Great article on raising IQ

Here's a sample from an article from the NY Times. The link is below.

"Another proven intervention is to tell junior-high-school students that I.Q. is expandable, and that their intelligence is something they can help shape. Students exposed to that idea work harder and get better grades. That’s particularly true of girls and math, apparently because some girls assume that they are genetically disadvantaged at numbers; deprived of an excuse for failure, they excel."
“Some of the things that work are very cheap,” Professor Nisbett noted. “Convincing junior-high kids that intelligence is under their control — you could argue that that should be in the junior-high curriculum right now.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/opinion/16kristof.html?_r=1

NYT blog answers questions parents have about admissions

The following is an excerpt from a New York Times Blog on college admissions:

"For high school seniors scrambling to complete essays, collect recommendation letters and construct well-rounded packages, college application deadlines are looming, in a seemingly inscrutable admissions process. To get an inside perspective, we solicited advice from some gatekeepers. This week, a panel of admissions deans from Yale University, Pomona College, Lawrence University and the University of Texas at Austin will answer selected reader questions."

Here is the link to the blog: http://questions.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/qa-college-admissions/?hp

College Admission Planning Kit

Parents in the DFW area are invited to request a free college admission planning kit. It includes a college search planner, an excerpt from my book("SAT or ACT: Which should your child take?"), tips on how to prepare for the writing section of the SAT, and a tool to practice essay pre-writing. Please send an email to teachco1@swbell.net if you are interested in receiving this free kit. Supplies limited.

Importance of pacing on standardized tests

One of the most frequent issues that students have with standardized tests is how to pace themselves. Students typically are not used to timed tests; so when they have to take one, they freak out. Many students place too high a value on finishing and rush through the test. Others, though the number is less, tend to get stuck on certain questions and leave significant parts of the test unfinished.

What I train students to do on the SAT and ACT is to learn to work at a steady pace. They may or may not finish, but they are likely to at least complete most of the test and as long as they are accurate, they will do well. The goal is for students to learn to balance the urge to finish a timed test between spending enough time on individual questions to figure them out.

I advise students to take timed practice tests in order to practice pacing.

College Board Study on New SAT

The College Board says that the New SAT is as reliable as the old with respect to predicting success in college. In fact, the writing section is "the most predictive."

"Officials at the College Board, the nonprofit organization that owns the test, say the research affirms that revisions to the exam — including the addition of a writing section — did not decrease its value to admissions offices. The research also found that the writing section was the most predictive of the three SAT sections. “This is very important and positive news for colleges,” said Gaston Caperton, the College Board’s president."

http://chronicle.com/news/article/4690/new-sat-is-as-predictive-as-old-sat-college-board-finds

A great article on college admissions

The article below, from The Star-Telegram, accurately describes the increasing demands placed on students, and parents, as they conduct their college search. It portrays a process that can easily result in information overload.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"A story in The New York Times in early April gave some statistics to back up what many seniors and their parents had already heard --"the number of high school graduates in the nation has grown each year over the last decade and a half" and is expected to peak either this year or next, making this the most competitive year in our lifetimes for college admissions.
Add to that other new factors in the admissions race, such as "the ease of online applications, expanded financial aid packages, aggressive recruiting of a broad range of young people, and ambitious students applying to ever more colleges," and you've got a blueprint for a superhighway of national Admissions Angst."

Here's the link to the entire article: http://www.star-telegram.com/408/story/649037.html

Here's a free college search site

Here's a free college search site.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/includes/ice3/dn/news/localnews/education/hobsons.htm