The SAT II’s are content based tests.  They are each one hour long and are multiple choice.  Students can choose from a variety of subjects including literature, government, history, biology, chemistry, physics, two levels of math, and languages.  Students can take up to three exams on one test day.

The SAT II’s are generally required or recommended by highly competitive schools.  If you are a student that is planning to apply to schools, such as UVA or other similarly competitive colleges, then you will need to take at least two subjects.  Some schools require specific tests for particular programs.  For example, an engineering or architecture program may require that one of the tests be in the maths or sciences.   Schools that are competitive generally have a strong pool of applicants.  They use the SAT II’s as another factor in their admissions decisions.

To determine if you need to take the SAT II’s, decide on the list of colleges to which you’d like to apply.  Then, you can look up the application requirements on the school’s website or by using a college search engine like Bright Futures.  On this site, you can search for a school, then go to applying and admissions information to see what tests are required and how they are used (admissions decisions or placement only). Here is an example of UVA’s profile.  As you can see, UVA says that SAT II’s are recommended.  If a college says recommended, you should consider it required to have a strong application.

Now that you know if you need to take the SAT II’s, there are a few things to keep in mind.  Not all subjects are given on all test dates.  It is important to decide which tests you would like to take and plan a date that those tests are given. CollegeBoard has practice questions for each test and the dates that the tests are given.  Often, the best time to take the SAT II’s is May or June.  This is especially true if you are currently in the course in which you plan to test.  For example, if physics is a strength of yours and you are currently in AP physics, it is a good idea to take the SAT II around the same time that you take your AP exam.  This way, you can prepare for both tests at the same time.

Plan the calendar of test dates early.  You cannot take the SAT and the SAT II’s on the same test date.  Plan for this at the beginning of your junior year so you can map out dates for the SAT, ACT and/or SAT II’s.  If you plan to space out the testing throughout your junior year, you will avoid a very overwhelming spring when AP exams, SOL’s, and finals can make for a heavy workload.

I always tell juniors that they should try both the SAT and the ACT.  Even if you do not take an official test, you should at least take a practice test of each to get an idea of the differences and see which test showcases your strengths better.  This does not mean that you need or should send both SAT & ACT scores to college.   Since both tests are meant to test a student’s college readiness, one set of favorable scores is all you need.

You can take a practice SAT  or  a practice ACT here.

Historically, the test that you took was determined by the schools in which you planned to apply—East coast and California schools preferred the SAT while mid-West schools preferred the ACT.  Now, schools use either test for admissions with no preference.  For more information about the history of the tests, check out this interesting blog.

Who tends to do better on the ACT?

The primary difference between the ACT and SAT is that the ACT covers more content but the questions are asked in a way that students often find more familiar or more straightforward.  For example, the ACT math section includes trigonometry, imaginary numbers, logarithms, and matrices.  These topics are not found on the SAT.  However, the way that the questions are asked on the ACT look more like what students would see on a math test in school.  For this reason, the ACT often favors students that have taken a rigorous course load in school but do not test well on tests that require a lot of logic and reasoning skills like the SAT.

Another big difference is that the ACT does not penalize students for guessing incorrectly while the SAT deducts ¼ raw score points for each incorrect answer.  This can add up to a large scaled deduction.  Leaving questions blank on a test is not an idea that students are familiar with in school so it can be tricky to decide whether to guess or omit on top of the pressure of taking the test in the first place.

The ACT also does not have any compare/contrast passages or vocabulary questions.  These are often two of the most challenging areas of the SAT Critical Reading section so that can be helpful for some students.

Who tends to do better on the SAT?

The ACT has more questions in less time.  For example, the writing multiple choice section allows an average of 36 seconds per question on the ACT but about 43 seconds per question on the SAT.  For this reason, students that have a lot of difficulty with time management on tests often have more difficulty on the ACT. 

