Upcoming Changes in the SAT

Upcoming Changes in the SAT Note: A more updated account of the SAT changes can be found here. You may have your grievances with the SAT, just as university professors may have theirs. Nearly everyone has a suggestion or two for the College Board when it comes to their infamous test. The College Board evidently listened to someone (perhaps even you), as they have recently announced several major revisions to the SAT that should take effect in 2016. It should be noted that the current SAT format will not change. There will still be Writing, Mathematics, and Critical Reading sections. However, the College Board hopes to make the test content more relevant to the material that students learn in their high school classes and closer to the material that theyll need to understand in order to do well in college. Thus, the College Board also intends to make the test more practical. [RELATED: What is an Average SAT Score?] There are some very specific modifications that could affect your SAT preparation but first, its critical to understand the rationale behind these changes. The SAT is designed to be the great equalizer in college admissions and to accurately predict students success in higher education. However, the College Board President, David Coleman, recently acknowledged that the SAT isnt doing the best it can to achieve these goals. Some experts say that high school grades are still a better predictor of future academic success than SAT scores. The proposed changes to the SAT are intended to bridge this gap and make SAT scores a more accurate measure of how well students will perform at the college level. Critical Reading Perhaps one of the largest problems with the current version of the SAT is the seemingly arbitrary vocabulary words that are used on the test. The College Board has heard this feedback, so students might not have to memorize these arcane terms anymore. According to the proposed changes, these words will be replaced with vocabulary that youd be far more likely to actually use in college and in everyday life. If you plan to take the test in 2016, ensure you locate and understand this new set of vocabulary words. [RELATED: What Does SAT Stand For?] Mathematics The SAT Mathematics changes are not as significant as the Critical Reading modifications. However, the College Board is attempting to recognize and pinpoint the equations and types of thinking that truly matter in college courses. Coleman specifically mentioned that proportional reasoning, linear equations, and linear functions are some of the question types that determine if students can succeed at the college level. Coleman also noted that pupils should be able to do more than just pick the correct answer. He suggested that they should be able to explain their mathematical reasoning as well. This strongly indicates that future SAT tests may have more of these question types and less of the multiple-choice format. Writing In addition to multiple-choice questions devoted to mechanics, the infamous essay is also found in this section. It is the essay that may undergo the largest revision on the new SAT. Right now, its designed to measure how well you can articulate an argument and string together cohesive thoughts but it doesnt take off many points for inaccurate statements staging as facts. So, it essentially allows students to fabricate facts to better support an argument. Coleman is planning to change this and to require students to solely use factual evidence to support arguments in their essays. [RELATED: How is the New SAT Scored?]

What is a line plot

What is a line plot A line plot is a graphical way of showing data on a number line and above the number line, dots or x marks are placed above a certain number in order to represent the frequency of a certain category or data. A line plot is a simple and an easy way of showing how much data is available for a certain number on the given number line. Line plots are simple to understand and easy to draw to compare various given information. Example 1: Given below is the line plot showing the number of children who made greeting cards. How many children made 2 greeting cards? Number of greeting cards made Given above is the line plot, where x represents the number of children who made certain number of greeting cards. We can clearly see that there are 4 x above number 2 on the number line. So 4 children made 2 greeting cards! Example 2: Given below is the line plot showing the number of children who ate cookies. How many children ate 3 cookies? Number of cookies present Given above is the line plot, where x represents the number of children who ate certain number of cookies. We can clearly see that there are 2 x above number 3 on the number line. So 2 children ate 3 cookies!

College Readiness Cognitive and Behavioral Skills Required

College Readiness Cognitive and Behavioral Skills Required 0SHARESShare What makes grown up student success at the college level? It is the cognitive behavioral maturity and preparedness that makes academically sound career. Typically, a student studying in high school level has enough grown up to interpret and analyze knowledge. High school level students can engage them in critical thinking and identify problem-solving. Also the assertiveness at this level helps to structure ideas and pen down on the paper. Thus, cognitive behavioral skills like assertiveness, critical thinking, interpret and analyzing knowledge, problem solving and social functioning becomes very essential while taking admission in reputed college. Cognitive and Behavioral Skills: Action Actionable cognitive and behavioral skills help students to plan strategy while resolving a problem situation. E.g. student stop and think before developing action plan and restrict aggressive reaction through the use of sly speech. A mature student can easily identify problems and make out a solution to the problematic situation drawing out aggressive response. Cognitive behavioral skills help students to evaluate the consequences of possible solutions and come up with responses towards better outcomes. Cognitive and Behavioral Skills: Remedy Cognitive behavioral skills help students to communicate effectively may it oral or written communication. The principles work towards demonstrating how techniques should be adopted from theoretical models like conventional learning, social learning and ope rant learning. Cognitive skills help students with enhanced problem solving skills which reinforce them to copy mechanisms from various sources of learning. Math is the subject which requires both cognitive behavioral skills to its maximum. The online tutor directly supports students academically but indirectly focuses the overall development of the students, and building effective cognitive behavioral skills are one of the indirect agenda. The student learns to make effective communication with tutor online and work together towards problem solving in their day-to-day academics. Give a try to Math tutor online at the high school level and feel the difference in your child both academically and personally. [starbox id=admin]

