Weekend Reader on the High School to College Transition

LinkedIn's New University Pages Help Teens Network Before College [Mashable]

Scholly Helps Students Find Their Ideal Scholarships On Their Smartphones [TechCrunch] - A useful app.

10 Differences Between Freshman Year in High School and College [Mashable]

How To Not Suck… At First Year College Budgets [Consumerist]

Closing the Financial Literacy Gap to Combat Student Debt [US News and World Report]

Colleges use FAFSA information to reject students and potentially lower financial aid packages [Inside Higher Ed]

Are College Students Really Underprepared?

Some alarming studies have been published in the last decade which show many graduates of American high schools are not prepared for entry-level college coursework. The percentages given in the various studies differ widely, but one found approximately half of all students entering post-secondary institutions (40 percent of those entering four-year colleges and 60 percent of those entering two-year colleges) are required to take remedial courses in math, reading, or both before beginning entry-level college courses.

What makes a student ready for college? Obviously academic experience is key. Students who take more high school courses in English, math, and science have greater success in college and are more likely to complete a college degree. Students with higher ACT and SAT scores also tend to be more successful in college. However, other factors play a role, and more than just academic knowledge is necessary to make a smooth transition to college.

Some non-academic skills critical to scholarly success include time management, goal-setting, and enough self-esteem to believe one is able to do college-level work. Courses on conventional campuses and online college classes both require students to work much more independently, with less supervision and teacher assistance, than do high school courses. Higher-level critical thinking skills are also required.

Studies show fundamental differences in expectations between the standardized tests used in many states to qualify students for high school graduation, and those used by many universities to determine placement in remedial or entry-level coursework. High school graduation tests in math contain items more likely to be open-ended and set in realistic situations, while college admission and placement tests require logic, procedural knowledge, and problem-solving. High school tests also rarely include material beyond first-year algebra, but college tests routinely include material in second-year algebra and trigonometry. In tests of reading, high school tests measure comprehension using multiple choice questions, while college tests assess students' ability to draw inferences and conclusions.

There are also significant differences between coursework requirements for high school graduation and for college admission. In many states, students who have taken the courses required for high school graduation haven't met the minimum requirements for college admission.

Many studies have recommended closer collaboration between high school and university curriculum planners so that college-level thinking skills are developed much earlier. Some states are changing their high school graduation requirements to coincide with college entrance requirements, but much more work needs to be done to ensure that consistency nationwide. Efforts are also underway in many communities to encourage more academic rigor in middle school.

Unfortunately, the gap between high school graduation and college readiness isn't one that can be bridged overnight. It will take a concerted effort by educators, lawmakers, universities, and students themselves to make the necessary strides.

This is a guest post by Marina Salsbury.  Marina planned on becoming a teacher since high school, but found her way instead into online writing after college. She writes around the Web about everything from education to exercise.

Lies My High School Teacher Told Me: How to Better Prepare Your Students for College

As someone who recently graduated from college, I can attest to the fact that most high schools do not adequately prepare their students for the critical secondary school-university transition. College, of course, is already a huge shock of change after change. For many first-year college students, they will experience for the first time what it's like to live without their parents. They will also be surrounded by a fresh set of friends and peer pressure that is one step above what most experience in high school.

To soften the blow, I believe it is absolutely critical that high school teachers, especially those instructing junior and seniors, give their pupils a more realistic academic experience that closely resembles a college environment. Since I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and attended a public high school there, I also know first-hand some of the unique challenges presented to Valleyites who first make that leap into the higher education unknown. Here are some tips.

1. Don't remind your students of deadlines.

One aspect of my first year college experience that I had a particularly tough time getting accustomed to was the lack of hand-holding. This was especially true when it came to deadlines. Professors gave students syllabi at the beginning of the semester, and these deadlines were expected to be met without reminders. Do your students a favor and give them some personal responsibilities when it comes to time management. 

2. Encourage class participation--both in and out of the classroom.

By far the most enriching part--academically and personally--about my university experience was developing an intellectual relationship with my professors. At first, I was shy, but as time wore on I realized how much more rewarding the process of learning can be when you stop keeping your curiosity to yourself. Unfortunately, I missed out on much of the student-professor interaction simply because I wasn't used to it from being a student in high school.

While of course, student-teacher interaction at the high school level has many more limits than it does in college, a high school teacher can prepare the college student to-be by encouraging frank discussion and participation. Let students know that you are willing to talk about academics outside of the classroom in a professional environment.

