MASTER THE SAT WITH VOD

January 8th, 2013

August 31, 2012

Master The SAT With VOD

iN DEMAND

CABLE TV OFFERS STUDENTS A STRATEGIC GUIDE TO TAKING THE SATS

WITH THE NEW VIDEO ON DEMAND SERIES “MASTERING THE SAT”

The back to school season is upon us and for high school students wanting to go to college it also means preparing for the SATs. Those looking for aid are usually faced with preparing on their own or expensive classes or tutors. Students can now access “Mastering the SAT,” a set of Video On Demand (VOD) programs via many cable providers. This comprehensive study method for the SATs is developed by educational programming producers Education In Demand and hosted by respected and successful tutor Daniel Fischer. There are six half-hour sections in the collection including two math, two reading and two writing. They are available starting now and throughout the school year. Each is available at $9.95 per show.

The shows include test-taking strategies created by Mr. Fischer based on extensive research of more than 40 recent published SAT and PSAT exams. By tracking the frequency and application of every rule, formula and question type, Mr. Fischer is able to give viewers crucial test-taking insights into how to become not only smart test-takers, but strategic test-takers. As a private tutor, Daniel Fischer’s students scores “generally” rise about 300 points (results variy by student).

Daniel Fischer / Mastering The SAT (iN DEMAND)

The program is designed to be as interactive as possible, and mimics the one-on-one approach of an actual in-person tutoring session, rather than a lecture. This approach, along with the VOD technology which includes pause, forward, rewind and replay capabilities (as many times as viewers want within 24 hours), allows students to follow at their own pace and arrive at moments of discovery on their own. The result is a learning experience that customizes to students of all ability levels.

In addition to the video programs, “Mastering the SAT” includes free workbooks that match the syllabus of each video tutorial. Each workbook can be downloaded from www.educationindemand.com using a code that they will find once they purchase the video program. Students can then keep the workbooks for future reference and continue to reinforce these invaluable study tools.

Students, parents and educators can access these VOD shows anytime in preparation for any of the seven upcoming SAT test dates: Oct. 6, 2012, Nov. 3, 2012, Dec.1, 2012, Jan. 26, 2013, Mar. 9, 2013, May 4, 2013 and Jun. 1, 2013.

Viewers can locate the programs in the events-on-demand (EOD) categories* in the following providers: Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Cablevision, Bright House Networks, Bresnan, Metrocast, RCN and others.

Each video consists of 20 or more essential key tactics for taking the SAT (approximately 100 total):

- Tackles the content areas that are worth the most points on test day

-  Explains how to handle all question types

-  Shows how to save time by understanding exactly what kinds of questions will be asked and detailing how to approach each type

-  Analyzes formats of questions – rules and formulas

-  Teaches how these rules can be hidden inside questions

-  Provides general test-taking know how: how to navigate sections, what to tackle first, when to omit, other time-saving short-cuts.

-  Saves time so students will have enough time to focus on the more difficult questions

* Viewers can find “Mastering the SAT” by checking the following VOD menus:

-Bright House Networks – Special Events/Music & Specials
-Time Warner Cable – Special Events/Music & Specials
-Cox Communications – Events/Music & Specials
-Bresnan Communications – Music/Concerts & Comedy
-RCN – VODlink Root/RCN/Events/Music & Specials or VODlink, Root/Virtual/Events/Music & Specials
-Cablevision (Optimum) – TVE/Specials
-Metrocast – Premiums & Events/Events/Music & Specials
-Other systems – Events/Music & Specials

About Daniel Fischer

New York-based teacher and tutor Mr. Fischer is a graduate of Cornell University with a Masters from The New School. He worked at the esteemed test prep institution Kaplan where he prepared lesson curriculum and product development, plus he wrote the script and was the model teacher in the DVD accompaniment to their 2009 SAT and PSAT books. While there, he earned status as an Elite Tutor. Over the past decade plus, he has successfully given hundreds of students the tools they need to improve their scores, working with students across the country, in one-on-one sessions, group classes and via online classrooms.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Dreaded Test

November 19th, 2012

For juniors, the college season is quickly approaching. Most are probably gathering college information and studying for those crucial standardized tests.
Standardized tests: those are two words that will send a shiver down any high school student’s spine. Is this so called “most important test you’ll ever take” really that important? Have college admissions officers been lying to us all along?

