.org/uploaded/college_counseling/Publications/SAT_Score_Choice_Handout-final.pdf