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College Test-Optional Policies: Make Sure You Read The Fine Print!

May 23, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Over the last several years, in response to the pandemic and DEI initiatives, many colleges have implemented test-optional policies for admissions. But have you read the fine print? What does test-optional really mean for you?

Our advice to all of our students and families – plan to test and submit strong scores! The college application process has never been a time to sit back, do less, and hope for the best. And in this competitive climate, surely nothing about admissions has gotten easier. If a test-optional policy seems too good to be true, then perhaps it ought to be approached very cautiously. Ambitious people usually try to exceed expectations. And colleges and admissions teams are looking for ambitious students. These are students who go above and beyond relative to their peers and particular school setting and the opportunities at hand. Submitting strong test scores at a test-optional school absolutely helps to put you in the category of being ambitious and exceeding expectations. In this college admissions climate, it’s the rare exception that we advise a student to proceed test-optional from the outset.

Yes, we know it is a lot of work to prepare for either the ACT or the SAT. But preparing for either of these tests helps our students to be college ready, which also means helping students to close any content gaps in math and English that may have resulted from pandemic learning loss. As K-12 private schools release CTP (ERB) and MAP testing data from the current school year, in addition to data we received during the 2021-2022 school year, we continue to see dips across school settings locally, nationally, and internationally in comparison with pre-pandemic data. These performance dips were equally noted in the average scores for ACTs and SATs as well as data recently released by the Enrollment Management Association regarding the SSAT for grades 5 through 11, thus we see evidence of the academic impact at every grade level. For example, the average ACT composite score for graduates from the class of 2022 was its lowest in 30 years.

Take the hard road

It’s enticing to take the easier path if it appears to be equally good, but this test-optional situation at the college level (and, quite frankly, the upper school level [grades 5-12]) needs to be examined much more cautiously. There’s much to gain by taking the harder road and proving academic mastery in multiple ways.

Here are some questions for consideration:

What is the intention of the policies?
Why did the policy shift occur?
What exactly does it mean to conduct a comprehensive and holistic review of all applications? What is a whole-person admissions process? How does subjectivity factor in?
Why have certain colleges already reverted to requiring testing?
Is your child giving up some level of control in this high stakes process if they choose not to test?
What other evidence of academic mastery differentiates your child’s application from their peers?
What does it mean for your child to excel relative to your particular school setting and your child’s peers?
Have you considered that a test-optional policy might only apply to initial admissions, but not guarantee access to certain courses or majors without eventual testing?
Can you imagine your child starting their test preparation during late spring of senior year or the summer before their first year of college?
How much energy are you and your family expending trying to make sense of test-optional policies rather than just committing to a testing pathway?

As we follow news and data being released from colleges about their incoming class, we are seeing a trend. Even in this test-optional landscape, there is a very high percentage of students being admitted with test scores. At some schools, it’s as high as 60%. Tulane University’s admissions site states, “Submitting ACT or SAT scores is currently optional for all undergraduate programs at Tulane. For reference, 50% of the admitted students for our Class of 2027 did not submit test scores.” But that still means that 50% DID submit scores!

Examining Test-Optional Policy Language

We’ve been voraciously reading college admissions websites, attending professional conferences and panels for educational consultants, and carefully following the chatter on our various national and international professional listservs. Most of the buzz about test-optional policies leaves out any reference to the fine print, so we’ve curated some admissions language below for your review and consideration. We are seeing some schools using very particular language about the importance of testing on their websites. For example, Boston College’s test-optional policy remains in place but at the very bottom of this page is this additional information:

At Boston College, standardized testing provides meaningful context as we evaluate candidates with varying degrees of curricular rigor across more than 8,000 high schools from which we receive applications. Our research has routinely demonstrated that the inclusion of standardized testing as part of our holistic review provides the greatest predictive value toward ensuring student success.

To that end, we will study academic performance metrics for BC’s first test-optional classes to inform future policy decisions.

To us, this indicates that having and submitting strong test scores is preferable.

Emory University’s test-optional policy:

Submitting standardized test scores is completely optional.
Students will not have to justify or disclose why they are not submitting scores.
Students will not be disadvantaged in the review process if they do not submit scores.
The timeline for changes to a student’s test optional selection aligns with their earliest decision plan, regardless of college within Emory University.