Washington University’s Director of Admissions: Nanette Tarbouni, “Standardized testing is a part of any application, and part of the consideration that goes into making an admissions decision,” she added “The most important factor in any admission decision is the academic component, as reflected by the transcript.”

However, officials at William Jewell College, transcript and test scores are weighted equally. Dean of Admissions: Bridget Gramling said, “It is possible for a test score to be too low for admission here, no matter how good the grades.”

University of Notre Dame’s admission counselor Catherine Linn says they accept students on an individual basis. She added, ”We don’t have any cut-offs academically, so we review every part of every application looking for compelling reasons to admit one student over so many others.”

Standardized tests are one of the only admissions criteria at most public universities according to Mizzou’s Coordinator of Regional Recrutment. Schools such as University of Kansas and the University of Missouri-Columbia consider test scores to be “a significant part of the application” Hollembeak added. Grade point average and class rank are also important factors in admissions to state colleges. Extra-Curricular involvement, however, is not considered in admissions at Mizzou. Missouri State University in Springfield cares more about GPA and class rank than standardized tests. Admissions counselor: Lana Kelly says, “If a student has a GPA above a 3.5 or has a class rank in the top 25% of their class, the score that they received on their ACT/SAT would not matter.”

So, standardized tests are of huge importance at most universities, but are there any schools that don’t require test scores at all?
Good question. Of course there are. There are actually close to 800 colleges that disregard standardized testing all together. Kansas State University, Benedictine College, Washburn University, Missouri Southern State University, and Missouri Western State College are just a few of the 755 colleges who do not use standardized tests in admissions. K-State admissions representatives’ say as along as your GPA is above 2.0, you’re good to go.

Many schools, such as University of Notre Dame, will review any applicant, regardless of test score. However, if you are looking for a school that focuses more on you than on a two-digit number, check out one of the schools listed above. Maybe you’ll find your perfect school.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The College Board Democratizes Access to Public Education

November 16th, 2012

Dan Edmond’s opinion article about the College Board’s decisions on two recent SAT-related events mischaracterizes the organization’s intentions and overlooks its track record of democratizing access to higher education.

The article suggested that the test scores of 199 students taking the SAT at Packer Collegiate in Brooklyn this past May should not have been invalidated even though auditors cited numerous, serious infractions of test center protocols that could have provided students at that test center with an unfair advantage. Whenever testing irregularities are reported by auditors, test-takers or test-center staff, ETS — the organization that administers the SAT — investigates those reports and, when necessary, invalidates the scores.

ETS and the College Board do not take lightly the decision to invalidate test scores, because we understand and hear firsthand the inconvenience and frustration such decisions cause students and their families. However, maintaining the integrity of the SAT and a fair administration process for all students is critical to ensuring the validity of test scores reported to colleges. The SAT plays an integral role in the admission process at nearly every four-year college and university in the nation, and it is our paramount responsibility to both students and admission officers to ensure that scores are earned on a level playing field.

Put simply, failure to invalidate test scores from the May 2 exam at Packer Collegiate would have been unfair to hundreds of thousands of other students who took the SAT around the world that same day.

For over a century, the College Board has worked tirelessly to promote access and equity in higher education, which is why the organization withdrew its plans to pilot a summer SAT administration in collaboration with the National Society for the Gifted and Talented. No doubt, the misadministration at Packer Collegiate and the summer SAT pilot incidents were unfortunate, but they should not distract from the College Board’s accomplishments in expanding access to higher education.

For example, during the 2010-11 academic year the College Board provided nearly $100 million in free programs and services, including more than $37 million for the SAT Fee-Waiver Program. The College Board has been providing SAT fee waivers for more than 40 years to help ensure test fees are not a barrier to college admission, and today more than 20 percent of all SAT takers utilize the program.

The SAT was created to democratize access to education, so all students, regardless — of their background — could demonstrate their academic skills and knowledge through a fair, national benchmark of college readiness. Whether opening additional SAT test centers in high-need urban and rural areas or introducing the rapidly expanding SAT School Day initiative that enables students throughout more than 10 states to test in their home school on a weekday morning, our goal has always been to expand access to higher education for all students.

As it has for over 100 years, the College Board will continue to play a critical role in making that goal a reality.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

My View: 10 Reasons the SAT matters

October 29th, 2012

Editor’s note: Kathryn Juric is vice president of the College Board’s SAT Program.  She leads global program strategy for the SAT, which is administered annually to nearly 3 million students worldwide.

