Most Diverse Class of Students Ever Sits for SAT

Diversity in the SAT is on the rise according to this US News and World report article. South Florida students already know this as Miami is one of the most diverse cities in the country.

Read the article here.

Dangling Money, Obama Pushes Education Shift

From the New York Times

"Holding out billions of dollars as a potential windfall, the Obama administration is persuading state after state to rewrite education laws to open the door to more charter schools and expand the use of student test scores for judging teachers. "(read full article here)

Connecting Anxious Parents and Educators, at $450 an Hour

Parents employ high ticket guidance counselors for private school admissions. (Read full article here.)

Paying students for high test scores?

In a new twist on an old problem, NYC is trying an incentivized approach to improving students' test scores.

Read the article from College News here.

Florida SAT scores up slightly in reading, math

From the Miami Herald:

"TAMPA -- Florida's high school graduates had a slightly higher average on the critical reading and math sections of the SAT, but saw a small decline in their writing scores.

The average 2009 graduate scored a 497 on critical reading and 498 in math. Those scores are each one point higher than students performed last year. In writing, they averaged a 480, one point lower than in 2008.

Compared to the nationwide averages, Florida students trail considerably in each of those categories. They are four points behind in critical reading; 17 points lower in math and 13 points behind in writing.

More than 1,000 additional students took the test this year, an important part of most college admissions."

Stanley Kaplan dies at 90

R.I.P. Stanley Kaplan, the father of modern test preparation.

From the LA Times:

"Stanley H. Kaplan, the founder and namesake of the nation's first test-preparation company, died of heart failure Sunday at his home in New York City. He was 90.

Kaplan started a tutoring company in his parents' Brooklyn home in 1938. In 1946, a student asked him to help her prepare for what was then called the Scholastic Aptitude Test. " (read full obituary here)

New High School Accountability System is an improvement

From the Examiner website:

"Monday, Aug. 24, marks the first day back to school in Miami-Dade County. This weekend, students, parents, teachers, administrators and school support staff alike are preparing themselves for that first day back, always a little exciting, a little nerve-racking, a little frightening, a little sad...back to the daily grind.

But while students and parents may not be aware of it yet, this year promises to be a little different for teachers and administrators in Florida. The 2009-2010 school year marks the first year of a revised high school accountability system--the system that awards grades (A-F) to schools and determines, in dire cases, if the schools need to be subject to drastic measures from the district or state." (read article here)