What Instruments Do You Need for a Jazz Band

What Instruments Do You Need for a Jazz Band Shanika Jazz is an exciting and rewarding genre for all types of musicians to study and play. If you’ve developed proficiency on your instrument, you might be interested in starting a jazz band. One of the beautiful things about playing jazz is that it can be performed with any number or combination of instruments, from a solo pianist all the way up to a full orchestra! Most “traditional” jazz ensembles usually consist of a harmonic element (like piano or guitar), bass (which can fall under both harmonic and rhythmic), and a rhythmic element (drums or percussion). Many groups also add a melodic instrument like saxophone or trumpet.  Let’s look at the function these jazz band instruments play in a jazz ensemble, and also some additional instruments and combos that can make jazz a rich, intense, and expressive musical style. Jazz Duos Trios and Quartets There are many interesting and diverse combinations of jazz band instruments. Makoto Ozone and Gary Burton have been creating and performing jazz duets for two decades on piano and vibraphone. Other musicians such as Bhob Rainey and Greg Kelley have been pushing the jazz envelope with their duet called nmperign. Rainey plays soprano sax and Kelley is an amazing trumpet virtuoso. Together they play free improvisational jazz that can range from stark and sparse to frenetic and dense. A duet can be almost any combination of instruments. Piano and sax, organ and vocals, or even trumpet and sax are all great combos for jazz. The trio is a more “traditional” arrangement for jazz. It usually consists of piano or guitar along with bass and drums. This combination is strong and gives harmonic and melodic expression through the piano or guitar along with a solid foundation and rhythm from the bass and drums. This type of ensemble is going to sound more recognizable to the listener and can perform a wide range of music from jazz standards to arrangements of pop or rock tunes done in the jazz style. Check out the Brad Mehldau Trio for some amazing jazz arrangements of pop tunes. The classic jazz group is the quartet. Add a horn to the traditional jazz trio and you have a whole new sound. With the quartet grouping you add an element of melodic harmony to the sound.   Adding a melodic instrument like the sax or trumpet can create interesting counterpoint elements. Check out John Coltrane’s classic quartet as an amazing example of this kind of grouping. Quintets and Beyond Taking the classic quartet to the next level means adding a second horn player to complement the first. If a sax player fronts your quartet, for example, add a trumpet. The extra horn allows for a wider range of harmony and depth. Miles Davis had a series of amazing quintets throughout the 50s and 60s that changed the face of jazz music and launched the careers of John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter, who both went on to front their own combos. Beyond the quintet, the sky is the limit. Bigger groups allow for more stunning composition, richer harmonies, and an expanded timbre pallet for the music. Many musicians have written and performed with larger ensembles, including Charles Mingus and John Coltrane. Additional jazz band instruments you can add to fill out the sound include trombone, baritone sax, percussion, electronic keyboards, or even strings, like violin or cello. You are only limited by the availability of musicians and your ability to arrange music for a larger ensemble. During the 1930s through the late 1970s, the jazz big band was king. The typical big band consisted of a rhythm section of piano, bass, drums, and guitar, along with five saxophones (two altos, two tenors, and a baritone that commonly doubled on flute and clarinet), five trumpets, and four trombones. Big bands are still popular today, such as New Yorks Mingus Big Band. Getting Started If you are interested in starting a jazz combo, the best advice is to start small. Find other musicians who play typical jazz band instruments. If you play piano, find a horn player you like working with and start by developing a duo repertoire. Once youre comfortable playing together, add a bass player and drummer and grow into a quartet.  Maybe add a second horn player to expand your musical palette. You are only limited by your creativity! There are any number of non-traditional combos out there that perform and record amazing jazz music. The most important step to take is the first one; put together your band and get to work! Photo by Chris_Parfitt Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Using Would or Could in English Video and Exercise