The College Board created the SAT to democratize access to higher education by providing an objective measure for evaluating a student’s college readiness.  This function has endured for more than 80 years and for those who doubt its value, here are 10 reasons why the SAT continues to be an integral part of the college admission process:

1. The SAT has a proven track record as a fair and valid predictor of first-year college success for all students, regardless of gender, race, or socio-economic status.  The most recent validity study utilizing data from more than 150,000 students at more than 100 colleges and universities demonstrates that the combined use of SAT and high school GPA is a better predictor of college success than HSGPA alone.

2. The SAT gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their college-preparedness despite inconsistent grading systems throughout the nation’s high schools.  And SAT scores provide a national, standardized benchmark that neutralizes the risk of grade inflation.

3. The SAT tests students’ ability to apply what they have learned in high school and to problem-solve based on that knowledge – skills that are critical to success in college and the workforce.  The College Board conducts regular curriculum surveys to ensure the content tested on the SAT reflects the content being taught in the nation’s high school classrooms.

4. Despite what some testing critics have said, colleges still depend on college entrance exams as part of the admission process.  According to a 2010 survey published by the National Association of College Admission Counseling, admissions officers ranked college entrance exam scores as the third-most important factor in the admission process – behind only grades in college prep courses and the strength of the student’s high school curriculum.

5. The SAT actually shines a spotlight on the inequities in education by putting every student on equal footing.  The notion that the differences in test scores among different groups of students is somehow the result of testing bias is an idea that is “universally rejected within mainstream psychology,” according to University of Minnesota researchers.

6. Unlike other standardized tests intended to measure a student’s college-readiness, the SAT requires a writing portion of the exam, an essential skill in today’s e-communications era.

7. While organizations that oppose standardized testing might suggest otherwise, nearly all four-year colleges require a college entrance exam, and some “test-optional” schools do, in fact, consider SAT scores in the admission process when students submit them.  Data provided by colleges and universities to college-planning sites such as BigFuture.org show that many test-optional schools receive SAT scores from a majority of the students who ultimately matriculate at those institutions.  For instance, of the students who were admitted to and enrolled at Bowdoin last year, more than 70% submitted SAT scores as part of the admission process.

8. Parents and students should keep in mind that colleges do not base admission decisions on test scores alone.  The College Board has always advocated that the best use of the SAT is in combination with high school grades and other valid measures, as part of a holistic and comprehensive review of a student’s overall fit for a particular institution.

9. States and districts can use aggregate SAT scores in conjunction with other measures to evaluate the general direction of education in a particular district or state, develop curriculum, and determine staffing needs.  The SAT is the only college readiness measure statistically linked to NAEP, the Nation’s Report Card.

10. As part of its commitment to access and equity in education, the College Board introduced the SAT Fee-Waiver Program more than 40 years ago to assist those students for whom test fees presented an obstacle in the college-going process.  Today, more than 20% of SAT takers utilize fee waivers, including more than 350,000 students in the graduating class of 2011 alone.  During the 2010-2011 academic year, the College Board provided more than $37 million in free SAT services.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Is The SAT Useless?

October 25th, 2012
Do you think the SAT Is Useless?
Fall is a busy and stressful time for many high school seniors as they complete their college applications – gathering transcripts, teacher recommendations, and lists of extracurricular activities and awards, and sending them to colleges all over the country. The most nerve-wracking time for many, though, is waiting for their scores from the SAT, a test that has a tremendous impact on which schools will accept them.

SAT stands for Scholastic Aptitude Test. The ­majority of colleges require it as part of their admissions process. More than two million students each year take this three-hour standardized test, which supposedly measures ­verbal and mathematical reasoning. ­Although colleges look at applicants’ portfolios – including their GPA, class ranking, and special talents – SAT scores play a large role too. Many colleges will only accept students who ­attain a ­certain score for math and reading.

I believe that SAT tests should not be the most ­important criteria for acceptance into a school. Studies have shown that females scored lower on the SAT than males, but overall women have better grades in high school and college. This shows that these tests do not necessarily predict success in college. Most professionals agree that SAT tests do have some ­validity, but there is much debate on whether scores should be the main factor colleges use to choose their freshmen.

