I’m still not sure how this is possible???

Despite more than a decade of accountability programs designed to boost students’ academic performance, roughly six of 10 sophomores and four of 10 eighth-graders in South Florida schools aren’t reading at grade level.

Despite more than a decade of accountability programs designed to boost students’ academic performance, roughly six of 10 sophomores and four of 10 eighth-graders in South Florida schools aren’t reading at grade level.

Although they might have been reading at the right level in elementary school, their Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores show big declines through middle school and on to high school. The trend is the same, no matter whether their schools are A-rated or low-ranked.

It’s a problem that continues to vex educators as students throughout Florida prepare to take the FCAT reading, math and science tests starting Tuesday.

Education experts say the drop-off can be attributed to many things — a progressively more difficult test, students’ backgrounds and a decreased focus on teaching students to read in upper grades.

Then there are the distractions, such as playing video games or connecting with friends on Facebook.

“There’s so many other technological advances that they’d rather be doing,” said Laurie Reichow, a reading coach at Falcon Cove Middle School in Weston.

Some students say the school system sends an indirect message about the importance of reading.

In elementary and middle school, “they just pound it on you,” said Austin Hammers, 16, a Boca High School sophomore. “Once you’re in high school … no one really cares.”

Reading is not a mandatory course for middle and high school students who score a 3 or higher on their FCAT reading scores, meaning they are “proficient.”

The numbers tell the story. Only four of Broward’s 32 high schools had at least 75 percent of students reading at grade level in the past five years, according to a Sun Sentinel analysis of FCAT reading scores. That’s compared with 98 of 140 elementary and 23 of 41 middle schools.

Overall in Broward, 37 percent of 10th-graders and 57 percent of eighth-graders scored a 3 or higher on last year’s state reading test. Broward’s eighth-graders performed slightly higher than the statewide average of 54 percent, while 10th-graders mirrored the statewide figures.

Schools have been pouring resources and spending countless extra hours working to boost reading skills, in hopes of turning the numbers around.

Administrators track students’ performances through assessment data, put students who need more help into intensive reading classes, and incorporate reading into other disciplines, such as social studies and science.

Some are even turning to competitions and giving rewards, from candy to gift cards, to encourage students to read.

At Falcon Cove, the school improved its reading scores from 79 percent of students reading at grade level in 2004 to 91 percent last year. It requires all sixth-graders to take reading classes and continues to mandate reading classes for those who don’t earn high marks on their FCAT tests.

It also offers incentives, such as a “Pages for Pizza” program, in which classes earn pizza parties for reading the most books. Struggling readers attend hourlong classes three days a week before school, playing games and learning strategies to help them build on their skills.

Principal Mark Kaplan said the FCAT is only a small part of the focus at the school.

“We’re more interested in creating good readers, not good FCAT takers,” Kaplan said. “If you have good readers, the FCAT takes care of itself.”

At Boca High, where scores have improved from 43 percent of the school reading at grade level in 2004 to 69 percent at grade level in 2009, students earn points for taking computerized tests based on books they have read. Those points translate to magazine subscriptions and $25 gift cards.

For instance, Hammers now has a subscription to Rolling Stone and $100 in gift cards for reading a selection of books, including Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” and Michael Crichton’s “Hot Zone.”

Hammers said reading helps him expand his vocabulary, but he understands why his peers aren’t as eager to open a book.

“A lot of kids don’t look at it like anything that’s rewarding,” he said.

Some parents blame technology for that, but experts contend the decline predates the games and gadgets used by students today.

Elizabeth Moje, a professor of literacy, language and culture at the University of Michigan’s School of Education, cites other reasons. She said reading instruction falls off in upper grades when students are still learning how to read. Yet in those upper grades, the subjects they must study are more complex.

Struggling students also might have a problem getting motivated to take tests.

“By the time you’re in 10th grade, especially if you’re not that great a reader … why would you even work very hard on those tests? We can’t be surprised that we see these drops,” Moje said.

The FCAT is only one tool for measuring whether students are reading at grade level, said Enrique Puig, director of the Morgridge International Reading Center at the University of Central Florida.

“We can all have a bad day, and if it just so happens that you’re taking that test on the day you had a bad day … many things can happen and we’re making that judgment on that one day,” Puig said. “It’s a good instrument, yes. Do we need to look at other things? Yes.”

