How to Use Learning Analytics to Choose ACT vs SAT [NEW EBOOK]
When you’re preparing your students for their college entrance exams, how confident are you that you’re on the right path to improving their score?
Of course, there is no way to tell how well student will perform on test day, but there are predictors you can lean on to take away most of the guesswork. In this article, I will share with you a few tactics on how to use learning analytics to determine if the SAT or the ACT is right for your student.
1. Utilize Pre-SAT and Pre-ACT Tests
Before you make your student take an ACT or SAT practice test to determine which test is right for them, delve into what data sources the student already accrued.
You may want to investigate if they have PSAT and PLAN scores that you can derive meaning from. You could potentially save hours of practice test-taking time if you can determine (from these already existing pre-ACT and pre-SAT scores) which test the student appears to perform better on.
2. Derive Actionable Items from Practice Tests
Using learning analytics tutors can now get more granular in deciphering the results of SAT and ACT practice tests which can help them choose between the ACT vs SAT. The best way to do this is to use data from practice tests (such as the data provided to users of Socrato software) to create a lesson plan targeted at testing pain points.
Students that study alone and without tutoring help often focus on improving areas that they feel they are better at rather than target the areas where they need the most assistance. Using learning analytics, tutors should be able to deduce an action plan which focuses on strengthening their student’s “flabby” test answers, just like a personal trainer would use a physical to determine what areas a trainer needed to beef up on.
3. Give Confidence to Parents and Students
Though the ACT continues to grow in popularity as an alternative for the SAT, many students might be guided by the wrong reasons to try to choose the SAT over the ACT (or vice versa).
Despite the fact that the ACT is now accepted by all colleges and universities as well as the SAT, you may have to do a little convincing to show the parent (and the student) the reasoning behind why you believe they should focus on one test over the other. After all, for many years the ACT was only offered in the Midwest and the SAT was popular with East and West Coast schools. Who knows? A Parents might side with one test because its the one they are most familiar with. A student might want to take the SAT because that’s the one her friends are taking. It’s important to cut through these personal preferences and use data to give them confidence in your test plan for the student.
SAT vs ACT: Choosing the Right Test [NEW EBOOK]
Download this free 20-Page Ebook for Tutors Now!
Our free 20-page ebook is a step-by-step guide on how to select the right test for your student. Learn everything you need to know about using the PLAN and PSAT to improve student scores, how to leverage learning analytics to select one test over the other, and other tips on how to take the guesswork out of selecting the ACT vs the SAT.