Another reason SAT tests are not a convincing ­predictor of academic success is that they are biased against minorities. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing, or Fair Test, believes that standardized tests like the SAT assume all test takers have backgrounds similar to white, middle-class students. This is certainly not the case. Fair Test seeks to eliminate the racial, class, gender, and cultural barriers to equal opportunity.

When applying to the University of Texas, students in the top 10 percent of their class do not need to submit SAT scores. These applicants had higher college GPAs than those who were not in the top 10 percent but had SAT scores 200 to 300 points higher. This demonstrates that these scores do not necessarily predict ­students’ performance.

My aunt received mediocre scores on her SAT tests. However, she graduated second in her class from Assumption College, went on to law school, and graduated in the top five of her class from Boston College. If the college had rejected her based on her SAT scores, they would have undoubtedly missed out on a superior student.

Most successful students must work very hard in high school to earn the best grades they can. Students who get extra help, study, and try their best are the ones who tend to get good grades. Their work ethic determines how well they will do in the future. Therefore, a better way to predict students’ college performance is by looking at their ­previous achievements and grades. If colleges focus more on the accomplishments of the four years of high school rather than one test, they will more ­accurately determine how well students will perform in college.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

7 Wrong Answers About Standardized Tests

October 24th, 2012

An expert debunks SAT and ACT myths and offers tips on prepping.

Does a friend say the ACT is way easier than the SAT? Does your aunt tell you that no one can get into an Ivy without taking five subject tests? What’s a stressed-out high schooler to do? Chill. As a test-prep geek and founder of the educational consulting firm PrepMatters, I’m here to debunk the common myths of standardized testing.

Myth 1: Standardized tests are IQ tests.

Knowing the meanings of laconic, loquacious, or lugubrious does not prove you are smart. Nor does knowing how many real roots there are for a quadratic or the rules of logarithms, apostrophes, or parallel structure. Mastery of that information demonstrates knowledge, not intelligence. In her remarkable book Mindset, psychologist Carol Dweck details the benefits of approaching learning with an understanding that intelligence can grow through hard work.

The first step in test preparation, therefore, should be to shift how you view these tests and your potential for success on them. Combine dedicated preparation with the belief that you can (and will!) do well. You will not only perform at your best, but what your “best” can be will also keep increasing.

[Get tips from the U.S. News college test prep guide.]

Myth 2: Taking both tests will double your chances of doing well.

Yes, these tests matter. But so, too, do your grades, activities, family, friends, and, oh yeah, your sanity!

If you are remarkably better at one test, it should become evident pretty quickly after some practice. If it doesn’t, then you are probably like most kids and will do equally well on either. Pick the test you feel more comfortable with and put your efforts into that test.

Myth 3: The ACT is an easier test than the SAT.

The ACT is a different test, not better or easier. In fact, most kids will get similar scores on both. Note though that most doesn’t mean everyone—and might not mean you. For instance, you might do better on the ACT if you are a highly academic student prone to test anxiety (it does not lean on working memory as much as the SAT) or if you’re a fast reader or are comfortable with the more advanced math tested on the ACT (trigonometry, conic sections, and logarithms).

You might do better on the SAT if you are a sharp wiseguy (or wisegirl), since the SAT rewards those who look for “the angle,” or if you have a killer vocabulary and can decipher even the densest text, or if you are a slow reader but can approach a question analytically. It is worth exploring both tests to see if one is better for you.

[Check out the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings.]

Myth 4: The SAT is more coachable than the ACT.

I hear this a lot, principally from folks who know the SAT really well but for whom the ACT is still newish. The tests are different. So should be the preparation.

Familiarize yourself with both. Take a practice test of each. Then, compare not just your scores but also your relative strengths and weaknesses on each test. Which areas of weakness are likely to be the easiest for you to improve?

Myth 5: “Good” colleges require the SAT.

I worked with a kid for whom the ACT was surely his test. His ACT of 34 was fantastically stronger than his PSAT scores and practice SATs. Dad, however, wondered whether “good schools” would “take” the ACT. While this concern may have been well placed years ago, it isn’t now

William Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid at Harvard University, states, “We accept ACT and SAT scores on an absolutely equal basis.” Good enough for me. Moreover, many “good” colleges are entirely test-optional. You can find a list at www.fairtest.org.

Myth 6: You should take the SAT or ACT as often as you can.