Also, as mentioned, the ACT does have more content.  Students that have taken a less rigorous curriculum may find the ACT more challenging.  The ACT also includes a science section.  The primary skills needed to be successful on this section are a basic understanding of experimental design and the ability to interpret data tables and graphs.  This does not require a lot of general science knowledge but it can be challenging for students that are not familiar with lab sciences.

Scoring:

As mentioned, there is a benefit to the ACT in that students are not penalized for guessing incorrectly.  On the SAT, students lose points for guessing incorrectly but earn 0 points for leaving a question blank.  In school, students are taught to do their best and put an answer for everything so this is not an idea that students are familiar with.

However, the SAT has a benefit in how the scores are combined across test dates.  On the SAT, there are three scores of 800 each for a total of 2400 points.  Most schools will combine the highest math section, highest reading section, and highest writing section even if they are taken from different dates for admissions decisions.  For example, if these were a student’s scores:

Then, the overall score would be the highest section, which is a total score of 1860.  This is higher than any single date.

On the ACT, the score is a composite score from 0-36.  This means that the 4 scores from reading, English, math, and science are averaged to give you a composite score.  Most schools will not take the highest section from different dates.  Therefore, students have to do well on all 4 sections on the same test date

Overall, there is no downside to trying both tests.  Determining which one highlights your strengths is a great strategy for being competitive during the college admissions process. Good Luck!

To read more about the costs and a comparison of the pros and cons of private education, read the rest on Luanne Lee’s blog.

Guest author of this blog is Luanne Lee of Your College Planning Coach.  She specializes in helping families find ways to fund college for themselves and their children.

The first step is to be organized. Don’t study in a slapdash manner. Instead plan out ahead of time how you want to tackle your studies. You should try to determine which topics are going to be most important on the exam. Often a teacher will give students some idea of what areas to focus on. Then, when setting aside time to study, give focus to those areas that will be most relevant on the exam. Additionally, if there are areas where you have more trouble than others set aside extra time for those. If you plan ahead and know just how much time and attention you want to give to each subject, your studies will be less stressful and more manageable.

It’s important in preparing for exams to take a look at old tests and study guides. Old tests can give you some idea of what types of subjects will be most relevant, and additionally, they will show you what types of answers may be expected of you. Parents, point out to children how to examine past tests to determine which topics are most important. You can do this by indicating which topics get more questions, and thus, higher priority on a test. Help your children examine the mistakes they made on their past tests and help them develop strategies to avoid making them again. Also, you can compare the study guides to old tests and see what kind of questions actually made it onto the test from the guide. A lot is revealed in writing, and by seeing how teachers constructed previous tests, you can get a good idea of what to expect from mid-terms.

Find the best way to organize information. Develop graphic organizers or flow charts to make information manageable. And of course, the tried and true method of putting information on index cards for rapid review is always a good move.

For those of you who learn better from pictures, it will be helpful to draw pictures of material to help better memorize what you’re studying. Also, parents, while encouraging this, you should also be going through your children’s books with them. Help them understand how to use their textbooks. For example, point out the importance of bolded words and graphics. Also, chapter reviews and tests at the end of the chapters can be good study tools. Finally, when a student has gone over a chapter, have that student summarize it in his or her own words. Other helpful tactics are to give your children mini quizzes or give them work with mistakes on it for them to correct.

Parents should also help students understand how to think about tests. Guide them through the proper ways to approach a question. Try to explain to them what the thought process is when determining the answer to a question. Also, help your children understand what information is most important in texts and how they should pinpoint that information by use of highlighters. Teach them that highlighting is for keywords, pertinent information and for weeding out the less important information in the text.

No matter how you decide to study for mid-term exams, remember to take study breaks, eat well, and get lots of sleep.  Lastly, plan something fun to do after exams are over.  After all, you deserve it for a job well done.

 Engage the reader immediately.

Remember that admissions’ staff are reading thousands of essays during the college application season, draw your reader in right from the start by crafting an effective introduction.

