Tip #6. Subject Tests

SAT Subject Tests may not receive all the hype that SAT and ACT tests receive, but all college-bound high school students need to be very aware the SAT Subject Test may very well be the deciding factor in determining their admission.

Top 5 Benefits of Taking SAT Subject Tests

1. While Subject Tests are not required for admission everywhere, they are "highly encouraged" at many colleges and virtually ALL highly competitive schools.


2. Subject Tests provide a great opportunity to demonstrate an individual's specific strengths and aptitudes. SAT Subject Tests provide applicants with the opportunity to differentiate their application from everybody else's.


3. The SAT and the ACT provide colleges with a broad sense of academic capabilities, but the Subject Tests provide dept and detail to the application.


4. For many colleges, Subject Tests may be necessary in order to be accepted into the desired major or program upon admission as a freshman.


5. SAT Subject Tests are content-based and scores generally directly reflect knowledge of the content (more so than test-taking skill.) Taking Subject Tests in the content you feel most confident can be a great opportunity to boost your application with the high test score.

Remember, while you may not know all the colleges you will be applying to yet, be prepared for admission by signing up for your targeted subject tests immediately following the completion of the AP/Honors classes.

Is Your Child Learning this Summer?

As an educator, I'm completely baffled by the fact that we allow (and encourage!) our students in the United States to take two to three months off of learning over the summer. First (and probably most importantly) is the amount of learning loss that occurs when students do not actively engage in learning activities.

On average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade-level equivalency over the summer.* When you consider that students are only in school for 9 months, that's almost one-third of that learning time! So when students go back to school in the fall, the start of the school year is spent on review. How much time of that 9 months is used to recover the average 2.6 months of learning loss?

The second thing I wonder about is what expectation we are setting for life. How many jobs are there that take the summer off? If we consider that school is a child's job, then shouldn't we be setting the expectation that your job is year round? Parents should start early instilling a realistic work ethic in kids. Not that I believe there should be no break from work, by all means, we all need time for recreation! But entertainment and recreation should not take the place of learning for kids. We all need balance!

There are ways to have fun while you learn--learning SHOULD be fun! Summer is a great time to learn those math facts. Make a game out it by using playing cards and seeing who can add up two cards the fastest.

Start a neighborhood book club and read a book with a movie tie in. When everyone has finished the book, have a movie day as a reward and watch the movie version of the book. Have a discussion group about the similarities and differences between the movie and the book.

Keep a summer journal ('cause you know there will be a back-to-school writing assignment on "What I did this Summer"!) of activities that you do. Bottom line is, SUMMER BREAK SHOULD NOT BE A BREAK FROM LEARNING!

*Cooper, 1996

I love getting stuff like this:

Hello,

I wanted to THANK Sylvan for assisting [my student] this week with the preparation for her Integers test. She got a 95%, this was a big test 225 points and really bumped up her grade. I am certain that without your help she would have done very poorly on this important test.

I have recommended Sylvan to many people, we are very appreciative of your help!!!

Thanks Again,

[KF]

Success Story

I wanted to share this story with everyone, I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work with this family!

"Our son had unexplained seizures as a child. He was on medication for his seizures that surpassed the development of his fine motor skills. This lead to a learning disability that involved speech, writing, and reading deficiencies. Speech therapy helped with uncurling and straightening his tongue so he could talk. Occupational therapy taught him how to hold a pencil. From kindergarten through third grade, he received all the help the public school could provide. His third grade teacher was in tears on his graduation because she felt she had failed him and that he would not succeed in life as well as his classmates would.
We realized that, despite all the school system offered, it was not enough to help our son excel as we knew in our hearts he would do someday.
Reading a magazine one day, I came across the ad for Sylvan tutoring and decided we had nothing to lose. After interviewing with Victoria, our son was tested, and the road to learning had begun.
He started the fourth grade at a pre-k reading level, but had the determination to succeed. The words, 'I can't' never existed in our house or in our minds. Our son was willing to learn and try anyway to learn. Ryan excelled at math. He was a sponge and soaked up every lesson in his head. His 4th grade teacher wanted him to go to special education for math--in addition to reading and writing. He did not like that Ryan knew the answers to the math problem, but only if someone read the words to him. The teacher thought that watching TV was the reason he could not read. 'Just shut off the TV and he will be forced to read,' we were told. Our son could not even phonetically sound out a letter so he could not be 'forced to read.'
Victoria worked hand in hand with the teachers and the counselors at school to implement the best plan of learning for him, and the rest of elementary school went on without a hitch.
In two years, Ryan went from reading at a pre-k level to a 4th grade level. To see this little boy, who has a heart of gold, make this much progress made us very proud. He could not sound out a letter when he started Sylvan, but now he could read!
Sylvan was there to help him in middle school when he had to write a persuasive argument paper. His teachers helped him every step of the say. His mind works faster than he can write, so he misses some key words, so Sylvan started him typing on a computer so he could re-read his papers and correct them.
Ryan graduated from middle school on the honors list with As and a few Bs. He is right on target with reading and writing and an equal to any of his other classmates.
As a Junior in HS, he was asked to, and did, join the International Baccalaureate Program. Such an honor for the boy who could not read or write in the 4th grade!
Counselors wanted him to take easier classes, but Ryan would not do it. Sylvan has always stood behind him, gone to all the parent/teacher conferences and all the IEP meetings. They have helped us fight for things that Ryan needed to be successful and confident. We are so very thankful for all their help, but more so, we are so very proud of Ryan."

As are we! Thank you for allowing us to be part of this journey! It has been an honor!

Progress!

I love it when parents continue to keep me updated on their child even after they have completed their program at Sylvan. I always feel so part of their lives while they are here, then they "leave the nest" and I feel a little sad that I don't hear how the rest of their schooling goes. Today, I received an e-mail from a parent letting me know her son is doing great and how pleased they are with the progress he made here and continues to make at school. I love that this high school student is successful, and I love that I could be a part of that change! What an honor!