Copyright © 2010, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-fcat-reading-scores-20100306,0,1669326.story

by Mark H. Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

A new national survey released yesterday by the non-profit research organization Public Agenda, and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, paints a depressing picture of college advising. In their survey of young adults who graduated from college, the researchers explored how helpful the respondents’ school-based counselor was in meeting their college search, application, and financial aid advisory needs. The respondents found little to cheer.

Two-thirds of those surveyed rated their counselor “poor or fair” at “helping you decide what school was right for you,” with 62% indicating a similar rating in the area of financial aid advice. Over 50% gave “poor or fair” evaluations to their counselors for “explaining and helping you with the application process,” while nearly half said that they were made to feel like little more than a “face in the crowd.”

The researchers were quick to note the conditions under which counselors typically work, including excessive caseloads often double or triple the national recommended number of students. In many school districts, college counseling is one aspect of a counselor’s duties that may include academic advising, crisis intervention, and lunchroom duty.

Little in the report came as a surprise, and one might suspect that as executive director of the professional association representing educational consultants working in private practice, we would greet the findings with some degree of pleasure. In fact, I am deeply disturbed by the findings and place the blame where it belongs: NOT on the backs of hard-working, overwhelmed school counselors, but squarely at the feet of school boards who have refused to recognize the importance of good, well-trained counseling staff.

So let me be clear in terms of the solution:

(1) What I believe is simple: every student deserves great college and career advising, not just those in private school or wealthy suburban districts—or those who can afford the services of an educational consultant. Every child.

(2) Counselor caseloads should not exceed the recommended maximum of 250, as set by the American School Counselors Association.

(3) Every counselor doing college placements should take coursework specific to college counseling—few actually have—like online classes offered through UCLA, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine.

(4) A member of the counseling team should be specifically trained to advise students with learning differences on their school search and application process, as well as offer advice on the transition to college.

(5) Schools should find the resources to ensure opportunities for professional development. Counselors must know the latest trends and changes to admission policies, financial aid, and more.

(6) School districts must release counselors to visit campuses regularly, to better understand the social, academic, and community aspects of the college and be better able to advise students and families.

These six recommendations would go a long way to improving counseling by supporting the training and professional development of college counselors and recognizing the limits to effective advice when one is over-worked and under-supported.

Because the educational consulting community supports great counseling for every child, we hope that these changes—which Independent Educational Consultant Association members already benefit from—are extended to school counselors, and we stand with our professional colleagues as they seek the resources they need to more effectively serve students in finding great college matches.

Score At The Top is proud to recognize Mindy Darst for claiming Tricolor in Gotham North Small Pony Hunters on Hillcrest’s Blue Gem Stone, CONGRATS!

If you’re thinking about applying to some of the top colleges in the US, you’ll need to know the average SAT scores at these highly-ranked schools.

Most colleges require you to submit your scores from SAT vs. ACT Testing for College Applicants either the SAT or the ACT with your application, and many publish the average SAT scores for the middle 50% (25th-75th percentile) of their accepted applicants every year.

These colleges represent a range of options all over the country: Public College Tuition vs. Private College Tuition, tiny classes and overflowing lecture halls, and research institutions. They also display a range of average SAT scores.

The thing they have in common? They offer some of the best undergraduate educations you can get!

College Planning Seminar

Provided by: Mary Holmgren Contributed by: Mary Holmgren on 10/15/2009

Over 400 students, parents, and educators attended a county-wide college planning seminar at Fort Pierce Central High School’s auditorium, Monday, October 12.

The St. Lucie County Education partnered with Judi Robinovitz, certified educational planner of Score At the Top Learning Centers, to offer practical advice about the entire college admissions process. Ms. Robinovitz drew upon 30 years of experience in educational planning to explain the college admissions tests, applications, essays, and how to make an application stand out. All the public high schools were well represented, and parents and students heard answers to many anxiety-producing questions.

The Education Foundation will be releasing a scholarship guide online soon that will further clarify the admissions process and list many scholarships.

http://tc.yourhub.com/FORTPIERCE/Stories/Non-profit-Organizations/Special-events/Story~663814.aspx

Inside Higher Ed just published some interesting finds regarding the most recent trends in SAT scores. In a nutshell, it showed that scores were either flat or down in the past year compared to the previous year. There have also been articles about this in the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times, and various other national and regional newspapers. The gist of these articles show that SAT scores, on average, dropped for kids who just graduated high school compared to the year before. Additionally, research shows that the gap between Caucasian and African American kids has gotten wider. Interestingly, Asian Americans have increased their scores (and they see the score increase regardless of economic background). The recent revelations makes me wonder how much our own economy has to do with the decrease in scores. Hopefully with the economy turning around, this year’s kids will see an increase!