How do you create an effective introduction?  Try one of these:  1.  Make it interesting by using imagery and unique word choice. 2. Ask a question or start by sharing the middle of your story where the action or conflict takes place.  3.  Maintain the suspense factor-let the story unfold slowly rather than sharing all of it at the beginning.

 Use your own voice.

Let them get to know you.    Your personal statement or college application essay is your chance to show the admissions’ staff that you are more than your transcripts or SAT score reports.  What do you want them to know about you?  Your first priority should be showing them who you are.  Find a balance between being completely formal and overly casual.

Not sure if you have succeeded in using your own voice?  Have a friend, parent, or teacher read it to see if it sounds like you. Or, try reading it aloud to yourself—does it seem unnatural to you or is it easy to read?

  Think about what has shaped you.

It’s easy to get caught up in the trap of writing about topics that you think the admissions’ staff wants you to write about instead of writing from the heart.

Think about events, activities, people, and lessons learned that have influenced, changed, or molded you into the person that you are today.  Don’t dismiss something because you think it may be insignificant.  For example, maybe the time spent helping your elderly neighbor during the summers shaped you more than being the president of the National Honor Society.  Writing from a place of genuineness and honesty will help you connect and sound authentic.

 Proofread. Proofread. Proofread.

Even the most profound essay can quickly become overshadowed by mistakes in grammar.  It’s easy to rely on auto correct for spelling and other grammar mistakes but many mistakes can still slip through.  For example, there vs. their or your vs. you’re are mistakes easily missed by a computer.

Leave yourself plenty of time to have someone else take a look at it, such as a teacher, guidance counselor, parent, or tutor.   After spending so much time working on the content, you don’t want to be overlooked for silly grammar mistakes.

Consider the variety of skills one can practice and learn in a high school setting. Sports can teach teamwork, the newspaper or yearbook can give students a basic understanding of publishing and getting a product made, and drama can allow students license to express themselves as human beings. All of these things are essential to learn before going out into the “real” world.

The benefits of extracurricular activities are real. Consider this somewhat old but still relevant article from Science Daily.

According to this article, high school students with good social skills and who participate in extracurricular activities do better 10 years out from school than classmates with similar test scores but fewer social skills and less participation in extracurriculars.

Part of this greater success comes because of a change in the economy. With the decline of manufacturing jobs, more service and information oriented skills are desired according to Christy Lleras, a professor of human and community development who is quoted in the article.

Unfortunately, a greater emphasis on testing in the wake of No Child Left Behind has decreased schools’ emphasis on extracurricular activities. Lleras is quoted in the article as saying the following:

“There’s this pervasive idea that if we just teach and test the basic skills, students are going to do much better in school and in life,” she said. “It would be great if we could just snap our fingers and tomorrow everyone could read, write and do math at grade-level. But an obsession with testing and routinized thinking doesn’t foster the non-cognitive soft skills that pay off as an adult.”

Parents, teachers and students have always known that there is more to life than just learning the facts. This is something we see played out every time a student tries to join extracurricular activities in an effort to boost his or her school resume for college applications. However, extracurricular activities are important not just for appearance but also for later success.

As parents and teachers, we have the opportunity to expose our children and students to more diverse activities so that they may become multifaceted human beings. Extracurricular activities are one avenue schools provide to do this.

For high schoolers, first time or otherwise, these days before the start of school are for mental preparation. It is hard to believe when you’re in the midst of it, but what you do in high school can have a significant impact on what happens in the rest of your life. It is time to start thinking about careers, interests, college and what kind of person you want to be. Parents, you can help kids by engaging them on these discussions and driving home to them the importance of these years in setting a foundation for the rest of their lives.

The high school years are also tumultuous ones. Students are nearly adults but not given the respect or responsibility accorded those 18 and over. In addition, there is a great deal of pressure to fit in and not do anything embarrassing. Incoming high school students should find someone who can teach them the ropes about high school. Perhaps an older sibling or a neighbor’s older kid. Information is the best preparation, so go to the source wherever possible. Perhaps this is too obvious a point to reiterate, but, basically nothing you see on television or in the movies about high school is true. Ignore them.

