My son is 16 yo and classic dyslexic - high IQ, slow reader. Grammer & proof reading are very difficult for him. He does have a good vocabulary and comprehension. When I was looking at the ACT test which is used here in the Midwest, there is a whole section on grammer. Would he be better off taking the SAT? Also I understand it is very difficult to get extended time on the SAT. Is this true? Any insight into this would be appreciated.
Thank you. :roll:
ACT/SAT
The easiest way to get extended time on SATS was to have your family doctor sign off the ADD/ADHD diagnosis.
Does your son get extended time in high school? That goes a long way toward getting extended time on the SATS. Talk to his guidance counselor.
Also do a search on line. Go to google and put in ‘extended time SATS’. There’s a form and you just might be able to access it on line.
There’s no harm in having a student take both the ACT and the SATs. Use whichever test gave the higher score.
If you don’t want the test scores reported to his high school - which mostly just puts them on his transcript whether you want them there or not- don’t have your son put his school on the form. then the scores will only be reported to you and not to his school.
extended time
Many school counselors I know recommend a child take both the SAT and ACT, most universities will take the best score. My child didn’t want to go through any more testing than necessary- she took SAT’s twice with extended time. Collegeboard.com has the info. on extended time but when you read it , it sounds complicated. My child’s high school counselor handled the paperwork- basically all they needed was the disability (LD) and to have extended time on tests as a part of her IEP. We discussed this at the yearly IEP review. They tried to say that she would then need to take all her tests in the resource room but that wasn’t necessary since she only needed extra time on tests with a lot of reading (which they never seem to give at her school). Next year’s SAT will have a writing section, too.
If your child has a documented learning disability, you get your extra time on the test, either one. Please apply for the test in advance and make sure you follow all of the rules pertaining to your child getting extra time. I would assume your child’s guidance counselor or resource room teacher knows of all these rules, call them up and schedule a meeting with them.
When I was a schoolgirl, we used the ACT and some students took the SAT if they were going to go to Vanderbuilt or The University of the South (I am from Tennessee). The ACT is a more fair measurement of academic skills (in my humble opinion) and when I was a gal, most “humble schools” i.e. state schools and community colleges looked at the whole score and not every last little part (this was in 1992). The ACT covers more academic subjects, while the sat is more black and white (math and english is how I look at that one). Now a days there are different little subsections to the SAT, but it is still more black and white than the ACT.
There are books available for both tests by the Barrons folks and everyone else you can think of. You could just go to your local bookstore or library with your child and look over what all both tests are about. To tell you the truth, though, I really think you and your child need to speak with the school’s guidance counselor and make sure your child learns of both tests and all of that. This is all just my opinion.