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This article addresses a question I am often asked by students and their parents.  The answer (“both”) is simple, but deceptively so.  Underlining the answer are several layers of complication that must be considered on a case basis.

Each SAT or ACT taken by a student costs her roughly $50 and half of a day of her life — a small price when compared to the potential benefits of admission into college.  Now, consider this: one of the best ways to prepare for taking the SAT (or ACT) is, well, taking the SAT (or ACT).  So, take both — as often as one can stand the effort and expense.  But that could mean taking twelve tests a year!  Surely that is too much.  So what else should one consider?

Consider the history and purpose of each test.  The SATs were created in the 1920s by and for several elite eastern colleges (i.e., the Ivy League) to supplement high school grades in the colleges’ evaluation of prospective candidates for admission.  The tests have changed over the years, but the basic testing philosophy has not.  The tests are designed primarily to measure the skills a student needs for success in college.  Despite some controversy (regarding diversity fairness and “trick” questions), the tests correlate well with students’ success as freshmen in college. Today the SATs are taken nationwide, but are most popular among colleges (and their prospective students) located in states on or near the coasts.

The ACTs were created in the late 1950s by and for midwestern colleges unhappy with some aspects of the SATs.  The ACTs are designed primarily to measure what a student has learned in high school.  They also correlate with student success in college, but less so than the SATs (according to some experts).  Today the ACTs are taken nationwide, but are most popular among colleges (and their prospective students) located in the broad middle of the country.  Many students feel more comfortable with the ACT (thinking they did better on it than on the SAT), but they are often surprised to find that their percentile rankings on the ACT are no better than those achieved on the SAT.

Nearly all college admissions officers accept either test.  I help prepare students for either or both.  If time and money are not major concerns, I say “go for both.”  If there is a limit, either test will do.  Personally, I lean toward the SAT because of its emphasis on the skills needed for success at the college level.  Getting into a college is only the beginning.  A student must be prepared to succeed in the college learning environment – which is vastly different from that in high school.

In high school, the teacher covers the material in class.  If she is conscientious, she will then assign reading and exercises.  A student, even one weak in critical reading and problem solving, should then be able to do the assignment because the material was covered in class.  In college, the professor does not cover the material.  The student is expected to come to class having already done the necessary reading and exercises.  The professor then “uncovers some of the material” and conducts a seminar with the (informed) students.

In high school a student is tested often.  Most high school quizzes and tests do not emphasize writing or the solving of problems a student has not seen before.  Most college courses test only three times: a midterm exam, a final, and a term paper.  Depending on the course, each test will demand writing, problem solving, or both.

The skills required of college students are precisely the ones tested by the SAT.  Preparing for the SAT thus helps a student develop the skills needed not only to get into college, but to stay there.  So, for most students, my answer is to take both the ACT and the SAT, but to concentrate primarily on the SAT.

About the Author: Captain Karl K. is a retired engineer, college lecturer and admissions officer, and high school teacher.  He is an active and highly successful tutor in a wide variety of subjects including ACT and SAT preparation, English grammar, reading, and writing, mathematics from geometry to calculus, and science (especially physics and chemistry).  He and his wife live in Atlantic Beach, Florida (near Jacksonville).

Posted under Education, Testing, Tutoring

The NEA’s Member Benefits Corporation (NEA MB) has announced a new partnership with TeachAde that will provide the NEA’s 3.2 million members access to the nation’s leading online collaborative community designed by educators for educators.

TeachAde will be integrated into the newly revamped NEA MB Web site to help members connect with each other, share best practices, and access invaluable resources with a click of the mouse. The collaboration is part of the Web site’s intentional focus on the most important subjects to members: Money, Everyday Living, Health and Wellness, Professional Resources and Travel and Leisure.

“Our goal is to partner with the best programs and services to engage and support our members,” said Mark Stevens, vice president of Professional & Web Solutions, NEA Member Benefits. “Partnering with TeachAde will help educators connect with one another on a personal and immediate level about important topical issues such as National Board Certification, 21st-century skills and curriculum and instruction. TeachAde provides our members with a means to easily share their expertise, resources and tools with colleagues across the county.”

TeachAde, which currently has over 17,000 educator participants, enables educators to collaborate within grades and subjects and across schools, districts and states. For example, through TeachAde, the best math teacher in California is able to connect with and help a new math teacher in central Ohio. Once a teacher specifies their subject/grade, TeachAde’s robust database regularly sends useful and customized teacher-created resources directly to the educator. The NEA MB-TeachAde partnership provides NEA members access to a vast database of proven resources overnight and will ensure courses remain rigorous and engaging.

“As a special education teacher, I have found TeachAde to be an invaluable support tool, allowing me to reach out to other teachers in my school district as well as communicating with my students’ parents to keep them updated on their child’s progress,” said Donna Meyerhoeffer, special education teacher at Staunton River High School in Moneta, VA.

“Because each feature was designed and tested by educators, TeachAde’s interface is easy to use and intuitive,” said Michael Pearce, founding partner of TeachAde. “Collaborating with NEA MB allows us to go further to reach greater numbers of educators, which will increase the services to existing and future TeachAde members and demonstrates our commitment to improving teaching and learning.”

NEA members can access TeachAde through the new NEA MB Web site.

Posted under Education, News, Teaching, Website Review

NEW: Click here for the complete Obama Education Speech Transcript

President Barack Obama will deliver a speech about education to students tomorrow. Broadcasting live from noon onwards, Obama’s plan to speak to the students has already stirred up quite a controversy among both schools and parents. Some are calling it a valuable classroom lesson while others fear that the president may be using this as an opportunity for propaganda.

In order to quell this tide of controversy, the White House has announced it will release the transcript of the Obama school speech text on its website (http://www.whitehouse.gov) today to allow teachers and parents a chance to review it.  The hope is to allow them time to decide for themselves if it is suitable for their classes or children to listen to the Education Speech.

Posted under Education, News, Teaching