For more advice for the high schooler, check out this article.

If your child is a starting at a new school this year, there are some strategies that should be taken to ensure a less stressful start. For one, try to arrange a tour of the school. Additionally, if parents can arrange for a meeting with the student’s teacher(s) ahead of time, that can go a long way toward reducing stress. Check out the rules and regulations, dress code, etc, of the school. As a student, you don’t want to be reprimanded out of ignorance. As a parent, you certainly don’t want to see your child suffer over something that could have easily been avoided.

For other tips for students starting in a new school, go here.

Another thing to start thinking about ahead of time is homework. How well does your child do when it comes to homework? Are there areas where he or she typically needs a little help? How does he or she learn best? Visually? Verbally? Hands-on? Now is a good time to start thinking about where help for the student can be found. There are online resources that can provide some tutoring, then there are also in-school and out-of-school services that can help. Of course, we have a full range of tutoring available to help any struggling student.

Check out this article for more information.

Now that we have stressed some of the practical aspects of preparing for high school. There are some less concrete ideas that should be explored. Namely perception. This next bit is directed primarily at the student.

High school is a time for many when everything seems really important. That high school boyfriend or girlfriend, having the best GPA, your friends, your extra-curricular activities… you name it. It can seem as though what’s happening now is the most important thing ever. We did talk above about the importance of taking high school seriously, and that’s true, but it is also important to consider the transitory nature of these four years. Who you are in high school is not who you will be for the rest of your life. You will have different boyfriends or girlfriends, not being the best will fade in importance, your friends will change and you will grow passionate about new and possibly more interesting things. Life has only just begun. When you look back on your high school years, you may be nostalgic, you may be regretful, you may not feel anything at all. But regardless, you will, years from now, see high school in its proper perspective and place: as a brief time in your life. Many years lie ahead. Get excited. Great things are to come.

The school year is rapidly approaching. In these last few days of student freedom, it is necessary to think ahead. What can be done to prepare a student for what he or she will face? What questions need to be answered? What problems need to be addressed? What should a student expect? It is nearly too late to start thinking about this, but there is still a little time left. Start thinking about preparation, and all challenges can be faced.

People on the spectrum of autism disorders have trouble with social interaction and communication, which can be a liability when it comes to education. Of course, there are special education classes for such students, and there is a variety of help a family can get outside of school, but now, thanks to the wonders of the iPhone and other smart phones, there are special education apps as well.

Check out this  article in the Scranton Times-Tribune. In it, the writer talks about various apps for Apple-related smart devices that can be helpful when dealing with autistic youth.

One of them shows sign language signs so that the family can learn to better communicate with a non-verbal child who uses sign language. Another shows pictures of commonly desired objects or activities. It allows the user to pair one of those objects with the image of a person. Then the image can be made to say the words “I want.” This app would be used as a way of helping an autistic child learn to ask for what he or she needs.

There are, no doubt, many other apps out there. So, if you are looking for a little extra help with special education, the App Store of your smart phone may be a good place to go.

In other news on the technology front, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington recently purchased six robots for its Watson School of Education to study whether autistic students might better learn from and interact with them.

According to this article from StarNewsOnline.com, there is evidence that autistic children are able to develop good bonds with computers, something that it is difficult for them to do with other people. The hope is that using these robots, educators will be able to teach sign language, words, social interaction and more to autistic children.

If you want to learn more about autism, we also have five sites that may be helpful.  They were taken from this article from healthnews.com.

They are:

The National Autism Association

Autism Speaks

U.S. Autism and Asperger Association

Autism Society of America

Center for Autism and Related Disorders

Autism is a disorder that is becoming better recognized, and it is rare for anybody nowadays to not know somebody who has it or is affected by it in some way. Technology is offering new ways of dealing with autism, but it is also incumbent upon all of us to have a better understanding of what autism is and how to deal with it. You never know when it might be your turn to lend a helping hand.

