Private admissions advisers gaining respect

JLP Education Services offers comprehensive admissions counseling. This article highlights the growing demand for these services.

"Sunday, May 24, 2009

BY LESLIE BRODY

The number of private admission counselors has grown in recent years – especially in hyper-anxious, high-achieving communities — and colleges are more open to talking with them about the students they represent, say counselors and college admission officers. (complete article here)..."

Further evidence that coaching brings significant, though modest gains

Inside Higher Ed talks about the numerically modest, yet significant in terms of admissions, gains that are made on standardized tests via coaching.

"Test Prep, to What End?
May 20, 2009

The extent to which the SAT is coachable has long been central to debates about the ethics of the test. After all, if tutoring programs that cost money help scores, there is an obvious issue of who will be able to afford such an advantage. For years, the College Board insisted that the SAT was not coachable and, more recently, the board has said that gains from test prep services are modest(complete article here)..."

Small SAT Gains Can Make a Huge Difference

You probably already knew this, but small gains can make a difference in college admissions. Many institutions, both here in Florida and nationwide, have a finite cut-off point, where 10 points in either direction could put your application in the to-be-considered pile or the big stack of rejections.

The excellent admissions blog at the New York Times reported on it yesterday.

Beyond the Lemonade Stand

Great article from Legal Zoom on something productive your kids can do this Summer.

"Michelle Fabio
June 2009

With hot weather and months without school just around the corner, now is the time to start thinking about how to help your kids start a summer business.

Why should you encourage summer businesses? What are some good businesses for kids? What can you do to get them started? Read on..."

College Board is Doing Well, Financially Speaking

The Freakonomics Blog on the NY Times site reports that the College Board is making a surplus of money and that top staffers are in the six digits there.

"Each year, a million or so high school students pay $45 for the chance to prove themselves with the College Board’s SAT..."

How do American Children Stack Up Internationally?

The AP reports that American children, including those in South Florida, aren't doing as well on tests as we would like:

"WASHINGTON (AP) — America's moms and dads are getting a good scolding: Your kids are lagging behind students all around the world.

The White House says so, with concern bordering on alarm. So do institutions such as the Gates Foundation, citing performance tests, graduation rates and other benchmarks...."

College Board to Delay New Exam for Middle Schoolers

The New York Times reported that the College Board would be delaying its new test designed fro 8th graders due to financial issues. South Florida students probably have enough on their hands between the SAT, the ACT and the FCAT.