Tuesday, February 26, 2013

David Coleman calls for updating the SAT

David Coleman, president of ETS since October of 2012 has sent out a letter calling on colleagues to participate in a revision of the SAT in order to


  • better meet the needs of college admissions offices
  • better reflect excellence in instruction of the common core curriculum so that schools can use results to  improve curriculum and instruction
  • reinforce the practice of school work to ensure a smooth transition to post-secondary education while ensuring fairness and equity


This will apparently be a process that involves a lot of different stakeholders.  If you were to make changes to the SAT, what would they be?

Monday, February 25, 2013

Study Materials Review: SAT 2400 in Just 7 Steps (Take 2)


Do you think your life will not be complete unless you score a 2400 on the SAT?  Is your score currently 600 points short of that goal? Do you have over 100 hours to spend on this project?  Are you the type of student who likes to index and color-code his class notes?  This is the book for you.

The author, Shaan Patel, spent countless hours working to raise his score from a 1700 to a perfect 2400. In this book he shares the technique he used with the reader.

The book is methodical and I have no doubt that it could get results promised when used as directed. However, I will not be using it with my students because it does not share my general approach to the SAT.  The book describes a very methodical, time-consuming approach that builds competence gradually in small, steady increments.  Over (a LOT) of time, the test-taker’s score improves by a substantial margin.

As I pointed out in a previous post, you can get a lot done in over 100 hours.  Surely you can find a more meaningful project -and one more attractive to college admissions officers- than studying for the SAT. To give you some perspective, consider:  once your first college semester is under your belt, no one will care about your SAT score ever again.  By the time you are 25 or 30 you, yourself, may not remember what you scored. It occurs to me that Mr. Patel may have chosen to write this book so that his accomplishment would continue to mean something.  It would be depressing to spend that much time on a project only to have it be unnoticed and forgotten. A book and a test-prep course would be just the thing to make all that effort worthwhile.

The overall approach to preparing for the SAT is not unique to this book. The advice is to methodically take simulated SAT tests then pore over the questions missed and make notes on what to do better the next time.  To focus these efforts, the book lists a total of 60 strategies.  There are problems available to practice these strategies along with 500 vocabulary words to memorize. Five of the strategies are for memorizing the vocabulary words.  None of the strategies were particularly creative or groundbreaking.

While the strategies and advice may not be original, I will say that this book is unique among the ones I have seen in the 2400 market.  Gruber’s 2400 and Barron’s 2400 both seem to have trouble deciding if they are stand-alone books or supplements to the general SAT books published by those same companies. SAT 2400 in Just 7 Steps is intended to be used with the Official College Board SAT book, but it will take you from knowing nothing about the SAT to acing the test.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Don't miss this window of opportunity!


Experience has taught me that there are many parents of young children who are already worried about SAT scores and college admissions. Some of you may find you way to this blog. This post is for you.
 
Scientists theorize that our brains are wired to learn certain things most efficiently at certain times.  For example, you may have heard that foreign languages are best learned before adolescence.  This is often used as an argument to expand foreign language instruction in elementary and middle schools. There are possibly other critical periods for learning as well.

Some of these learning “windows of opportunity” are open quite early. For example, in order to be able to hear certain language sounds, infants should be exposed to them by age six months.  One of the challenges in learning a foreign language as an adult is the inability to distinguish between similar sounds used by native speakers of the language. Chinese adults learning English struggle with the “r” sounds because they cannot distinguish them from the “l” sounds.  Some companies are trying to capitalize on this by selling CD’s of lullabies sung in a variety of languages so that babies can be exposed to a variety of foreign language sounds.

Whether or not you choose to expose your infant to the sounds of another language, you should talk to your baby early and often! Language acquisition is one of the most important tasks of early childhood.  When children enter Kindergarten there is a huge gap between the children with the largest vocabularies and those with the smallest, and that gap is very difficult to close.   Read more about that here.

You can read more about critical periods for learning in Endangered Minds by Jane Healey.  Stay tuned next week for another window that is open until your child is about 6 years of age.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Helping your child to be more resilient under stress

 Experience has taught me that there are many parents of young children who are already worried about SAT scores and college admissions. Some of you may find you way to this blog. This post is for you

I coach students for the ACT and SAT.  One of the things I have done with each student is talk about how to manage their stress.  It's a lesson on what to do if things are going badly and you begin to panic.  We practice breathing exercises and relaxation techniques.  One student reported back, "It really works! I tried it at the DMV, and I passed!"  From now on, I will expand this lesson to include some recently reported research.

You may have heard of this article in the New York Times. Researchers in Taiwan have identified a gene that affects how we handle stressful situations.  Children with one form of the gene perform less well under pressure, while children with a different form of the gene actually perform better.  The article discusses how this works, and I won't repeat it all here. I'll let you read it for yourself - just click on the link above.

When you read the article, I do want you to notice two points:  First is that children with both forms of the genes can perform well in stressful situations - including standardized tests - for which they have practiced.  I know we often feel like practicing for a high-stakes test is wasted instructional time, but it can help students to manage their anxiety.

