The A+ Blog

Common Core State Standards and DPS

2012-02-03T12:31:00.001-05:00

Durham Public Schools administrators are recommending a phase-in of Common Core State Standards high school math courses, school board members were told last week.

The Common Core curriculum was adopted by the state Board of Education in 2010, replacing standards that the state adopted in 2003 and 2009; the latter set was never implemented. Implementation of the national Common Core standards – 45 states and the District of Columbia have so far joined in – is tied heavily to federal Race to the Top funds, of which DPS was awarded about $3.6 million.

Read more: The Herald-Sun - Schools to phase in Common Core math
By Melody Guyton Butts, mbutts@heraldsun.com; 419-6684

PSAT and ACT PLAN: What Those Pre-Tests Mean

2012-01-25T11:28:00.004-05:00

Most school systems around the country have their students participate in a “pre-test,” before sitting for either the SAT or ACT, which most colleges require. The ACT PLAN is offered to high school sophomores and the PSAT is administered in October to juniors. What do the scores mean? The ACT PLAN tests students in four areas: English, mathematics, reading and science. TThe PLAN takes almost two hours (115 minutes) to complete, has 145 questions and scores are between 1 (low) and 32 (high). The PSAT has three sections: math, critical reading and writing. The test takes just over 2 hours (130 minutes), with 125 questions and scores are reported on a scale of 20 (low) to 80 (high). Average scores for an 11th-grader will be approximately 49 in math, 48 in critical reading and 46 in writing. Add a zero at the end (52 becomes 520), and you can then compare your score with the SAT scores listed in college guidebooks. You should receive your original test booklet and a score report sheet that will show you the question number, the correct response, your answer and the level of difficulty of each question.

by Lee Bierer. Read more at: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01/24/2953019/what-those-pre-test-scores-mean.html#storylink=cpy

A+ Partners with nonprofit organization beGlobal

2012-01-24T13:43:00.003-05:00

Local nonprofit organization beGlobal, founded by an Edgecombe County native in 2007, is offering high school students affordable test preparation courses to increase their ability to perform well on college entrance exams. The facilitator for the course is Sheba Lowe of A+ Test Preparation whose services have received raving reviews from previous students. The college entrance exam course will include intensive instruction for the SAT and ACT, study guides and testing strategies, essay writing assistance and vocabulary development. Operating on a virtual cloud and in satellite locations in Edgecombe, Nash, Pitt and Wilson counties, these courses will be available to all even if the students do not have personal access to the Internet.

Bill Would Make NC 11th-graders Take National Test

2012-01-22T22:13:00.001-05:00

The House Education Committee agreed Tuesday to legislation requiring North
Carolina's roughly 100,000 11th graders to take for free the ACT national
college entrance exam starting next school year if state funds — possibly several million dollars — are available.

Students also would take ACT pretests in eighth and 10th grades to help determine if they are on track to be prepared to attend a university or community college. The results would be used by teachers to diagnose shortcomings in student performance in areas such as English, reading,
science and math.

Read more at this link: http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/node/432955

NC's New Testing Requirement:: ACT & PLAN

2012-01-09T10:46:00.004-05:00

The NC Department of Public Instruction is requiring all student in 11th grade to take the ACT, starring with the first administration statewide on March 6, 2012. Grade 10 students must take PLAN, an assessment of reading, science, math, and English, beginning December 2011.

Although DPI is using the ACT as part of the new accountability model as the state transitions into using Common Core (Academic) Standards, ACT scores can also be used by students for college admissions.

A+ Test Prep is partnering with several community groups this spring to help students prepare for these tests. How can we be of service to you?

Follow this link for more information about DPI, ACT, & PLAN.

A Parent Tutorial for Understanding PSAT 2011 Results

2011-11-28T11:32:00.002-05:00

Parents,
PSAT scores for students who took the test October 15, 2011, should be available soon. Here's a brief overview of how to understand your students' report. Feel free to contact me if A+ can be of assistance.

Sheba

PSAT/NMSQT Score Report

Take a look at your student’s PSAT/NMSQT® Score
Report. Notice that each section of the test — critical
reading, mathematics and writing skills — has its own
column. Within each section is a great deal of information
that provides a thorough review of performance.
1 Your Scores:
• Each PSAT/NMSQT score — critical reading, mathematics and
writing skills — is based on a scale of 20 to 80.
• The score ranges show how much scores might vary if students
were to take the PSAT/NMSQT repeatedly without learning
additional skills. In other words, the scores within this range are
considered “equal” statistically.
• Percentiles compare your student’s performance with
that of other students. Eleventh-graders are compared to
all 11th-graders who took the test; 10th-graders and younger
students are compared to all 10th-graders who took the test.

Read more at http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/parent-tutorial-for-understanding-psat-nmsqt-results-english.pdf

The SAT and the IEP: Parents, read this if your child is seeking accomodations for the SAT

2011-10-13T14:04:00.003-04:00

The College Board
Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD)

Dear Parent:
If you are reading this letter, you are the parent of a student who is seeking
accommodations, based on disability, on College Board tests (i.e., SAT®; AP®;
PSAT/NMSQT®). There are several important steps in the process of determining the
appropriate accommodations. These important steps are explained in the College Board’s
Instructions for Completing the Student Eligibility Form. You and your son/daughter will
want to read the Instructions carefully. Here are several other important things to know:
• The College Board has specific guidelines for identifying appropriate
accommodations on our tests (see page 1 of the Instructions). Often these
accommodations are the same as those your son/daughter receives at school,
but not always. It is not automatic that school accommodations will be the
same as those approved for College Board tests. The most important advice is
to follow the College Board guidelines.
• When a student’s Eligibility Form is received by the College Board, our
review is very thorough. And, there are times that we ask to review a
student’s disability documentation—this all takes time. Allow sufficient time
(5 weeks from the date the Eligibility Form is complete and 7 weeks when we
ask to review the documentation, and it is complete).
• To assist in planning for the eligibility process, the College Board has posted
important due dates relating to request for accommodations for College Board
test. You can see these dates on page 8 of the Instructions, on the back of the
mailing envelope, and on the College Board’s Web site.
• The College Board has sent copies of the Instructions and Student Eligibility
Form to your son’s/daughter’s school. You also may get a blank form by
contacting us at (609) 771-7137 or ssd@info.collegeboard.org . Because we
scan the information provided on Student Eligibility Forms, we only can
process original forms. There are sections on the Eligibility Form to be
completed by your son’s/daughter’s school.
• Remember that the school officials can be a great help in making certain all
the steps are followed. The College Board’s Web site at
www.collegeboard.com/ssd/ also is a good resource for help in the eligibility
process, and if you have further questions, you may want to call the College
Board’s SSD office at 609 771-7137.
We wish your son/daughter good fortune in preparing for that next big step, attending
college.
The College Board
Service for Students with Disabilities

Originally posted at http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ssd/Dear_Parent_Letter.pdf

The PSAT can help students earn scholarships.

2011-06-21T00:33:00.002-04:00

The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT^®. It also gives you a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools.

The PSAT/NMSQT measures:

Critical reading skills
Math problem-solving skills
Writing skills

In order to qualify for the NMSC, students must take the PSAT DURING THEIR JUNIOR YEAR--even if they took the test as sophomores.

Camp Carolina and Duke's "Constructing Your College Experience" 2010

2010-07-15T12:27:00.002-04:00

Both programs are super college preparatory opportunities for students, and I am proud that A+ is of service to each of them!

Thanks to NCCU Student-Athlete Support Services

2010-07-15T12:16:00.000-04:00

Thanks for the opportunity to help students prepare for the GRE.