For the article, please see http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/08/26/sat

More than 800 colleges in the USAT do not require SAT or ACT scores. Most of these institutions are technical or religious schools or schools that have open admissions policies. But there are about two dozen selective liberal arts colleges, including Smith and Bowdoin, for whom the submission of test scores is optional.

Not requiring tests can make a school appear more selective because it generates more applicants. Typically when schools switch to a test-optional policy, they experience a 10-20% increase in applications. With more applicants to choose from, schools can reject more students and seem choosier. As it turns out, many of those applicants will typically have lower SAT or ACT scores. Students who opt not to report scores statistically score 100 to 150 points lower than students who do divulge test results. Since about 25-50% of applicants’ scores go unreported to these colleges, the average scores of admitted students are raised by 25-75 points, a fact that makes the school seem more competitive to applicants.

Here’s an example of how that works: Before Mount Holyoke went test-optional, in 2001, its middle 50% SAT range (a frequently cited test barometer) was 1170-1360. A few years later, with roughly 70 percent of freshmen submitting scores, the range jumped to 1230-1420, an increase of 60 points on both ends.

The end result is that a school that does not require the SAT or ACT can appear more of an academic heavy-weight on paper than it actually is. Families should also be aware that many test-optional schools do require submission of scores to qualify for merit scholarships. So when considering the test-optional schools, make sure you do your homework before you apply!

Test Optional Schools:
Albright
American — for Early Decision only *
Assumption
Bates
Bowdoin
College of the Holy Cross
Dickinson *
Franklin & Marshall
Gettysburg *
Goucher *
Gustavus Adolphus *
Hampshire
Hobart & William Smith *
Lake Forest *
Lawrence University*
Loyola (MD)
Mount Holyoke
Muhlenberg*
Providence College
Rollins
Saint Lawrence
Sarah Lawrence
Smith
Wake Forest

* Test scores are required for merit scholarships.

As ranked by the Sierra Club:

To see the full article, please check out: http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200909/coolschools/

The following questions were submitted to me by a client, I thought I would share my responses with you – this is for Indiana University (Bloomington), but it’s applicable to hundreds of other applications. My responses are in bold

1. I downloaded the paper application so I could see what it looked like but John is going to submit the electronic one. On the one we downloaded, it said you could attach a personal statement. What do they mean by that? What is a personal statement?

It’s the same as the main essay a student uses for another application, such the Common Application. While the application indicates that sending an essay is “optional,” I firmly believe that “optional” means “required” when it comes to the application process

2. Is there any advantage in your opinion to selecting a major vs selecting “exploratory”? Better to apply to school of arts and sciences or other? Again, any advantages to one or another?

I prefer indicating a major, preferably one that can be supported by a student’s academics or extracurricular activities, as it makes the student look more focused — and the student isn’t bound to that particular major unless it’s in one of the special schools, such as Business or Engineering. Arts & Sciences, which is where most majors are, is easier to get into than Business

3.What does the box “block schedule” mean in the area where you list your classes?

Some schools are on semester, some on trimester, and some on block. Block is when a student takes several full-year course in about 4 months, rather than over the course of the entire year

4. In the SAT section(#19) on paper app, it asks you for the dates you took the college admission tests. Brett took the SAT twice but I only want to submit the January scores since he did much better on that test. Do I still list both dates or only the date for which I am submitting the scores?

Indiana does not require ALL SAT scores (see attached, which is from the College Board and indicates the score-reporting policies of many popular colleges), so all Brett has to include is the date of his best score set.

5. When my older daughter applied to college, she did a paper application, not an electronic one so this is a bit new to me.

No one does paper apps any longer! College far prefer electronically submitted applications as they tend to process everything on computer these days!

6. As long as we keep saving the info we fill out it’s ok, correct.

YES — most applications do not have to be completed in one sitting. That is, a student can work on an application, save it, and return to it later, just as he can when he’s writing a paper using MS Word. Nothing goes until we hit submit, correct? That’s correct!

American University has initiated a test-optional pilot program targeting its Early Decision applicant pool. If a student chooses to apply Early Decision for fall 2010, the student will not be required to submit a standardized test score as part of their application. I’m very interested to see how this turns out.