Unless you plan to start on the varsity SAT team, you are probably better served by taking the SAT only a couple of times. I am all for a lot of practice tests. Both the College Board (which owns the SAT) and ACT publish books with practice tests. There is also a wealth of other test-prep books, CDs, tutors, classes, and online options available.

So, please, do practice, but keep in mind that some colleges may ask for all of your scores. That doesn’t mean you should be afraid of taking tests more than once, but don’t treat the official SAT or ACT as practice. Practice tests are for practice. The real thing is the real thing.

Myth 7: If you take the ACT, you don’t need SAT subject tests.

It’s true at Yale University. It’s not true at Harvard. It’s true at Tufts University. It’s not true at Williams College. In short, it’s all over the place. Subject tests are one-hour exams on a variety of subjects. Some colleges and universities (but certainly not all) require or recommend one or more in addition to, or sometimes in place of, the SAT or ACT.

You don’t want to stress about a subject test that you won’t need, but you also don’t want to be unable to apply to a school because you didn’t meet its basic testing requirements. Visit schools’ websites, see what tests they require or recommend, and plan to take those tests.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Steve Cohen on the Three Biggest College Admissions Lies

October 23rd, 2012

“The check is in the mail. I gave at the office. And …”

There are too many bad jokes that begin “The three biggest lies are …” What’s happening in college admissions, however, is no joke. Three big lies are gaining traction with families as they embark on this year’s tougher-than-ever college-admissions sweepstakes. Believing some of these lies will cost families money. Others can make the difference between an acceptance and a rejection.

Lie No. 1: Standardized Tests Are Less Important

Colleges today are relying on standardized test scores when making admissions decisions to a far larger degree than they have in years. One reason is that the number of applications at most top colleges is soaring. That’s not because there are more 18-year-olds graduating from high school. It is because more kids are applying to more colleges. And with little increase in the size of their admissions staffs, schools are using SAT and ACT scores to make a fast, easy cut of the applicant pool.

Of course, no college is going to admit this. Colleges love a big applicant pool, not just to craft a more attractive class but to show the ranking services just how selective they are. (In the perverse rankings world, more rejections equal a higher ranking.) Instead, colleges are using several forms of numbers subterfuge to obfuscate what is really going on.

The SAT Range: Almost every college publishes the range of SAT scores that kids in the last entering class achieved. The schools call this the 25th to 75th percentile range. In other words, 50 percent of last year’s entering class had scores within this range.

So if a kid sees a school’s 25th–75th range as 1280 to 1430, the student might reasonably think that their 1300 SAT score gives them a fair shot at admission. Wrong. In reality, the bottom 25 percent, below 1280, is reserved for the school’s “special interests”: athletes, students of color, development (big donors). For example, Vanderbilt reports its 25th–75th SAT range as 1380 to 1550. In reality, most of its admittees had SAT scores above 1500.

‘Megan McArdle wonders whether college is really worth it.’

Ah, for the good old days—the days before the Great Recession. Back then, when a college said it was “need blind,” it probably was need blind.

Test Optional Doesn’t Always Mean Test Optional: A number of very good colleges have a “test optional” policy. For kids who have good grades but test-anxiety, that can be a real blessing. Are test-optional colleges adopting a kindler, gentler approach to admissions? No, they’re chasing rankings. Think about it. When a school declares SAT scores optional, which students report their scores? Only students with high test scores. This boosts the average SAT scores at the college, and the school moves up a rung on the rankings ladder.

The Magic 700: At the very selective colleges and universities, if you don’t have a 700/700 score, you’re just not getting in—unless you have a very special hook. The 680/690 kid is a dime a dozen.

Cheating Goes Both Ways: In the past year, headlines have screamed about cheating scandals not just at Long Island high schools and at New York City’s Stuyvesant High School but at colleges. Both Claremont-McKenna and Emory admitted to playing with test scores in order to make them look better in the rankings.

Standardized test scores are just as important on the money side.

“It’s pretty simple,” says Ian Welham, a college-funding specialist with Complete College Planning Solutions in Springfield, N.J. “If you want more money, increase your test scores. Regardless of what the college tour guide or the glitzy brochure says, the kid with the 800 in math will get the money over the kid with straight A’s.”

