The Answer Sheet: ACT


Posted at 11:08 PM ET, 11/28/2012

Colleges that don't require SAT or ACT: New survey
By Valerie Strauss
A new survey of accredited colleges and students shows that more than 800 admit all or many students without requiring SAT or ACT scores.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:08 PM ET, 11/28/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  ACT, College Admissions, More than 800, SAT

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/19/2011

The case against NCLB reauthorization
By Valerie Strauss
Here's an argument by someone other than Margaret Spellings against reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/19/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  edujobs, elementary and secondary education act, nclb, nclb reauthorization, no child left behind, obama and school reform, president obama, race to the top, reauthorization esea, school reforms

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 01/06/2011

A principal on standardized vs. teacher-written tests
By Valerie Strauss
Educator George Wood urges Congress not to rely on standardized tests to measure achievement. If you don't think that "data-driven decision-making" is really test-driven decision making, consider this: Ohio’s school report cards consist of 26 “data” points, and 24 of them—92%--are test scores.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 01/06/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  George Wood, George Wood, George Wood, George Wood, George Wood | Tags:  arne duncan, disaggregated data, education secretary duncan, elementary and secondary school act, esea, esea reauthoraization, george word, nclb, new congress, new york performance assessment consortium, no child left behind, reauthorization of no child left behind, standardized tests

Posted at 05:00 AM ET, 11/12/2010

Palin: Parents should decide what kids eat in school
By Valerie Strauss
An effort by the Pennsylvania Board of Education to encourage public schools to limit sweets and introduce more healthy foods has attracted an unlikely critic: Sarah Palin.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:00 AM ET, 11/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Health | Tags:  banning sweets, child nutrition act, cookies, michelle obama, nutrition, nutrition guidelines, obesity, obesity epidemic, palin cookies, pennsylvania board of education, sarah palin, school breakfast, school lunch

Posted at 08:13 AM ET, 11/11/2010

Yes, you can teach kids to eat broccoli
By Valerie Strauss
I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it, but at Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School in Washington D.C., chef Lisa Dobbs runs a food program that has young students relishing broccoli, tilapia encrused with panko, boureks with beef or vegetables, and other foods not commonly embraced by kids.

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:13 AM ET, 11/11/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Health | Tags:  bill shore, charter schools, child nutrition act, elsie whitlow stokes, first lady michelle obama, jeff bridges, lisa dobbs, michelle obama, nutrition education, obesity, school lunch, share our strength, stokes charter school, whole foods

Posted at 10:41 AM ET, 10/21/2010

Kudos for D.C. school meal program but hold applause for Congress
By Valerie Strauss
D.C. public schools officials deserve an ovation for a new program to feed dinner to about 10,000 students in an effort to help improve childhood nutrition and ensure that kids don’t go hungry. But let's hold the applause for Congress.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:41 AM ET, 10/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  D.C. Schools, D.C. Schools | Tags:  d.c. schools, dinners at school, food stamps, healthy meals, hunger, michelle rhee, nutrition, obama administration, school breakfast, school dinners, school lunch, school meals, school nutrition act

Posted at 09:00 AM ET, 09/30/2010

Why kids shouldn't take SAT, ACT too early
By Valerie Strauss
Increasing numbers of high school students are taking the SAT or ACT college admissions test in the fall of their junior year. They shouldn't. A college admissions consultant explains why.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:00 AM ET, 09/30/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Bruce Vinik, Bruce Vinik, Bruce Vinik | Tags:  act, college admissions, sat

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 09/17/2010

How the ACT caught up with the SAT
By Valerie Strauss
For more than 80 years, the SAT has been the nation’s dominant, standardized college admissions exam. This year – for the first time – as many students in the high school class of 2010 sat for the rival ACT as took the SAT. How did it happen?

