Get Schooled

By smithy

April 11, 2005 01:48 PM | Link to this

I think it’s wonderful that there is now a written essay element to the SAT. I wish that had been the case when I took it in ‘86. Writing ability is probably the one greatest thing a person can take with them from school - it applies to every aspect of life. And in the business world, a lack of writing ability can mean the difference between a salary job and an hourly job. Not to mention how you are judged by your peers and upper management. It matters.

By Brittney

April 12, 2005 09:07 AM | Link to this

I would have done exceptionally better on the SAT if it would have had a writing portion. No matter how hard I had studied there were still questions on the test that I had not known because we did not go over it in school. It goes back to teaching just for the test. Teachers at my school did not teach us material we needed for everyday life or even the SAT- they just taught what we had to know for their test. I think that the writing porition is great idea.

If I understand this right the most you can get is 2400 instead of 1400? That may be good for the people who excel at testing..but what about the people who-no matter how hard they study- still somehow screw up the test. I do not know if I think that is such a good idea.???

By Brittney

April 12, 2005 09:08 AM | Link to this

sorry 1600 not 1400 Excuse the mistake

By Tom Broadwater, Sr.

April 12, 2005 09:55 AM | Link to this

The idea of America, was a great idea, and could have had lasting success for the citizens, but because of laziness, a group of racist bigots, wasted national treasure, on two school systems, when we should have been building one system for all of the people. With excellent educational systems emerging in India and China today, the major question now is, do we have time to put in place a system to help future generations stay ahed of the tidalwave of coming well educated masses who want to compete with Americans for the jobs of the future?

By Brittney

April 12, 2005 10:03 AM | Link to this

Tom- what does that have to do with the SAT??? It gets so annoying when people have to ention racism. The article does not even state anything about what you posted. If I missed something let me know… but I thought the article was about the SAT scores and the written portion they added…

By CD

April 12, 2005 10:13 AM | Link to this

Brittney,

Tom has an agenda. He feels “disenfranchised” and wants to blame others for what he does not have. Dropping the race card is the fastest way to a reaction.

The new writing portion is a great idea.

By LISA MURPHY

April 12, 2005 11:41 AM | Link to this

I’AM JUST DISTURB THAT MRS AUGUSTINE THINK THAT THE ATLANTA SCHOOL ARE IMPROVING!! BY THREE POINT ARE 10 THE GREAT SCHOOL OF THE PAST SUCH AS GRADY AND NORTH ATLANTA AND DOUGLASS ARE GOING DOWN BECAUSE PARENTS WANT TO SEND THEM TO THESE SCHOOL BUT ONCE THEY ARRIVE THEY ARE SO FAR BEHIND DUE TO SCHOOLS LIKE CARVER THAT DON’T PREPARE THESE STUDENTS THEY ONLY BABYSIT!!! I’VE WITNESS IT FOR MYSELF AT CARVER.AND I KNOW UNTIL WE BUT EXPECTATION WITHIN OUR LEADERSHIP THEN OUR TEACHER YOU WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE WHO CAN GO TO COLLEGE BUT HAVEN’T BEEN TAUGHT COLLEGE!!!THATS WHY BILL GATES SAID WHAT HE SAID BECAUSE HE IS GIVING SCHOLARSHIP AWAY BUT MOST OF THE KIDS HAVE TO TAKE ALL REMEDIAL COURSES, BECAUSE THEY HAVEN’T BEEN PREPARE BY THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. IKNOW IN MY HEART IF I SEND MY CHILD TO SCHOOL WHERE THE PRINCIPAL MAKES 100,000 PLUS AND THE TEACHER MAKE 50,00 NOW YOU TELL ME THIS IF THEY HAVE A STUDY INCOME THEN WHY IS IT THAT THE STUDENT COME OUT MAKING NOTHING.IT’S OUR DUTY AS A COMMUNITY TO HELP OUR CHILDREN IT DOESN’T MATTER WHERE THEY LIVE OR INCOME STATUS WE MUST HELP THEM LIKE CHAINS WE MUST HELP OUR CHILDREN LOCK INTO THERE FUTURE.

By CD

April 12, 2005 12:43 PM | Link to this

I think LISA MURPHY’s post is, in itself, a commentary on our current education system.

By Tina

April 12, 2005 12:49 PM | Link to this

My 11th grader son rec’d a 1740. Hopefully this is a decent score. His last score on the old SAT (in the 10th grade) was a 1020. He did not do as well on the essay portion. He will take it at least one more time before graduating June 06.

By Ann

April 12, 2005 02:18 PM | Link to this

CD, I think that Lisa’s entry is more indicative of our parents than our teachers.

By CD

April 13, 2005 09:11 AM | Link to this

Ann,

Probably true. It was one of the worst things I have ever read. I lost 2 IQ points trying. It was the kind of post that could send an English teacher into cardiac arrest.

By JV

April 13, 2005 01:10 PM | Link to this

My 11th grader received an 1840 on the new SAT. He told me that 1500 is considered average. The essay portion is graded between the scale of 2 and 12, he received an 7. He thought that 25 minutes was too short a time for the essay and that adding an additional 10 minutes would be helpful. There is also a multiple choice section that is scaled between 20 and 80, he received a 61. I too hope that these are considered good scores as he doesn’t plan to take the test again.

Lisa meet Tom, Tom meet Lisa ;)

By Kate

April 13, 2005 02:49 PM | Link to this

I took the SAT in 1965. I have been most surprised to hear the number of 16 and 17 year olds howling and kicking the crib slats because not only can they not put together a coherent English sentence, but they haven’t even been taught to write with a pen. I went to a two-room school in upstate New York until the fifth grade, and in Grade 3 we had Palmer Method handwriting exercises, which led in Grade 4 to the use of a fountain pen. (Ball point pens cost $12.50 each in those days). Everyone was expected to know how to spell, punctuate and write legibly in ink by the end of Grade 4. Today we have Grade 11 children squalling that they can’t do what their grandparents could do at the age of 10, and that nobody ought to even expect them to try! I have even heard some otherwise bright children whining that they ought to be allowed to use text messaging shorthand “as long as the teacher can read it”. Add this to the skyrocketing level of cheating going on, and it seems clear to me that the majority of students have no idea in the world why they are in school at all.

Parents could have solved this particular problem if when their children were young, they made them sit down on Sunday and write letters to Grandma, Aunt Delilah, or a friend or cousin out of town. Anyone can learn to write a page of English prose on a set subject.

By LISA MURPHY

April 13, 2005 03:57 PM | Link to this

I just want to say that APS school beside two high school which i know are both on the northside of town do not prepare student for sat test until the last moment.you have student that try very hard to past,but they haven’t been properly prepare.most of the time they are prepare with pressure to do well instead of knowing the student will do will.the high school on the southside of atlanta are just awful in this area!! the parents must demand that the school do there best!!! but in order to do this parent must belive and know that there children are worthy!!! the parents must change the way they think!!! and stop allowing gym coaches to be the leader of there children school.we must start asking question and realize we have the power and the right to say who will be our children leader!!!! there nothing pretty about living behind a high school and you can’t even send your child to that school in you own neighborhood where you pay taxes.