Using Would or Could in English Video and Exercise Do you know when to use Would or Could in English? This is possibly the grammar point/video we have worked the hardest on. Explaining the difference between these two words is hard, even for native English speakers! They have similar meanings, and can be used in similar situations, but they are not always interchangeable. We worked hard, and produced a great video and exercise to help you know when to use Would or Could.Try these exercises, then watch the video to see the answers:1. (Would/Could/both are possible) you pass the salt.2. If I won the lottery, I (would/could/both are possible) travel the world.3. If I were him, I (would/could/both are possible)call her.You may have noticed that in one of these examples both words can be used, but they have slightly different meanings. Watch the video to learn more about the different meanings, then try the exercises below.Ok, now try the exercises below. If you write your answers in comments, we will reply.1. If I were you, I (would/coul d/both are possible) wake up early tomorrow.2. If I had a million dollars I (would/could/both are possible) really want to travel the world. (Careful on this one!)3. Grandma, (would/could/both are possible) you please pass the salt.4. If I had studied more in school, I (would/could/both are possible) definitely be better at math.5. If he had trained harder, he (would/could/both are possible) have been in Olympics. hangpham 1.would 2.both are possible 3. could 4.could 5.would LOIEnglish Number 2 is incorrect. The correct answer is WOULD. The reason that both are not possible is the regular verb following the modal verb, WANT. Here is a good way to tell: Does, I CAN WANT more coffee. sound correct? No because generally we dont use CAN or COULD with WANT. Want is a desire so it is always possible to desire something.Number 4 and 5 are also incorrect. Number 4 has the word DEFINITELY in the sentence. When we use definitely then we dont use COULD because they contradict each other.Nu mber 5, both choices are possible. If you use WOULD then you are more certain of the imaginary outcome. If you use COULD then you are talking about a possible imaginary outcome. I hope this helps! hangpham thanks u so much

An Overview of the SAT Critical Reading Section

An Overview of the SAT Critical Reading Section ACT SAT Prep and College Admissions Blog The verbal section of the SAT exam includes a section on critical reading. Reading “critically” means reading without simply accepting the text as fact. When you read a text critically, you are trying to evaluate the validity of the claims presented, recognizing that the author necessarily has experiences, biases, or prejudices that influence his or her views on the subject. If the piece presented is an argument, the author's biases may influence the choice of material presented or excluded, and the relative importance accorded to each claim in the construction of the overall argument. Ultimately, you have to try as far as possible to separate the author's biases from the objective merits of the claim. In narrative passages (stories), you may also be asked to infer the author's attitude to a person or event from the author's choice of words in describing that person or event. As an extreme example, it is safe to assume that someone discussing abortion who refers to it as “the murder of an unborn child” is not of the same view as an author who frames the subject in terms of “a woman's right to choose.” While the former clearly considers abortion morally reprehensible, the latter instead views it as a personal choice with no implicit moral judgment. The critical reading passages on the SAT will not deal with subjects as controversial as religious or political opinions. They will rather be drawn from literary fiction, humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences. In some cases a passage will be paired with another that has a related theme, and there may be questions that require you to compare the two. The passages will range in length from approximately 100 to 850 words. There is no fixed number of passages, though there will be a total of 48 questions on passage-based reading. In addition, the test will contain 19 sentence-completion questions. These questions consist of a sentence containing one or more blanks, which you will complete by choosing the word or combinations of words that best fits the meaning of the sentence. The alternative that best fits the sentence is the one that makes the the sentence logical, grammatically correct, and internally consistent. The test consists of two sections of 25 minutes each and one of 20 minutes. In these 70 minutes, you will have to answer a total of 67 questions, almost one a minute. As in any standardized test, time management is of the essence. While you do not have time to dawdle, do not rush through the reading. If you do, you'll waste time re-reading the passage searching for the answers, so you're better off reading at the fastest pace that allows you to understand the passage thoroughly. This optimal reading speed is, of course, entirely dependent on you, so the only way to figure it out is to do lots of practice tests. When you are doing practice tests, be sure to time yourself. Figure out what the best time management strategy is for you, and stick to it on the day of the test. Cell phones are not permitted in the testing room, so be sure to have a watch or other permitted timing device on the day of the test. While the SAT is not precisely intended to be a vocabulary test, it does attempt to test your ability to understand vocabulary “in context,” meaning that you should be able to figure out the meaning of the words based on how they are used. Obviously, the larger your functional vocabulary, the less thinking you will have to do to figure out the meanings of words from their context. The best thing you can do to improve your vocabulary, reading speed, and comprehension is read a lot. Unfortunately, not all reading materials are created equal. You're best off reading classic literary fiction, which is most likely to use unfamiliar vocabulary and style correctly. The important thing is that you enjoy your reading â€" as long as you do, you will want to read more and will absorb more of what you read. Mo is an experienced SAT, ACT, and GRE tutor in Chicago who also tutors a wide variety of college level math and science course. He completed his BS in chemical engineering at Berkeley and his MS and PhD at Northwestern University, after which he worked in mathematical research at a trading firm. He scored 1560 on the SAT and a 1580 on the GRE (both out of 1600 â€" 99th percentile test scores). hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, '6baac2ae-05a3-4610-9d1f-265c8cbd809f', {});