Lie No. 2: Asking for Financial Aid Won’t Affect the Admissions Decision

Ah, for the good old days—the days before the Great Recession. Back then, when a college said it was “need blind,” it probably was need blind. That meant admissions decisions were made without the admissions staff knowing whether the kid was applying for financial aid.

Today, more and more college admissions officers want, and need, to know whether the kid can pay full freight. And if there is a choice between two virtually identical applicants, one who needs financial aid and one who doesn’t, the fat envelope is going to go to the kid who can pay full tuition.

Some very good schools, such as Wesleyan, are coming forward and acknowledging that they can’t afford to be 100 percent need-blind. Similarly, some of the most selective colleges are quietly moving away from their “no loans” financial aid policy. Pre-2007 many of the nation’s wealthiest and most selective colleges said they would eliminate loans from the financial-aid packages they gave students. Today there is a family-income level that must be met before a no-loan financial aid package is offered.

Cornell University recently announced that no-loan financial aid would be available only to families earning less than $60,000 a year. Similarly, Dartmouth and Williams announced that their no-loan policy would be limited to students at the lowest end of the income-distribution scale.

There is good news, however, for families who can afford to pay full tuition, and especially out-of-state tuitions. Acceptance rates at top state universities for out-of-state applicants reached an all-time high last year. And the number of foreign students accepted at many colleges has doubled or tripled in the last four years.

But not all well-heeled parents are willing to write the big checks. Welham, the college-funding adviser, reports a trend he’s seeing among his clients. “There used to be a certain percentage of parents who told us, ‘I want my kid to get into the best name school, I don’t care what it costs.’ Now, take a family with three to four kids. Even upper-income families are balking at paying $750,000 to $1 million for college. Instead, they’re telling us, ‘Show us some options where we don’t pay sticker price.’”

Lie No. 3: It’s a Level Playing Field

Let’s go back to the foreign-student situation. It should be no surprise that many foreign students applying to American colleges have very high SAT scores. Colleges love that. Unfortunately, a shockingly large number of Chinese applicants also lie about their English abilities and academic transcripts. And colleges are pretending they don’t know this. That combination of high scores and full tuition is simply too enticing to ignore.

The worst-kept secret of college admissions is that colleges are looking for the well-rounded class, not the well-rounded kid. They want some real scholars for every department, some superb athletes, some great musicians and actors, a few rich kids whose parents can build a library wing, and some legacies to keep the alumni happy. The applicant who is attractive but not really special in any one category is going to have a much tougher time getting in.

And while early decision really does improve one’s chances, there are caveats. Many of the early-decision slots are reserved for kids the school wants for athletic or other recruiting purposes. Second, the early-decision applicant pool typically has higher grades and SAT scores than the regular pool. There is a self-limiting element to who is applying early. So if a school is a “reach” for a student, the student should not apply early. His odds of getting rejected are greater. The early decision-applicant pool is simply better credentialed.

A last truism: it is often said that there is a college for everyone. That is certainly true. What is more elusive, but equally true, is there is a right-fit college for everyone. But most kids and their parents never find that school because they are too caught up in trying to get into the “best” school rather than the right school.

Instead of relying on magazine rankings, which reflect the subjectivity of the editors couched in often-meaningless statistical inputs or is based a single visit to a college that can be colored by a backward-walking student tour guide, students really should do smarter research. It takes a bit more effort, but kids should sit in on a college class. They should spend a night on campus. Sure, it’s tough and expensive to arrange such trips. But it is a hell of a lot cheaper than a poor fit.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Facilitating the Application Process

October 23rd, 2012

Help your students break down the application process

Once students have selected which colleges to apply to, they have to do the actual applying. Help guide your students through the process, step by step.

It’s important that your students understand all the elements of the application process. This includes timelines and the actual items they will have to submit. Much of the necessary information originates from other sources (such as transcripts and personal recommendations), so students should initiate those requests first. Use the College Application Checklist to get started.

Applying to open-access colleges

Open-access colleges, including most community colleges, are typically two-year programs that are supported by local taxes. They have a public mandate to provide educational opportunities for all qualified students in a particular region or state. The admission policies are straightforward — applicants who meet the basic requirements (e.g., grades, class rank, test scores) are admitted.

Make sure your students recognize that their application must show that they have met all entrance requirements. If any requirements have not been met, have them contact the college and talk to the admission officers.