3. For RGV students, prepare your students for social, cultural, and racial diversity.

The Valley is in many ways a great place in which to grow up. However, as anyone who has lived in the RGV for some time knows, the area is very heavily influenced by Hispanic and Catholic cultural values. When I moved from the Valley to a university in a very urban setting, I experienced a heavy dose of culture shock. I interpreted the idea of "personal space" as coldness, simply because in the Valley, closeness to kin and friends is the region's hallmark. I was also ill-prepared for the diversity of opinions on a range of topics. Especially if you teach social science courses in Valley schools, be sure to address some of these issues.

This guest post is contributed by Kate Cunningham, who writes on the topics of online university rankings. She welcomes your questions and comments: cn.kate1 @ gmail.com.

A Hilarious Alternative to Boring SAT Test Prep

When I first opened The BSAT Official Study Guide: 350 Questions You'll Never See on the SAT! by John Forster and Marc Segan, I expected a chuckle, or perhaps a polite half-laugh.  When I started laughing out loud, I had to put it down for a bit so as not to scare the people around me.  This book is really funny, and although you can't give it to a college-bound student who lacks a sense of humor (or has parents with that particular affliction), it would make a great gift for most others.

This parody of SAT prep books is actually really similar to the structure of the test and legitimate prep books, although the content is obviously quite different.  As with all good parodies, it's the degree of faithfulness to the original that makes it truly effective.  It would certainly help a stressed out junior or senior relax before taking (or retaking) the test, which will help them do better and not psyche themselves out.

Teachers could also use parts of this book to review test-taking strategies (carefully picking the questions to use), to reduce stress heading into a real test, and as a source of funny questions to tack onto assignments and tests of their own.  It would also be helpful if you're interested in reliving and/or understanding what their high school students are going through, especially if it's been a while since you were in their shoes.

There's math, reading passages, analogies, essays and all of the typical types of sections you would see on the real test.  Here are some sample questions:

Mathematics: Ashley is twice as popular as Brittany, but half as popular as Desiree.  Camille is three times as popular as Desiree, but actually would love to have long straight hair.  How much more popular is Camille than Brittany?

A) 6 times as popular
B) 12 times as popular
C) Camille would actually love to have long straight hair.
D) 3 times as popular
E) Is this math?  That is so not popular!

Sentence Completions: The freshman realized it was time to do his laundry when -------.

A) he opened the laundry bag and the carbon-monoxide detector went off
B) his jeans jumped up from the floor and wrapped themselves around his neck
C) his roommate moved into a hotel
D) Campus Security cordoned off his room as a biohazard
E) he heard the wailing and grinding of zipper teeth from the floor of his closet

Essay: Why aren't white people cool?  Would it help if they could jump?

These are admittedly some of the tamer entries, and I must again stress that someone who is easily offended will flip out over the content of this book.  For everyone else, it's a great way to help calm someone gearing up for the SAT.

Get The BSAT Official Study Guide: 350 Questions You'll Never See on the SAT! at Amazon.  Read more about the book and the authors at BSAT World.

Also, I'm giving away a copy of the book.  All I ask is that you share your most hilarious and/or horrifying test taking experience, SAT or otherwise, in the comments below by midnight CST this Saturday, 3/6.  Good luck!

13 Free Flash Card and Study Help Applications

Whether it's for yourself or your students, there's lots of great, free options for creating flash cards and studying just about anything.  All of the applications below work on any platform unless otherwise noted:

Anki - Secretly powerful multimedia flash card download built for syncing between your computer, online or iPhones and similar device.

CoboCards - This well-designed, easy to navigate web application focuses on collaboration perhaps more than any other site on this list.
 
Cramberry - Good online application for vocabulary and other things you could fit in just one line of text (that's the limit).  Works on your iPod Touch/iPhone as well.

FlashcardExchange - This site has a large web-based library of ready-to-study flash cards, and a free account allows you to create and study online.  More advanced options (like sharing or printing your cards) required a paid membership.

Flashcard Machine - Collaborative, multimedia web-based application great for teachers; they can set up a stack of cards that can be accessed without registering for an account on the site.

Genius - Simple, no frills text-based flash cards. [Mac only]

Memorize.com - Simple, web-based virtual flash cards for yourself or collaboration with others.  Setup email reminders to make sure you study, and then do so in a variety of ways.

Memorizer - Forget about fancy user interfaces.  This download is as utilitarian as it gets, but it has one key feature: Your simple, text-based flash cards popup randomly while you're using your computer for other things, so you're always studying (sort of). [Windows only]

Mnemosyne - Perhaps the most interesting software on the list, when you use Mnemosyne, you can contribute to research on human memory and how "flash card" style repetition and studying works.