A more interesting point, however, is this:  children and adults who re-label their anxiety can perform better under stress.  A little bit of stress is beneficial to performance. It keeps us sharp and focused.  If you remind yourself of this when you begin to feel the physical symptoms of anxiety, you can experience your stress differently and improve your performance.  Even young children can be taught this technique.

Read the article. If you have kids, try to figure out which gene variant they have.  No matter which type it is, teach them to recognize when they are beginning to feel anxious and help them re-define that stress.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Fair Test should use more honest reporting practices



In 2009, our local newspaper printed an article reporting that Wake Forest University had decided to join the ranks of “test optional” schools.  The university no longer requires applicants to submit an ACT or SAT score, although students may submit scores if they wish.  This, and subsequent articles, both in print and online have tried to give the impression that Wake Forest is part of a growing trend.  In fact, someone following this topic may begin to wonder if the days of college admissions testing are numbered. 

When you read the articles, the name of one organization keeps cropping up.  Fair Test is a non-profit group that campaigns against standardized testing.  A visit to the web site, www.fairtest.org, reveals that they are against all forms of standardized testing for a variety of reasons, some of which are valid. Calling for the end of college entrance exams is only a piece of their mission.  It is, however, an important piece, and one section of their website is devoted to their campaign against using test scores as a part of college admissions decisions.

As part of this argument, their website includes a page of 800+ test-optional schools.  The message is two-fold:  first, if these schools can make admissions decisions without test scores then everyone can, and second, there are so many schools out there that don’t require test scores that a student can avoid the college entrance exams by choosing a school from this list. Eight hundred is a lot of schools.  In fact, if you consider that there are between 2000 and 2500 four-year institutions in the United States, more than 800 would represent a significant percentage of the overall number of schools.  However, a quick glance at the first page showed quite a long list of…art schools?  Did fine art institutes ever consider a student’s test scores? Wouldn’t they be more interested in a portfolio or an audition?  Also right there on the first page was at least one theological seminary (some theological seminaries don’t grant undergraduate degrees and those that do grant a very limited number), and – this is the one that made my jaw drop – a for-profit university. There were also a number of colleges that I had never heard of.

At this point I began slogging through the list in an effort to determine which schools were included.  School after school turned out to be, upon closer examination, a school of the arts, a theological seminary or a for-profit institution. There were also a good number of tiny liberal arts colleges, a few of which have apparently closed their doors since the list was compiled.  I did, however, run into a handful of prominent universities that are test-optional.  After several hours of this activity I wondered if there was a faster method of determining exactly how many colleges and universities could be legitimately considered “test optional.”  That’s when I found page xxxv of Fisk Guide to Colleges 2013.

According to the Fisk Guide, of all of the colleges and universities in the country, there are about 175 that could be considered “selective.”  Fisk includes all of these in their guide along with another 100+ schools that they consider “interesting.”  They do not include fine arts schools, theological seminaries, or for-profit universities. That part of the weeding process had already been done. This year, they included a page listing the schools described in the guide that are test optional or “test flexible.” The actual list is preceded by five explanatory paragraphs a few of which sounded like they could have been lifted from a Fair Test press release, including a sentence that said the number of test-optional schools had reached “a critical mass,” followed by “For the first time, students who wish to avoid getting involved in the admissions test rat-race can do so while still enjoying a range of colleges and universities from which to choose.”

We’ll talk about the rat-race in a minute, but first, a word about “test flexible.”  It seems that some schools are willing to let you opt out of submitting SAT or ACT scores if you submit your SAT II, AP or IB test scores instead. Oddly, these schools are included in the list.  I don’t get that. What issues does the SAT test have that the AP test doesn’t? They are written and administered by the same company.  Little Johnny flunked his ACT because “he doesn’t test well,” but he aced his IB exams? How did that happen? I can assure you that at my house there was way more anxiety over the AP exams than over the SAT. With the SAT you at least have a chance to take it again. Make a separate list of “test flexible” schools if you want, but we need to remove those schools from the “test optional” list.  When we do, we are down to 60 schools. 

Now a word about the “rat-race” of admissions testing.  Here’s the thing:  If only 175 of the schools in the country are “selective” that means the vast majority of the schools are NOT selective.  For every school that admits fewer than half of its applicants, there are at least a dozen that will take just about anyone with a pulse.  Many of them are fine schools.  Let’s take the University of Mississippi for example.  Ole Miss is a venerable institution and you can get an excellent education there.  Many students dream of one day attending Ole Miss and you can see why they would. That said, the school admits over three quarters of its applicants.  It’s not much of a stretch for them to say, “You know what, honey, you don’t have to send your test scores if you don’t want to.”  Even before they decided to be “test optional” I imagine many of their applicants weren’t sweating over the SAT’s because they figured they could get a good enough score anyway.  I know that there is a highly visible group of students who are scratching and clawing for every point on the test because they want to apply to a top-tier school, but I don’t think that’s the norm. I think that for an awful lot of students their dream school is within easy reach.

