Don't worry. The math (and science) still adds up!

Dear Eighth-Grade Parents,

Battle Creek Math and Science Center letters are speeding to your door. Depending on what's inside, you may be happy, sad or confused.

If your child qualified, congratulations! If they didn't, don't worry. Our St. Philip High School staff has you covered.

What if your child didn't qualify or didn't take the test, but they still want to go the MSC?

If your child wants to go to the Center, they still can. St. Philip students have entered the Center as sophomores, juniors, even seniors.

“You get into the 9^th grade by taking a test,” Luke Perry, STEM Director of the MSC, said. “However, if your student doesn't qualify, there are other ways available to them and they all start with a conversation with me.”

Rest assured that conversation with Mr. Perry will be well supported by St. Philip staff – a staff that includes a shared-time MSC teacher. They will help your child prepare for the transition.

“We can mirror a schedule pretty near what freshmen and sophomores take at the Center,” Kyra Rabbitt, St. Philip counselor, said.

My family knows first-hand.

My son took AP Calculus BC at the Center his junior year. He not only did well, he took the AP exam and received college credit – all on the bedrock of his St. Philip math education.

My son’s story isn’t unique.

“St. Philip does an excellent job of preparing kids for success here,” Mr. Perry said.

What if your child qualified, but wants to delay attending?

There are advantages to waiting, as the Finnila Family discovered. Their oldest son entered the Center as a freshman. Their daughter waited until her junior year to attend. Joy Finnila felt her daughter had more time to acclimate to high school life and form deeper connections with her peers.

“I felt she was less stressed and more carefree,” Mrs. Finnila said. “I had my hesitations with her not going to the Center to start with, but after her first semester at St. Philip, I realized she was not lacking in her education. It enabled her to transition into the Center with little difficulty.”

As a result, the family’s youngest son decided to wait on the Center until his junior year.

What if your child doesn’t attend the MSC?

My oldest child wasn’t interested in the Center. She wouldn’t even take the test. Her 100% St. Philip education not only got her into the university of her choice but did so with scholarship money. Better still, she earned a 3.97 her first semester, which included an “A” in chemistry.

Long story short, St. Philip has you covered. No matter what that letter says, the math (and science!) still adds up.

Comments, questions, have a few suggestions? Write us at BCACS.Blog@gmail.com.

One story behind the numbers

I’m a words person, not a numbers person. Test scores are about numbers, but numbers don’t always tell the whole story.

Don’t get me wrong, test scores are a useful tool to measure academic retention, but it is just one tool. My highly-driven child brought home the standardized test scores of an average student. While my highly-forgetful child brought home the standardized test scores of a budding valedictorian. As such, I never put too much emphasis on these scores. Neither child would benefit from believing those numbers told the whole story.

There is one test score you can’t downplay, and that is the one you receive on your college entrance exams. Most students in Michigan took the ACT. Now it’s the newly revised SAT. Whatever the acronym, these scores factor heavily into what colleges accept you and what scholarships apply to you. Anxiety over this number begins early. Many students take practice exams, enroll in preparation classes, and learn test-taking strategies.

St. Philip High School offers a yearlong course for juniors to prepare for their college entrance, which includes not only test preparation but also completing applications, creating resumes, writing essays, soliciting letters of recommendations and practicing interview skills. I appreciate this whole body approach, for as important as those entrance exams are, it is only one part of a college application package.

My highly-driven child took this course. Her exam score was in line with the standardized test scores she had received her whole life – fair, but not remarkable. Her application package, however, was remarkable. Her GPA, recommendation letters, resume and essays reflected the whole story. She had no trouble getting into colleges.

The school she wanted to attend offered two different merit scholarships based solely on GPA and test scores. My daughter qualified for the lower amount because of her test score. Kyra Rabbitt, St. Philip’s counselor and prep course teacher, contacted me personally about my daughter retaking the exam. I had my doubts. Those tests have never reflected my daughter’s ability. Why bother? Kyra persuaded me, saying we had nothing to lose and possibly money to gain.

She was right. My kid’s scored well enough to receive the higher merit award. The money is nice, but her teacher advocating on her behalf was even better.

When I saw this graph, I remembered my daughter’s face when she received those higher test scores. These numbers don’t lie – our kids have the highest average SAT scores of any school system in our area.

 

The numbers, however, don’t tell the whole story. Our kids do well because they stand on the shoulders of teachers, administrators, parents and parishioners who care about the whole student, not just the part we can test.

All of us here at the BCACS Blog wish you a blessed and happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends. We are grateful for all you do to keep our students knowing, sharing and living the Faith!