Testing madness can catch parents unawares and very early in their student’s school years. Denise Pope, a Stanford University professor and co-founder of Challenge Success, advocates for helping students achieve success without the current pressures of long homework hours and our frenzied test-score focus.
1910 is good enough
Yesterday, Nala texted me the first SAT scores. In a new initiative, all HISD juniors were encouraged to take the SAT in class on Wednesday, April 13, for free (HISD paid the fee). From a parent’s point of view, taking the SAT for free in the spring of junior year is a great way to find out what a student needs to focus on over the summer, before they take the SATs that really count in their senior year.
Nala’s overall score was 1910 out of 2400 and I admit I was not leaping for joy. Over the course of multiple texts, I was already planning our strategy for boosting SAT scores with summer study sessions.
Then I sat down in my seat for Race to Nowhere and realized I was caught in the throes of testing madness. My name is Carlyn Chatfield and I am a test-aholic. So I texted my child only five minutes into movie , “No need to take the SAT again. Move on, enjoy your summer and senior year.” Whatever college Nala finds as a best match, it won’t be one where test scores drive evaluations.