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 09/17/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  act, college admissions, crossing the finish line, fairtest, sat, sat act, sat or act, sat vs. act, standardized tests, test-optional colleges, test-optional schools, writing section act, writing section sat

Posted at 12:28 PM ET, 06/29/2010

Bill to ban corporal punishment in schools introduced in Congress
By Valerie Strauss
A bill is introduced in Congress that would ban corporal punishment in most private and public schools across the country. Twenty states now still allow the practice.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:28 PM ET, 06/29/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Bullying, Bullying | Tags:  ban on corporal punishment act, corporal punishment, corporal punishment and ban, corporal punishment in schools, hitting kids in school, mccarthy and corporal punishment

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 06/21/2010

Christian churches oppose Race to the Top, Obama blueprint
By Valerie Strauss
An extraordinary letter sent to President Obama and U.S. lawmakers by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA -- which represents churches that have a combined membership of 45 million people -- should erase any doubt that the opposition to the Obama administration's education policies is wide and deep.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 06/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  No Child Left Behind, No Child Left Behind, No Child Left Behind | Tags:  arne duncan and school reform, charter schools and pastoral letter, churches of christ, education reform, elementary and secondary school act and reauthorization, esea reauthorization, national council of the churches of christ, national council of the churches of christ in the usa, obama and blueprint and education reform, obama and school reform, pastoral letter, pastoral letter and obama and education, president obama's blueprint for education reform, race to the top, reauthorization of no child left behind

Posted at 11:15 AM ET, 06/12/2010

Stop timing the ACT and SAT
By Valerie Strauss
It's way past time for the College Board and the ACT Inc. to stop timing their exams. Kids should be able to take as much time -- or as little -- on the test as they want.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:15 AM ET, 06/12/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  SAT and ACT, SAT and ACT, SAT and ACT | Tags:  act, college admissions tests, college board and extended time, extended time on act, extended time on sat, fairtest and sat, how long is the act?, how long is the sat?, how to get extended time, howard gardner and sat, sat, sat and act, time limits on act, time limits on sat, timing the sat, which test is longer

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 06/09/2010

Do colleges superscore ACT and SAT equally?
By Valerie Strauss
With tens of thousands of rising high school seniors getting ready to take the ACT on Saturday, it’s a good time to review the issue of superscoring college admissions tests. How does it work?

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:00 AM ET, 06/09/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  SAT and ACT, SAT and ACT | Tags:  college admissions, college admissions tests, college application process, sat and act, superscoring, superscoring act, superscoring sat

Posted at 12:13 PM ET, 03/25/2010

When kids cheat on SAT, ACT
By Valerie Strauss
What happens to kids who cheat on the SAT and the ACT? Even when they are caught, not as much as you might think.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:13 PM ET, 03/25/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions, College Admissions | Tags:  SAT and ACT, cheating on SAT, college admissions, college admissions tests

Posted at 12:02 PM ET, 03/08/2010

Choosing ACT, SAT scores to send to colleges: A good idea?
By Valerie Strauss
High school students taking the SAT and ACT more than once can choose which scores (by test date--not by individual section) to send to many colleges and universities. The question is whether it is a good idea to cherry pick the scores. It may seem like it on the surface, but there are good reasons to reconsider.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:02 PM ET, 03/08/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions, College Admissions, College Admissions | Tags:  ACT, SAT, college admissions

Posted at 03:40 PM ET, 02/05/2010

Saturday’s ACT exam rescheduled in storm areas
By Valerie Strauss
Scores of testing centers where thousands of students were planning to take the ACT college admissions exam tomorrow have closed because of the massive storm marching up the East Coast. The website has a long list of sites that have been closed and will post the new date when it becomes available.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:40 PM ET, 02/05/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  College Admissions, College Admissions, College Admissions | Tags:  ACT test, college admissions

Posted at 12:33 PM ET, 11/24/2009

Should the National Council of Teachers of English win its own Doublespeak award?
By Valerie Strauss
Yesterday I wrote about why the National Council of Teachers of English Teachers gave its 2009 “Doublespeak Award” to Glenn Beck for exceptional achievement in using language that is “deceptive, evasive, euphemistic, confusing and self-centered.” Today I will explain why some educators and researchers are calling for the teachers council to give the award to itself. Why does this matter to you? Because it involves the way kids in public school will be taught how to read during the Obama administration.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:33 PM ET, 11/24/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Reading | Tags:  LEARN Act, Reading First, reading instruction

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 09/09/2009

SPOTLIGHT: The Man Who Takes SAT Tests for a Living
By Valerie Strauss
“On the SAT, if you’re brilliant and slow - you’ll get a very average score.”--test expert Edward Carroll Edward Carroll takes tests for a living. To be precise, he takes the SAT, the dreaded college admissions test owned by the...

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 09/09/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  SAT and ACT, SAT and ACT, SAT and ACT | Tags:  ACT, SAT, college admissions, test preparation