In a move sure to cheer students, rile foes, and vex admissions officials, the College Board announced over the weekend that beginning with the Class of 2010, students may choose what scores (both SAT and SAT Subject Tests) to submit to colleges, creating “score choice” for the SAT and reinstating it for the Subject Tests after a six year hiatus. What critics deride as a calculated measure by College Board to stanch the inroads made by rival ACT and to bolster both the number of SAT test-takers and revenue will surely be met with delight by students anxious about the SAT and about low scores that they fear being stuck with. Many argue that the change in score-reporting will also herald a rush of more and younger test-takers, make test-taking more a four-year varsity sport than a junior year rite and ultimately lead to a fundamental shift in the way colleges use tests like the SAT and ACT (as colleges seek to parse the meaning beyond test scores that they have limited access to and control over). But, although College Board will surely benefit, I can imagine few students not agreeing with College Board representative Lawrence Bunin “the ability to have more control over their scores would make the test experience more comfortable and less stressful.” Surely, that has to make for happier kids.

Read the details and look for more updates from College Board here.

See the original LA Times piece here.

Read more at US News here.

“Do no harm” is a loose translation of the beginning of the Hippocratic Oath, the oath sworn by physicians for the ethical practice of medicine. It’s an idea that popped into my head this week as I received queries from a handful of parents whose freshmen and sophomore children were contemplating taking SAT Subject Tests (SAT IIs) next week. Many colleges require two or more Subject Tests for admissions, and students are wise to consider what tests they are likely to do well on. Moreover, they should look to take those tests at the end of the related class. Taking the US History SAT Subject Test is arguably best done in May or June at the end of a US History course. Waiting until the following October’s test date increases the risk of forgetting what the Compromise of 1850 compromised or why Andrew Jackson was so hopping mad about banks. Many students take chemistry or biology before junior year and may not take AP Chem or Bio until senior year, if at all. So, this “early” time may ...continue reading

One of the primary components of my work here is to be a perpetual nag. I’m a mom, so while I don’t always relish the role, I am quite adept in “encouraging” people to do things they would rather put off until another day. I also know that for juniors in high school May is a busy month. Exams are looming, papers and project due dates are fast approaching, and the unrelenting demands of one’s social life make for a pretty full existence. Despite my astute observation, there is one more thing I’d like to add to your list: Carefully consider whom you will ask to write your letters of recommendation for college applications and make your request - NOW. In the fall of the next academic year teachers will be buried with requests from anxious students, and some would prefer the option of writing a carefully considered letter of reference in the summer months rather than one of many in September or October, Many of the most “popular” teachers, known for ...continue reading

So raise your hand if you or someone you know is near the point of melting down about AP exams this week and next. At the risk of invoking the ire of every AP teacher from here to California, I offer this advice: don't sweat them for they really don't matter. At least, they don't matter as much as other things or as much as you think. APs are not an admissions criterion for college. As you look at your schedule of what needs to be done this week and next, and whenever you find yourself overwhelmed by the impossibility of everything you need to do, repeat this mantra "Grades first. Grades first." Grades are what matter most to the colleges you hope to attend. That you take AP courses matter; it shows that you are taking rigorous courses. That you do well in those courses matters; again, grades come first. The scores that you get on your APs really don't matter. When colleges sit down to look at your application, they are looking at gpa, rigor of course selection and, in ...continue reading

I got a call from a grad student the other day looking to retake the LSAT. He had done prep before and scored a 148. The LSAT is scored on a 120-180 scale, so a 148 is somewhat akin to a 480 on the SAT Reading or Math, not a score likely to gain you admission to strong programs. So, the score would have to come up to improve his choices and chances. The complicating factor is that he had already applied to and been rejected from top-tier programs, consternating his girlfriend who had been admitted to the programs he hadn’t and (oh yeah) whom he had told he had gotten a 168. Oops. He and I talked through what preparation he had done before, what had gone well and what hadn’t, and what a plan going forward might be. I introduced him to the concept of working memory, its role in standardized tests and how anxiety can whack working memory. Then, putting on my best therapist’s hat, I suggested that he really ought to tell his girlfriend the truth, that he hadn’t scored nearly as well as ...continue reading

I am not a huge fan of winter unless it snows, so this year I am especially pleased to see April arrive. Spring Break is already a distant memory, but the light and warmth puts one in the mood for a road trip or two, right? What better time could there be for packing up the car, your parents, (a sullen sibling or two, if you’ve got ‘em) and driving, say, to Ohio? Sure, Ohio possibly doesn’t make everyone’s Top 10 of Exotic Destinations, but what it lacks in tourist sites, it more than makes up for in college campuses. Perhaps Ohio isn’t in your future, despite the subtle appeal of Toledo and such. Maybe you have some colleges in Pennsylvania, Vermont or North Carolina on your list. This could be the ideal time of year to explore some of the colleges you’ve considered. Classes are in session, so there are actual live College Students milling about, and you can take this opportunity to see how the other half lives - those that have already run the ...continue reading