So More Students Are Taking the ACT but Aren't College Ready. What gives?

Many people are wondering why in the world students aren't getting the hang of ACT skills so they can finally get ready for college.

But is the problem really the test, or is it the students, or even the preparation?

The truth is that it was US students' lack of readiness for college that gave the ACT Corporation the edge as they looked for a way to take out College Board and the SAT.

Through ACT Corp's agressive salesmanship and marketing, they captured school after school after school, convincing high schools that not only should students be taking the ACT to qualify to get into college.  Their high schools students also needed to "pass" the ACT to even get out of highschool.

But, unfortunately, as the Wall Street Journal points out, all the testing the ACT people have administered really doesn't seem to be helping students much.

In fact, students scores and abilities seem to be deteriorating even more.  And why shouldn't they? The typical high school is more concerned about sports and social issues than solid academics. This is why most high school graduates will fail a test that was given in the 1950s, or even the 1850s that deal with basic grammar and history.



What we need to do as a country is the same thing that the great societies did to be teachers of the world. It wasn't by celebrating this day or that day for a specific race or gender group. It was by getting down the basics, and doing it well:  math, grammar, philopsophy. In short, critical thinking.

In truth, I think this is a big reason why my work as a ACT tutor has lead to as much as 15 point increase on the ACT, and many scores to the top 1%. Let's not cheat our students into doing their best. Let's let them learn the classics, and teach them to think. Life is more than feelings. It's about thinking carefully to make good decisions.

ACT Prep 36: Reading Comprehension Strategies We've Used with our Mason Students to Ace Their Tests - YouTube

ACT Prep 36: Reading Comprehension Strategies our Mason Students Have Used to Ace Their Tests Having had about 650 students prepping with me for the ACT test...
http://bit.ly/1Ous49P

Should a 7th grader take the ACT or SAT?

A mom wonders whether her #middle-schooler should take one of the main college entrance #exams
http://cbsn.ws/1XxwKNK

SAT, ACT: College-Admissions Tests Are Holding American Students Back - Businessweek

Conceived as a way to identify talent, standardized testing is leaving too many students behind. The U.S. needs new answers
http://bloom.bg/18iA22v

How US test scores rank globally

The #PISA survey tests kids around the world in math, reading science and other subjects. CNBC's Sue Herera asks the director of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment Andreas Schleicher, why the U.S. is underperforming.
http://cnb.cx/1MgXPgb

ACT Test Prep in Cincinnati Modified by A+ Tutoring to Help Students in Cincinnati and Mason Ohio

Get Ready for those Changes on the ACT, Cincinnati!

For my Cincinnati students, ACT prep need to end by obtaining a feeling of the inquiries on the ACT examination by visiting the web link below.

Certainly, one must be not overlook to learn the approaches and also actions initially.

The current ACT test prep adjustments pupils in Greater Cincinnati have to make to be successful on their ACT exams. Some slight adjustments in pupils' prep work programs is a good idea, however a lot of modifications are concerning the examination's gauging indications for student's capacities, some being even more college- oriented, some more personalized, and also some more task-oriented.

The ACT examination parts to get ready for continue to be the English part, which is multiple choice, however in passage style. The key in this part is to remedy the passage based on syntax, consisting of searching for verbs, after that subjects as well as conjunctions and objects, and also syntactic classifications, such as grammar marks, modifiers, verbs (including the person of the verb, mood, tense, and voice) and also parallelism. The Math section covers everything from basic maths like pre-algebra to geometry and trigonometry. It is formula-oriented, however includes a large amount of crucial reasoning. The Reading part consists of one prose fiction passage, where it is necessary to classify who is talking and what is said in the given dialogue. Or else, making use of the steps I describe in the video clip will certainly bring about topmost marks. The Science test is like the reading, however has two classifications for concerns rather than 3. Whereas the Reviewing Test is very passage oriented, you will certainly want to begin with the photos like charts, tables, diagrams, etc, and also complete them as much as feasible before delving into this part.

My last four pupils have scored from the range of a 31 and 35 using these methods, though one of the 35s had went to only the 50th percentile on the PSAT prior to we began interacting, so I think the strategies function well for all degrees of pupils.

Michael DiSalvo, a professional tutor at A+ Tutoring/ Test Preparation in the Cincinnati area, could be contacted concerning examination aid with ACT prep through the information below.

Video about the ACT test prep changes for Cincinnati area students.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JFsE2CpKaQ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APlusTutoring-TestPrep.com

 

 

 

 

 

513 939-9033

 

related reading practice test for the ACT

Cincinnati ACT Prep

Preparing the First Student in Our New Cincinnati Office for the ACT: A Review and Testimonial

The new test prep office in North Cincinnati has been a lot of fun. A couple of days after I moved here,  I had the chance to follow up with a great student who  had been struggling to get his ACT score up, and who had already put some hard work into our prep (while listening at the same time!).

This young person from Cincinnati Christian was well-disposed, yet also had the challenges of being a well-recruited soccer player, thus we really had to be creative to make time for the program before he took the test.  Our first few sessions were at his home in Hamilton before the test; we then decided to meet farther south so neither of us would have to have to go so far out of the way. The brief meetings one day a week were still a challenge with such a limited time to prepare, but he was good about getting his work done for me before the tutoring.

So, with just 1/3 of a course, he did get the job done! What great proof that a program can work if the steps are followed and the dispositions of the student are good.  Sure, with a lot of young people, I do need to remind them to memorize  the grammar rules we learn in the beginning, but he was thorough enough to become what I considered a brand-new student.

Our Young Student Had to Have a Parent Open the ACT Results First

 

It's hard to put into words how much better it makes it for a tutor to wake up in the morning knowing his pupil is going to give his all.  The program really wouldn't have worked without his cooperation, and I am glad he got his increase on the ACT and hope other students learn that learning virtue precedes learning how to take a test. In truth, it is really my end goal to change a student's life, even more than getting  a test score.  If we become patient, focused, and kind, the rest of the test prep just automatically happens.