So. Let’s remove from the list those schools that are not “selective” on the grounds that for a non-selective school removing the test requirement doesn’t make much difference in the admissions process. This leaves us with 20 or so schools.  Seventeen are small liberal arts colleges.  Many of these are highly selective, but as they are small and they have few applicants (relatively speaking,) they can use a much more personalized admissions process.  If a small, liberal arts college is what you are looking for, then having these test optional choices may be exactly what you need. 

The remaining three schools are:  University of Texas at Austin, Wake Forest University and Worchester Polytechnic Institute.  Worchester Polytech is small and quite unique.  I don’t think other engineering schools are going to drop a test requirement just because that seems to be working out for Worchester, but if your scores are terrible and you want to be an engineer, this might be the school for you.

The University of Texas at Austin is interesting.  Like twelve other schools on the list, they have a footnote which says that students are required to submit their test scores “if minimum GPA and/or class rank is not met.”  The other schools came off the list when we eliminated the non-selective schools.  So what is the GPA/class rank requirement at UT-Austin?  Apparently, by state law, all public universities must automatically accept any high school graduate that is a) a resident of Texas and b) graduated in the top 10% of his or her class. You don’t meet both of those requirements? Then you better take a test.

So it seems that if you want to attend a small, liberal arts college, you do have a range of test optional choices.  If you want to attend a major research university that is not particularly selective you may have a range of test optional choices depending on where you live. If you want to attend a selective, major research university, you have Wake Forest.  This can hardly be considered a “critical mass.” While other colleges may eventually drop their testing requirements, I think college entrance exams will be a component for most students for at least the next decade.

I think it is dishonest to suggest that the number of test optional schools is so large that students need not take a college admissions exam. By blatantly padding their list with names of schools that should not be included, or that should be included in separate lists, Fair Test invites questions about their integrity and detracts from their overall message.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Study Material Review: SAT 2400 in Just 7 Steps

"A Perfect-Score Student Reveals How to Ace the Test" is emblazoned across the cover of this book by Shaan Patel.  Apparently the author achieved a perfect SAT score and is now sharing his secrets. I haven't finished the book (454 pages) so I don't have much to say about the test-taking tips. I'll have to revisit this book in a future post to comment on those.  This post is about a remark Mr. Patel makes in the first few pages. He is commenting on the fact that improving your SAT score involves a lot of work. There is no silver bullet. Even with help from a book, a course, or a tutor it will require some time and effort on the part of the student.  But, he says, it is all worth it. "When I secluded myself in a library study room four days a week during a hot summer, did I ever think my effort would lead me to a 2400; admission to schools like Brown, Johns Hopkins and UC-Berkeley; more than $230,000 in college scholarships; and the opportunity to write a book about all of it one day?"

Wait.....what??  Four days a week all summer spent studying for the SAT? Seriously?  I make money coaching kids for the SAT. When my students spend more time studying that can mean more money for me.  And, yet, I'm still going to tell you not to do it. Think about what could be done with that kind of time.  All of the volunteer work, the learning opportunities, the jobs, the creative endeavors one could undertake with a summer's worth of effort.  If I were a college admissions officer, I would rather see a student spend a summer on any of those things than spend it studying for the SAT.

If you need to raise your score in order to be able to attend college AT ALL, then four days a week during the summer would be worth it.  Especially since, at that level, any work you do will help you be successful in college after you get there. But if it's just a matter of getting into a particular school, I think you would be better off just spending a few hours a week on the SAT. Devote the rest of your time to something more constructive.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Is there a good math website for a 3-year-old?


 Experience has taught me that there are many parents of young children who are already worried about SAT scores and college admissions. Some of you may find you way to this blog. This post is for you. I originally wrote it in response to a question on Quora. I decided to be lazy and let it do double duty. :)

A parent recently asked, “What is the best online math site for an advanced 3-year-old?”

This is my response:

Please don't put your 3-year-old in front of a computer to learn math. Even the best websites are heavily computation oriented and an advanced student will pick that up naturally without a website.

Ideally you would be able to find a math circle that includes young children, but if not, play games! Work puzzles!  If you don't have time to do this with your child, hire an advanced high school or college student to come over a couple of times per week.

Some great games and puzzles:

Chess
Towers of Hanoi
Set
Tangrams
Parcheesi
Mastermind
Rummikub
Labyrinth
Yahtzee
the chips game (which you can read about here)

When you are playing together, think out loud during your turns. Model the problem solving you want her to learn. Handicap yourself so that the games are about even and praise effort, progress and creative thinking.

While an online math site may teach your child to add and subtract earlier than her peers, this will not give her an advantage in the long run.  Furthermore, expecting a website to fill in for hands-on experience could lead to a Sandbox Deficit. Experiencing the world and interacting with intelligent, articulate adults will have a far more lasting impact in the long run.