Applying to traditional colleges

Many traditional four-year colleges make admission decisions based on a specific dimension of success, such as test scores and grades. Other colleges create a blueprint of the incoming class as a whole, expressed in terms of academic qualifications, personal characteristics and geographic and ethnic diversity. Applicants are evaluated against the blueprint to determine what each can contribute to the big picture.

Your students need to closely follow all application instructions and present a complete picture of their skills in each area. Stress the importance of any requested essays — they may be the deciding factor. It is imperative that your students demonstrate both how they can succeed at the selected college and how they can add to the campus community.

Taking advantage of the Common Application

More than 450 member institutions accept the Common Application. This application can help your students focus on creating a top-notch submission. Colleges that accept the Common Application in lieu of their own use a holistic selection process. In addition to the objective criteria of grades and test scores, this process includes subjective criteria — such as including a recommendation form and at least one untimed essay — as well as broader campus diversity considerations.

Get more information to share with your students about applying to college. You’ll find articles on narrowing down lists of colleges, getting organized, completing applications elements and writing better essays.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

More Students Take the SAT for Free

October 22nd, 2012

More high school seniors used fee waivers to take the SAT for free last year than ever before, according to a report released Monday.

Of approximately 1.66 million SAT takers in the class of 2012, 371,259 participated in the College Board’s SAT Fee-Waiver Service, the organization noted in “The SAT Report on College & Career Readiness: 2012.” That’s a 61 percent increase in program participation from 2008, according to the study, and saved each student the usual $50 fee charged.

“There are many students who simply lack the resources to be able to afford an SAT … and we want to make certain that we do everything that we are able … to level the playing field,” says Jim Montoya, the College Board’s vice president of relationship development. “It fits with our overall philosophy of trying to connect all students, regardless of their socioeconomic background, to college opportunities and college success.”

[Find out why the fear of paying for college shouldn't keep you from applying.]

Students can get a fee waiver if they qualify for a free or reduced lunch at school; are enrolled in a low-income student program such as Upward Bound; are orphaned; or are in a family whose annual income is within the USDA Income Eligibility Guidelines, among other criteria. High school counselors grant the fee waivers, so the guidance office is a good first stop if you think you’ll qualify, Montoya says.

But if you’re not comfortable going directly to a counselor, any school official should be able to get the process in motion, notes Sara Walter, a transition coordinator who counsels students at New Hope Academy Charter School in Pennsylvania.

“It can be a very sensitive subject, because it does touch on a lot of things like, ‘Are you homeless? Are you living in foster care? Is your family struggling financially?’” Walter says. “I really just encourage students, ‘It’s OK if you talk to somebody else and allow them to share that information with me.’ If they can identify one person in school they’re comfortable going to, that person could let the school counselor know that this is a concern.”

[See other questions to ask your high school counselor.]

Through the College Board, students can also use fee waivers to take up to six SAT Subject tests and can send their SAT scores to four schools for free. Fee waivers are also offered for the ACT (though not through the College Board), and qualifying students can take both tests for free twice. Test takers who receive SAT fee waivers from the College Board will also be eligible to receive college application fee waivers, one of a variety of ways to apply to college for free.

“Once we do all the math,” Walter says of walking her students through the various expenses, “they are really very grateful because they realize they wouldn’t be able to apply if the fee waivers did not exist.”

But while the free options may make college a possibility, they alone won’t make success a reality, Montoya notes. It’s up to students to challenge themselves with meaningful work in high school to get ready for the tests, as well as for college courses.

“We need to encourage more students across all socioeconomic and ethnic lines to take rigorous courses; the rigor of a student’s academic course load in high school is reflected in his or her SAT test,” he says. “Students, as they start high school, should already be thinking about the courses they will be taking, and making certain that those courses will well prepare them for college.”

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Sat FEE Waiver

October 17th, 2012

How the Fee-Waiver Service works

The SAT Fee-Waiver Service assists low-income, college-aspiring students for whom payment of fees for the SAT or SAT Subject TestsTM might be a barrier to college entrance. This service has seen tremendous success thanks to the efforts of student advocates in high schools who work to provide wider access to college.

You can help remove the barrier of test fees by awarding fee waivers to students who meet our eligibility guidelines. Students receive fee waivers through their school counselors. They may use up to two fee waivers for the SAT and up to two for SAT Subject Tests.