Pauker - This free, open-source option is simple and text-only. It works on all platforms, but you must have Java installed.

Quizlet - More than just flash cards, Quizlet is a web-based application that allows you to both create study materials and quiz yourself (or others) on the materials.  It's also a good option for those that want to share via social networks like Facebook.

Study Stack - This website's best feature is its well established collection of already created study guides.  Or maybe it's playing hangman or a crossword puzzle with your flash cards.

Teach2000 - Powerful, option-rich download that has a handy USB drive versions, which is great for those of us that can't install programs on our school computers. [Windows]

Did I leave your favorite free application off the list?  Do you have any positive or negative reviews of any of these?  Share your thoughts in the comments.

Enter To Win 100 SAT/ACT Prep Books For Your School!

Author Brian Leaf is giving away a prize package of one hundred copies of his books, including McGraw-Hill's Top 50 Skills for a Top Score and Defining Twilight: Vocabulary Workbook for Unlocking the SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT. To enter, simply email BrianLeafSATBooks@gmail.com. One entry per person, but everyone from a school may enter. One email will be chosen at random to win. Contest ends January 4th, 2010.

In addition, Brian has made part of one of his books, McGraw-Hill's Top 50 Skills for a Top Score: SAT Critical Reading and Writing, available for free download. You can download, print and photocopy, post on your website, or even forward the free pages directly to students' email inboxes. Leaf has committed to being available to college counselors, educational consultants, teachers, and students who have questions about the book or SAT/ACT prep in general. The download is available free at http://www.brianleaf.com/index.php/SAT-Critical-Reading-and-Writing.html.

For more info, visit www.BrianLeaf.com.

3 Ideas to Prepare Students for College Placement Exams

My seniors are just a week or so away from graduation, and everyone else is close to the end of the school year, so I decided one productive way to end the year with my Algebra II classes is to practice for college placement exams.

We spend a lot of time discussing college admission requirements and other details of the experience at my school, but I feel like we don't talk enough about these crucial exams.

I remember my experience, crowded into an auditorium with thousands of fellow incoming freshmen. We took a math exam, produced a writing sample, and some of us took a challenging Spanish placement test that I totally flunked (after doing really well in high school). In short, this was a stressful set of exams, to say nothing of their importance.

I introduced this to my students as something really important to prepare for one reason above all else: At many schools, if you flunk the math placement exam, you have to take a remedial course that is often not for credit in order to even take the standard college level math course that you need for core graduation requirements. I've known people in this situation, and it's not fun. Unfortunately, some of my students think they can flunk on purpose in order to be placed in the "easy" math course, but that's just not the case.

Here's three ideas I'm using with my students this week:

1. Sample ACCUPLACER Questions [PDF from The College Board] - On Monday we worked on the three-part math section that's included here (this document contains samples from all of the tested subjects as well). Students used calculators and checked their answers themselves after finishing, but were warned to consider two things: Would you be able to do these problems without a calculator (if they weren't allowed)? What do you need to work on between now and the time you'll take this exam to do well? It took my students about 40-50 minutes to complete the 30 included questions.
   
2. Practice Math Placement Tests from UMass Boston - Today, students will be going online to take one of the practice tests provided by UMass Boston, one of our many local universities. There's multiple levels here depending on what courses students have taken, which we will discuss along with how placement works at this school as well. This should take the majority of our 70 minute period, as the tests are between 30-40 questions. In this case, students are shown their answers and can seek out explanations as soon as they're done with the test, even if they don't complete it. In your classroom, use similar resources from local universities to get your students engaged (look on any schools' admissions site, or go directly to the math department's site).
3. Finally, I would like students to practice taking a computer-adaptive test, which is a test that changes based on your answers (getting harder when you answer correctly and easier when you are incorrect). The ACCUPLACER, GRE and other exams are CAT as well. My research for a simple example that my students could actually take, even if it wasn't tied directly to our content, was fruitless. I did come up with one fun possibility: FreeRice, the game created by the UN to help fight world hunger. As I've written about previously, the highly addictive vocabulary game adjusts its difficulty based on your answers.

Do you know of any free, easily accessible computer-adaptive tests to get my students familiar with the concept? Am I going about this all wrong? I'm open to your ideas and guidance as this is my first group of college-bound juniors and seniors, and I want them to be successful. I'm looking forward to what you share in the comments below! Thank you.