Hello fellow parents, and welcome!
I’m going to start this newsletter with your sanity saver because we all need to shore up some sanity before we talk about standardized testing!
Sanity saver…
“In this moment, there is plenty of time. In this moment, you are precisely as you should be. In this moment, there is infinite possibility.” – Victoria Moran
Enjoy this free download, 3 Minutes to Calm Meditation, whenever you need it.
Want more tranquility? Join my amazing guru of calm, Cheryl Brause, in her Virtual Mediation Space at www.pausetobepresnt.com for a free trial week by entering FreeWeek as your promo code.
Standardized testing drama…
The College Board recently announced that the SAT exam will only be offered in a digital format by 2023. They’ll also cut an hour off of the test and allow students to use calculators throughout the math sections.
The bigger news is that Harvard University won’t require the SAT or ACT through 2026, following the lead of the test-skeptical University of California system. UC has already eliminated standardized testing from its admission decisions, and California State University, the largest four-year university system in the country, is poised to follow suit.
I feel a little bit evil gleefully watching the College Board’s desperate attempts to keep their SAT empire relevant as colleges rely less and less on standardized testing in admission decisions. Many of you have asked me, “How do colleges decide which students to admit when they don’t have test scores?” This op ed by a previous director of admission at Stanford University provides a helpful response.
What all this testing news means for your kid…
Less stress! Your kid is in the driver’s seat, not the testing companies, to decide if the SAT or ACT will be part of their lives.
Option 1: If the thought of standardized tests makes your child’s stomach churn, skipping the SAT and ACT test altogether has become a bona fide option now that most colleges are test-optional.
Option 2: Give the SAT or ACT a whirl, keeping it low stakes. If it goes well, that’s one more sparkly bit to share with colleges. If your child feels like they bombed the test, they can act like it never happened and move along to more important matters like enjoying their childhood.
Option 3: If your child has always tested well, loves to take standardized tests (hey, I can’t relate, but more power to them), and/or is committed to trying their best, it’s worth it for them to devote time and effort into preparingfor the ACT or SAT to increase their odds that standardized testing will work in their favor.
In conclusion…
I know the pandemic is wearing everyone down. I am right there with you. Please know that I really do have your back. Ask me anything in our CPR Facebook Group or here, and if I can be of service to help alleviate stress in any way, I will! In the meantime, let’s all follow Cheryl Brause’s lead and breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out…
Warmly,
Jill