Please note: To be valid, fee waivers must be completed by the counselor. See the Counselor’s Guide to SAT Program Fee Waivers for complete instructions. Go to the SAT Downloads and Materials Ordering page to view and print the guide.

To order materials or to ask questions about fee waivers, call the SAT Educator Helpline at (888) SAT-HELP.

Reducing Absenteeism

Absenteeism among fee-waiver recipients continues to be a concern — it results in lost opportunities for students and wasted financial and administrative resources. In response to our research with thousands of fee-waiver recipients, most students:

  1. Indicated that their school counselor was the most important influence on their decision to register for the SAT or SAT Subject Tests.
  2. Cited not feeling prepared and not having transportation as the top reasons for being absent.
  3. Indicated that the following would have helped them show up on test day:
    • Access to transportation/directions
    • A closer test center
    • Better preparation and/or more confidence
    • More encouragement and reminders

You can help make the SAT available to as many low-income, college-aspiring students as possible by using the following strategies suggested by counselors:

  • Carefully identify low-income students who actually aspire to attend college.
  • Help connect fee-waiver recipients to the full suite of free SAT and SAT Subject Test practice materials.
  • Provide encouragement, reminders and assistance in planning transportation and other logistics.

Fee-waiver eligibility guidelines

If you know the annual income of a student’s family, you can use the reduced lunch guidelines listed in the USDA income eligibility chart for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program/National School Lunch Program as your primary source in determining student eligibility. For more information and for other eligibility criteria, consult Test-Specific Guidelines.

International students

The same income guidelines apply to students living abroad who are United States citizens and will be testing outside the United States.

  • Fee waivers may be used by nationals of countries other than the United States who live and test in the United States or U.S. territories and who meet the eligibility requirements.
  • Fee waivers cover the cost of regular registration, the international processing fee, and the surcharge for India or Pakistan (if applicable) for U.S. citizens testing abroad. The student is responsible for all other fees.

Home-schooled students

Home-schooled students are eligible for fee waivers provided they meet the income guidelines. These students must provide proof of eligibility (tax records, public assistance records, or record of enrollment in an aid program) to a local high school counselor. If the student is eligible, issue a fee-waiver card and review the card with him or her.

Additional services for fee-waiver eligible students

Students who register with fee waivers also receive these services:

  • Coverage of the fee for either the Question-and-Answer Service (QAS) or the Student Answer Service (SAS)
  • Coverage of the international processing fee, if applicable
  • Coverage of the additional security fee for students testing in Pakistan or India, if applicable
  • Up to four application fee waivers at many colleges

Students who meet the SAT Fee-Waiver Service eligibility guidelines, whether or not they actually registered with a fee waiver, can send a total of four additional score reports at no additional charge. The flexible score reports:

  • Can be used at any time while the student is in high school
  • Are available any time after a student takes an SAT Program test
  • Can be used even if a student previously registered for the SAT or an SAT Subject Test without using a fee waiver

To use the flexible score reports, students can go online see how many credits they have left and place their order. The number of flexible score reports available will appear automatically if they have registered using a fee waiver. If they have not previously registered with a fee waiver, they should indicate that they are eligible and enter the 12-digit code from the bottom of the fee-waiver card you provide them.

If ordering score reports by phone or paper, students can determine how many credits they have left before placing their orders. They can do this by signing into My Organizer or calling Customer Service and providing their registration information from their most recent test date.

Fee-waiver facts

  • Students eligible for fee waivers can register online with a unique fee-waiver number that is printed on each fee-waiver card.
  • All required fields must be completed on the card for it to be valid. This applies whether the student is registering online or by paper.
  • The 12-digit fee-waiver identification number can be used only once.
  • Fee waivers can be used through early August; the date is indicated on the card.
  • Fee waivers are not permitted with late and standby registration, except for the October administration, when fee waivers can be used with late registrations.
  • Eligible students receive a total of four fee waivers during their academic career – two for the SAT and two for the SAT Subject Tests.
  • Students may choose to use their fee waivers for the SAT in either their junior or senior years.
  • Students may choose to use their fee waivers for the SAT Subject Tests in their freshman, sophomore, junior or senior years.
  • Students who are not yet in ninth grade may not use fee waivers.
  • Only those students who use fee waivers to register for SAT or SAT Subject Test administrations are eligible to receive Request for Waiver of College Application Fee forms.
  • Students may receive a total of four forms to request college application waivers.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

« Older Entries