Hybrid SAT/ACT Tests: Don't Drink The Kool-Aid

It might be tempting to take an SAT/ACT "hybrid" test to save time in seeing whether the SAT or ACT would be a better fit. But that would be a mistake.

Third-party exams lack predictive validity. The questions may be easier or more complex than on an actual test. The new hybrid tests compound the problem by including sample questions for both the SAT and ACT, meaning that students do not experience either exam in its entirety. Also, crucial aspects of the test-taking experience are not measured, such as a student's time management skills or test-taking stamina.

Key Academics (www.keyacademics.com) only uses real, full-length tests released by the College Board and ACT, Inc. We compare both qualitative and quantitative information, including score differences and student preferences, to see whether the SAT or ACT is a better fit. 

Key Academics Tops 'Happening List'

Thank you to everyone who helped elect Key Academics the 2016 Montco Happening winner for Best Tutoring Service! To celebrate, we're offering a 15 percent discount to new test preparation clients who mention the award. (You must register by July 1, 2016, and begin tutoring by March 31, 2017. This discount cannot be combined with other offers.)

Thousands of area residents voted for up to 13 Montco Happening List categories at montco.happeningmag.com. 

ACT readies ‘PreACT’ for fall 2016

ACT Inc. announced this week  that it has added a new test to its lineup: the PreACT, a multiple-choice test designed to prepare 10th grade students for the company's college-entrance exam.

The PreACT, which will be available in the fall of 2016, is a paper-based, multiple-choice test in the same four subjects that appear on the ACT: English/language arts, math, reading, and science. It will not include a writing section. On the ACT college-entrance exam, the writing section is optional.

PreACT is shorter and with fewer questions than the ACT. The format and 1-36 scoring scale will be the same as the ACT in order to give students some idea what the test is like while suggesting how well they might do the following year on a complete ACT. Unlike the PSAT, there will be no “national” test dates.

Similar to ACT reports, PreACT score reports will offer a broad view of students’ college and career readiness, identifying academic strengths and areas for improvement. The PreACT is not a replacement for the ACT Aspire, which is administered by schools and states that want to assess and track student readiness from elementary school to high school.

For more information about college entrance and academic tutoring in Philadelphia and its suburbs, please contact Key Academics at 610-940-1625.

Why Reading Matters

The ability to read at a sophisticated level opens the doors to elite education and professions. That journey begins with parents who encourage children to read for entertainment.

Students who read books for fun once a day score significantly higher on reading tests. Neurological studies show that learning to read changes the brain's circuitry. Brain scans also confirm that reading a book is more cognitively enriching than reading online.

The kind of reading that best relates to higher academic performance is frequent novel reading, which predicts better grades in English class and higher overall grade point averages. The SAT and ACT tests are more reading intensive than ever, as well.

In addition, nearly 90 percent of employers rate reading comprehension as very important for workers with bachelor's degrees. Department of Education statistics also show that those who score higher on reading tests tend to earn higher incomes.

So, how often does your student visit the library?

Selective Schools Require Or Recommend SAT Essay

Most students taking the first administration of the redesigned #SAT in March will end the test by writing an essay. The optional 50-minute assignment is a significant departure from the 25-minute SAT essay of the past decade. The new test requires students to read a high-quality argumentative text and then analyze how the author builds the argument to persuade an audience. 

The College Board admits that its essay section has not contributed to the overall predictive ability of the test in the past. As a result, it has made the new essay optional. Colleges will decide for themselves whether they will require it, recommend it, or neither.

So far, about 400 U.S. colleges have responded to a College Board survey on how they intend to use the revised SAT essay. While some schools believe the essay will be useful, many do not. Roughly 25 percent of respondents report that they intend to require or recommend the essay in their applications. The other 75 percent report they will neither require nor recommend the essay.

Many of the most selective schools in the country fall into the “require” or “recommend” category. (See the College Board list here.)

Will the essay be used in admissions decisions? This question, of course, is different from whether a college will require the essay. For now, most schools will probably adopt a wait-and-see approach over the next two to three years as they study its predictive ability.

Key Academics recommends that students cover their bases  and do the SAT essay. While it probably won’t initially carry much weight in most admissions decisions, opting into the essay is the safest choice based on current information. Students typically apply to five to 10 schools, and given the differing policies, odds are that at least a few of those schools will want the essay.

Key Academics stays on top of the latest news and trends in the changing testing landscape. To discuss testing options, please call 610-940-1600 or email ceo@keyacademics.com.

The singular 'they' has its day

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/singular-they-has-its-day

2015 was a big year for the little pronoun they and its slide into use as a singular pronoun. 

First, in December, the Washington Post admitted the singular they into its style guide, saying it is fine for Post writers to use they as a singular pronoun for transgender people and to avoid awkward sentences. Then last week, hundreds of linguists at the American Dialect Society annual meeting voted for the singular they as the 2015 word of the year. 

Cutthroat Competition For Top Universities

     Competition for spots at top universities is much more anxiety-inducing than for previous generations. The reason can be summed up in one word: demographics. 
     In 1972, just 12% of those 25 and older had finished college. By 2014, that number had grown to 31%, and the size of the U.S. population had increased by 50%. The number of slots at prestigious colleges has not kept pace. What's more, the pool of high-achieving applicants continues to grow, fed partly by a rising number from overseas. As a result, some top colleges now reject 95% of applicants.
     Please contact Key Academics at 610-940-1625, or email info@keyacademics.com, for Philadelphia SAT tutoring, ACT tutoring, subject tutoring, application essay assistance, and more, at a reasonable cost.