You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Uncategorized' category.
CNN American Morning aired another segment today critical of the College Board.
By Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAY
Average national SAT scores for the high school class of 2009 dropped two points compared with last year, a report out Tuesday says. And while the population of test takers was the most diverse ever, average scores vary widely by race and ethnicity. On one end, students who identified themselves as Asian, Asian-American or Pacific Islander posted a 13-point gain. On the other end, students who identified themselves as Puerto Rican posted a 9-point drop in average scores.
“We are tremendously encouraged by the increasing diversity,” said College Board president Gaston Caperton. “More than ever, the SAT reflects the diversity of students in our nation’s classrooms.”
But Bob Schaeffer, spokesman for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, a critic of standardized tests, says what stands out to him “is widening gaps of all sorts — race, gender and income — at a time when the nation is spending billions of dollars allegedly trying to close those gaps. The promise of No Child Left Behind and of many high-stakes state testing programs is that testing is going to improve educational quality. That’s not what the data show.”
The differences in total SAT scores by ethnicity was most extreme between Asian students (1623 out of 2400) and black students (1276, a four-point drop). Puerto Rican students averaged 1345. The national average was 1509. Top score is 800 in each of the three SAT sections.
Total scores also dropped two points on average for white students (1581) and Mexican and Mexican American students (1362), and increased two points for American Indian or Alaskan natives (1448).
Disparities in scores by gender and income also widened.
•Average scores dropped 5 points for females and 2 points for males. While females represent more than half (53.5%) of test takers, their total average score (1496) is 27 points below that of males (1523).
•The highest average score of all (1702, up 26 points) was posted by students who said their families earned more than $200,000 a year. Students whose reported family income was less than $20,000 a year averaged 1321, up 1 point.
The report’s analysis notes that students who had completed a core curriculum, taken their school’s most rigorous courses and familiarized themselves with the test were among the strongest performers.
For example, students who took an Advanced Placement or honors math course scored on average 79 points above the national average math score. And students who had previously taken the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test scored 121 points higher on average than those who did not take the test.
“The SAT directly reflects what students have learned in school and how they use that knowledge,” said senior vice president Laurence Bunin. “That’s why the latest research continues to validate that the SAT, when combined with high school grades, is the best predictor of college success.”
Transcript:
…taken over the past two years coupled with the steady rise of college tuition, the finances of funding higher education have come under pressure, leading some to question the value of where that degree comes from. our intern, tom nunlist reports. there’s no doubt that attending a prestigious school is well prestigious. but with big names come big price tags. rob franek, author of the Princeton Review’s best 367 schools, says the iv league may not be the best way to go for everyone. franek there is a right school for everybody or not better schools, as long as you are able to learn and grow etc. the 2009 edition of the Princeton Review best 367 schools ranks colleges in 62 lists based on 120,000 interviews with students across america. some of it’s findings may be a little bit surprising.university of florida was ranked as having the best career services department, pomona college in california has the best classroom experience. other rankings are less surprising: brigham young university in utah was listed as most sober. franek not a believer in big name schools only the big leagues still have big payoffs, provided you can make it in. according to payscale. the average starting salaries for iv league undergraduates is $60,000/year. liberal arts and state schools lag behind with an average of $45,000/year. however, that doesn’t mean smaller, schools won’t give you your money’s worth. devry president in the past 34 years, with close to a quarter of a million graduates, 90% of those graduates seeking our assistance were employed within six months. about 40% of our students come to us as college transfers so when they come to devry they are already passionate about getting in, getting out, and getting to work and with a thousand dollar tuition difference, devry may be a solid option over harvard. but regardless of alma mater, some employers suggest that what you do with yourself at school is the key fbi what we are really looking for is some good, solid experience after you graduate, it’s more important what you have done with your degree than where you got it from. rob franek echoes that statement. franek (there is name recognition, but a good employer will look at other things)…
Brittney has expressed interest in pursuing college and a career in graphic design.
Dr. Phil has arranged for Britney Spears to work with Robert Franek from the Princeton Review as a personal college adviser .
What others are asking!