How Can Schools Help Students Prep for the SAT?
What can schools do to help students become better prepared for the SAT?
Stop perpetuating the idea that it’s a bad test, that some students are “bad testers,” and that it’s unimportant. Blaming the test doesn’t help anyone, especially the students, many of whom still have to take it and would benefit from the opportunities that can come from doing well. For example, merit aid. The SAT is often a variable in decisions about scholarship money. I would imagine most students could use and would appreciate merit aid for collage (versus loans, which need to be repaid).
Teach to mastery and test for mastery (most of us don’t know what we don’t know). “Did you understand?” does not verify mastery. I thought learning was easy – it was “remembering” that was hard! (And I don’t think this was unique to my age as I see the same issue in both of my kids if they don’t practice what they learn.)
Keep circling back to recheck for mastery. I found that the teachers who gave pop quizzes to my son kept him on toes and gave us all an accurate read on how he was doing.
Encourage practice. “Practice” is often spoken of with derision and scoffed at as “rote memorization.” But as I often remind my daughter if she slacks on her math worksheets, “You’re not going get to Carnegie Hall with a great teacher, you might get there with a great teacher and great practice.”
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To find out more about Book the Writer and its founder, Jean Hanff Korelitz, check out this story in the New York Times.
If you don't belong to a book group, but would like to, Jean can create a "pop up" group.
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