Is your teenager a late bloomer: a capable young person who has not yet succeeded in school?
Are you wondering whether it's even worth it to have them take the SAT or ACT?
I"m going to suggest that it is worth it, but for a different reason than you may be expecting.
I'm going to suggest that, for your teenager, the SAT or ACT can offer a new start.
An opportunity to excel, perhaps for the first time.
An opportunity to learn skills that will help them become successful, not just on the SAT or ACT, but for life.
An opportunity to become college ready before they leave for college.
If your teenager is struggling with both school and the SAT or ACT, let's consider the opportunity that this situation presents for you. Let's talk about how you can help your teenager turn their SAT / ACT challenge into a learning experience that will help them succeed, not just on the SAT or ACT, but for life.
I call this situation the bigger opportunity in SAT / ACT training.
Let's start by getting a clear look at the situation.
A high percentage of students have not yet succeeded in school as of the time they take their SAT or ACT.
An estimated 40% of students who take the SAT have scores that the test-maker would not classify as "college ready".
An estimated 60% of students who take the ACT have scores that the test-maker would not classify as "college ready".
This is a significant portion of the test-taking population, any way you look at it.
It can be very frustrating for a young person to experience a general lack of success over a period of years.
For you the parent, too, the frustration can be particularly keen.
You've been successful and you'd like nothing better than to help your child learn what you've learned about success.
But for whatever reason you're not sure how to help. And it's just plain frustrating.
Because we parents want nothing more than to know that our children are on their way to a successful and happy future.
So let's get to the most important thing of all: what do you do about it?
If you've been aware of the gap for a while, then you may already have tried various classes and tutoring approaches and found that they did not help.
You are a successful problem-solver and it does not sit right with you that your teenager simply has to settle for a situation that is such a mismatch with what you know to be their true capability.
Well, you don't have to accept the mismatch.
Your teenager can turn this challenge into an opportunity for success -- not just on the SAT or ACT, but for life.
In the next (2nd) part of this 4-part article, we'll take a closer look at what prevents the young person from succeeding, and that will point toward the solution!
