The United States Department of Education, or the Department of Education, does not require public schools to use approved, proficient, and effective Florida test preparation programs for the SAT and ACT. This is not surprising, given that the two tests are administered at different times of the year and have different requirements for scoring. Still, many Florida private school parents are not taking their children to local testing sites, and they want to know why. There may be a good reason to think that something is wrong, and here are some things to look for as you investigate your child's testing situation. Why is SAT testing such a problem in Florida?
The Department of Education's Office of Supportive Services for School District Management publishes a report called Performance Patterns Among Students from Florida Low-Risk Elementary Schools. The report examines performance on both the ACT and SAT tests from the last decade. It then compares these two test results to data on students in the same district who were known to have performed well on the tests. The report finds very significant differences between students who took the SAT and those who took the ACT. The SAT scores were lower. The SAT scores were also lower for students who lived in Florida but did not go to an accredited school.
That could mean that Florida SAT test prep is not working! If that's true, then how can it be that so many students from Florida get into the top colleges in the nation? Well, for one thing, it's likely that SAT and ACT scores reflect what you are already doing, which is relatively straightforward. Those students who live in Florida and who take the SAT and ACT tend to score higher on academic standards and on standardized test subjects. Those who do not live in Florida and who do not take either the SAT or ACT tend to score lower on academic standards and on standardized test subjects. It's just that those students who do not live in Florida are more likely than other students to take the SAT and ACT.
There are two schools in Florida, where students can take the SAT and ACT. At public schools, there will be a large variety of choices and students will have to apply to multiple schools before they can even hear back about an invitation to take the test. In private schools, there may be only one or two schools that will offer the application to take the SAT or the ACT. Those schools will usually make announcements about the test and about the places where you can go to take the test online. There are some private schools that will actually host the test online. But there are also some traditional public schools that rely on announcements and letters from parents to invite people to come to school.
So the conclusion would seem to be that it is not necessary to spend a lot of money on Florida test prep if you live in Florida. There is no reason to believe that your schools should accept your SAT or ACT scores if they don't. Parents will likely have little to no influence over how the test is administered. So why spend your hard-earned money at all?
If you choose to do your own Florida test prep, there are some things that you will need to consider. First, if you want to be able to compare the results of your various test prep packages, you will have to have at least one computer that is connected to the internet. Second, there are likely to be lots of books that come with the packages for testing so you will need to study up on them as well.
You can start by getting tested online for free. The first step that you should take is to find the websites of the schools that you would like to attend. These websites will provide you with their application requirements and the link to where you can download the SAT and ACT test forms. Then you need to go through the forms and fill out what you are required to do. After that, you just need to mail in the completed forms.
There are also prep packages that will provide you with the books, tutoring programs, and all of the materials that you need to take the actual tests. In order to get started with these types of programs, you will need to find the schools that offer these services. You will then need to look up their test scores and compare them against the SAT and ACT scores that you will have received on your test scores from the testing service. Doing this will allow you to make sure that the schools are offering you a fair test prep experience. If you do all of this, you will have no problem getting started with your test prep.