4 Ways to Make Online Learning Successful - by TutorNerds

4 Ways to Make Online Learning Successful - by TutorNerds Take your teacher and tutor anywhere: 4 ways to make online learning successful Online Edtech has made it so easy for students to be able to learn in the convenience of their home but, they can still utilize this technology when theyre out and about. A well-rounded education includes more than just looking at a computer screen. There are on-the-job experiences, museums, field trips, and travel. Many older students are taking their teacher with them, virtually, so they can experience the world and still have a guide to help them know whats important and what to pay extra attention to. However, this requires some creative communication, and the technology is now advanced enough that teacher and student can communicate almost anywhere check out our in-home online tutoring network TutorNerd. Match with experienced tutors in your area all from the comfort of your home. 1.     Real-time interaction One of the best ways for teacher and student to communicate is through simple real-time interaction. In a virtual world, this means that the student is hearing the teacher’s voice and maybe seeing their face, but theyre not there in person. Students can ask questions and get immediate answers, and teachers can move from one topic to another without advanced preparation. One of the issues here is that its difficult to get a whole classroom of people to meet virtually at the same time, and so this type of online education tends to include private tutoring and consultation. Many students use their video for a brief meet and greet but then find the camera to be a distraction and end up using voice only while they work through their study session or learning material. 2. One-way communication Although initially, one-way communication doesnt seem like the ideal fit, it can work great in an online environment. The instructor can record a lecture or lesson ahead of time and students can watch it or listen to it when they have time. Many online students are working adults or high school students in an alternative learning environment, so they want to be able to study after work or on weekends. Many one-way communication courses still provide a great opportunity for interaction and QA theres just a delay in response. One-way communication can also work great for students working with a private instructor in a different time zone or for lessons that require additional preparation or research on the part of the educator. 3. On-the-go situations Creative communication can even help students learn while they’re out and about. For example, the instructor can record some preliminary information about artwork for artifacts in a museum that their student is planning to visit and the student can listen to these facts and figures in their ear buds while standing right in front of said artifact. In theory, a teacher could pre-record cultural lessons about world heritage sites or practical facts about how to navigate technology. Online students can be in any self-led field trip and still have a virtual teacher there with them. 4. Shared information One of the most important things about making online education successful is to figure out how to appropriately share information. What these days document sharing is readily available through Google Docs and teachers can look at students’ computer screens to help them navigate the world of Internet research by viewing their screen through programs such as Join.Me. Students can even set up a split screen where they have their work on one side and document sharing on another. Although there are many benefits to having two people sitting in the same room at the same time with a piece of paper and pencil, creative communication, and modern technology allows people to get together and learn when they would otherwise never have had a chance to meet. This encourages so much more people to receive their education in an alternative environment and give them the option to do more than just sit in front of a screen while they complete assignments. As more and more things happen online, students will be able to expand their education outside of the classroom. In-home online tutoring is a great way for students to get extra help without interfering with their busy schedules. Check out online tutoring network TutorNerd to learn more! All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are written by Tutor Nerds. Are you an education professional? If so, email us at pr@tutornerds.com for guest blogging and collaborations. We want to make this the best free education resource in SoCal, so feel free to suggest what you would like to see us write.

Combat text speak with English tuition

Combat text speak with English tuition A good command of the English language is vital for success - not just at work, but in everyday life too. Unfortunately, many young people struggle with English and find themselves unable to spell, construct sentences or use grammar correctly. Some one to one tuition in English can help to correct any errors and lazy habits picked up by students more used to texting than writing proper English in longhand with a fountain pen (those were the days!). The growing use of 'text speak' and e-mail language has had a corrosive effect on grammar, semantics and syntax. Young people are used to communicating electronically, whether they are texting each other or posting messages on each others' Facebook pages. This new breed of electronic and social networking has spawned a version of the English language that is unrecognisable to many of us. Text and e-mail speak tends to be riddled with spelling mistakes and uses abbreviations of English words which may even use include numbers - for example, 'm8' instead of mate. The problem is that young people are so used to writing in this way that they find it difficult to use proper English when writing essays and the like at school. First Tutors has a number of excellent English tutors across the UK who will be only too pleased to help, so why not browse our site for one near you today?