In the US, mandatory standardized testing on the national level has primarily been put forth as a public policy strategy, with the aim of establishing stronger accountability measures for public education. … But what has not been a credible part of the standardized testing debate in the US is the idea of making such a test a high-stakes, make-or-break determinant of students’ professional aptitude, college admissions, etc. … In stark contrast is the situation in China…
As US school districts struggle with shrinking budgets, the option to snip a year or even two from students’ high school education has become increasingly appealing. These programs, modeled on systems that have been successful in Singapore, France, Finland and other high-performing countries, hopes to shift the emphasis from seat time and credits to verifiable subject mastery. What might the impact of these programs be on tutoring?
In horse racing, breeders struggle to match and breed horses with the best possibility of successful offspring. By looking at a mare and stallion’s family history, a breeder can determine the likelihood of that pair creating a “Superhorse” capable of wining major horse races. It’s not easy work predicting the future; breeders often breed several [...]
While there are some tutoring companies who have a very basic formula for bumping up a student’s SAT score, there are some tutoring companies who go above and beyond. In the case of PrepMatters, a tutoring company which specializes in helping students achieve excellence through standardized testing preparation, test preparation starts with the student. Though [...]
Standardized testing is a gauntlet that is the capstone of one learning experience and the gateway to a whole other world of possibilities; it’s no wonder that there is a whole industry devoted to building test scores and grooming students into improved test-takers. This week in 5 Education Articles to End Your Week, we take [...]
In 2012, a proposed change to high school graduation requirements in Rhode Island could mean serious alterations to the future of its students. If the proposed change passes, students who do not qualify as “partially proficient” on the NECAP would not qualify for graduation. Despite how they performed in school or how many tutoring lessons [...]
Today the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education agreed to adopt the Common Core Standards for state standardized testing. In a 9-0 vote, Massachusetts became the 28th state in the U.S. to approve the new national standard and another 12 should follow suite by the Fall. In a couple of years the MCAS exam [...]