This is a topic covered in this Education Week article

In the article, mostly anecdotal evidence and explanation is given one way or another. It does explain that some studies have linked technology and better grades, but it also makes the statement that any progress depends on the teacher.

One of those teachers talked about in the article is Sandra Simoneaux, a 3^rd and 4^th grade teacher at Parker Elementary School in Oakland, Calif. She said an interactive whiteboard can give her “immediate insight” into how well students are learning. If she asks a question, the whiteboard can actually track how long it takes for students to answer. If it’s taking a while for the students to understand the problem, then she instantly knows that she needs to spend some more time on that lesson.

She also likes how using an interactive whiteboard can help her to teach the lesson at her own pace. With students relying on her use of the whiteboard, rather than questions on a sheet or in a textbook, they can’t jump ahead. Instead, they must move the same speed at which the instructor teaches. This helps keep everybody on task and in the moment.

The article also talks about the Urban High School of San Francisco. They use interactive white boards there, and school officials talk about how helpful they are with visual learning. The teachers can set up lesson plans and visual tools ahead of time, saving them from having to spend class time setting up something like a graph or chart on the board. Also, the whiteboards have the ability to save work written on them by the teacher. That way, students can download the teacher’s visual class lesson later. This allows them to skip taking notes during the actual lecture and focus instead on taking the information in.

Professional development and repeated use are both emphasized in the article. Just adding an interactive whiteboard itself won’t make for a significant change. That fact is highlighted in this quote from the Education Week article:

“Some people think [the IWB] is a magic bullet that will solve everything,” said Patrick Ledesma, a school-based technology specialist and special education department chair at the 746-student Holmes Middle School, which is part of the Fairfax County public schools in Virginia. He is also a current teacher-ambassador fellow for the U.S. Department of Education. But once interactive whiteboards have been installed, “teachers will do what they’ve always done, unless there is training or support to do things differently,” he said.

It appears that technology can really make an impact in the classroom, but not without the guiding hands of a well-trained professional.

The ordinary nine-month school year is an antiquated idea. Two factors contributed to its inception. First, the percentage of families that had agricultural backgrounds was high when public schools were in their infancy. A summer break was needed so that those students who needed to help on the farm could do so. Also, air conditioning is a relatively modern invention. In the days prior to its existence, schools couldn’t provide a climate-controlled environment for the students. In the summer months, the heat could be too much for classroom instruction.

A lot has changed. Most families have no ties to agricultural work, and air conditioning is standard in every school. The reasons for the nine-month schedule have changed but the schedule remains. That can be a problem because studies show that students lose some of what they’ve learned when they take a prolonged break from school.

A meta-analysis of studies about summer learning loss showed that students can lose about one month of education instruction over the long break. The effect on math skills was particularly pronounced. Also, it appears that the learning loss in reading for low-income students is greater than it is for their better-off peers.

The effects of summer learning loss can be devastating. For instance, students from well off families may receive additional instruction over the summer while lower class students do not. This can leave lower income students at a disadvantage when the school year begins anew – a disadvantage that they may never recover from. Also, it is just a major setback for school systems when they essentially waste a month’s worth of instruction thanks to summer break.

Many school districts are taking steps to fix this problem. Year-round school has become more common, for one thing. Two other possible solutions are summer school and extended school years. But if you are a parent whose school system doesn’t provide any easy solutions, you may have to take it upon yourself to give your children extra education opportunities over the summer.

Check out this article from education.com to get more details about summer learning loss and the origin of our modern school calendar.

And go to education.com’s section on summer learning to find links to other helpful articles that can provide ideas and activities for summer education opportunities.

Refer to an earlier Tri-Ed blog to get some more ideas of how you can work learning into everyday activities.