For those who choose to take an exam:

Emory will continue to accept self-reported or official test scores.
Emory will continue to superscore the ACT and SAT.
Scores will be reviewed in the context of the student’s whole application.
We expect that standardized test scores will continue to demonstrate academic preparation for many students.

Though optional, this last bullet point above surely doesn’t discount their potential value.

Columbia University’s test-optional policy:

The holistic and contextual application review process for Columbia College and The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science is rooted in the belief that students are dynamic, multi-faceted individuals who cannot be defined by any single factor. Our review is purposeful and nuanced—respecting varied backgrounds, voices and experiences—in order to best determine an applicant’s suitability for admission and ability to thrive in our curriculum and our community, and to advance access to our educational opportunities.

And just this month – on May 18, 2023 – they announced an end to their alumni interviews:

Against a backdrop of rising application numbers in recent years, Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science have decided to discontinue their alumni interview program for individuals seeking admission. The decision, which takes effect this fall for the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, was made to ensure that all candidates have the same opportunity to connect with and learn about Columbia through the application process.

It makes you scratch your head for sure. They value a holistic and contextual application process, but they don’t need test scores to assess your academic mastery, and apparently they also don’t have the resources to support an interview to assess your personality and dig deeper into your experiences, so the review process and “algorithm” becomes rather difficult to decipher. The answer, from our perspective, is to do absolutely everything that can be done, which means taking advantage of every optional opportunity that’s appropriate and reasonable.

University of Pennsylvania’s test-optional policy:

As part of our comprehensive admissions process, we use standardized testing to gain more insight into the academic preparation of our applicants. These tests represent only one component in our admissions process in conjunction with other academic and non-academic factors.

Harvard University’s test-optional policy:

For the College Classes of 2027-2030, students may apply for admission without standardized test scores. Please read our announcement for more details on the application changes for the upcoming cycles.

If you choose to submit standardized tests, you may submit the SAT or ACT (with or without the writing component). While the College Board no longer offers Subject Tests and they are not a requirement for applying, you may submit Subject Tests taken in the last 5 years. If you choose to submit Subject Tests, it is more useful to choose only one mathematics test rather than two. Similarly, if your first language is not English, a Subject Test in your first language may be less helpful.

Within the admissions page section about standardized testing requirements, there are standardized testing FAQs. One of these questions is: “What do standardized tests and grades indicate about academic preparation for college?” Below is the 3rd of 3 paragraphs.

The SAT and ACT tests are better predictors of Harvard grades than high school grades, but this can vary greatly for any individual. Students who have not attended well-resourced schools throughout their lives, who come from modest economic backgrounds or first-generation college families have generally had fewer opportunities to prepare for standardized tests. Each application to Harvard is read with great care, keeping in mind that talent is everywhere, but opportunity and access are not.

University of Delaware’s test-optional policy:

We recommend students submit their SAT or ACT scores if they believe they show their academic potential. Students who choose not to provide test scores have the option to submit any additional evidence of academic skills in areas related to your intended major, particularly if it is math and science intensive. Such evidence may include scores on AP examinations, SAT Subject Tests, or other indications of your interest and ability to succeed in a challenging academic environment.

Suffice to say, test-optional isn’t just a yes/no question. It requires thoughtful and strategic consideration regarding the context of the student’s application.

Our Interpretation of Test-Optional Language

Even in a landscape that promotes test optionality for important reasons, these tests are still an important part of the process and can serve to well differentiate a student. Putting in the effort to close any academic gaps – perhaps related to pandemic learning loss – and then accelerate instruction to include the most advanced content tested will only set our students up to be more successful in their college classes.

Most of our students have preferred the ACT to the SAT, which also gives them the opportunity to showcase a strong writing score and yet further exceed admissions requirements. The ACT offers an optional writing section, whereas the SAT discontinued their optional writing section in June 2021.

Per University of Delaware’s policy, it’s worth noting that the College Board discontinued SAT subject tests in January 2021. And Advanced Placement (AP) tests – also a College Board product – are not readily available to students who attend schools that do not offer the AP program (and choose not to order the tests), which is the case for many private day schools and boarding schools. Faculties at these schools usually feel strongly that their own honors program is more rigorous and substantive, thus they don’t want to adhere to the College Board’s curriculum, and often these schools do not want to be involved in administering these exams. Therefore, it’s certainly not easy to find alternative ways to further showcase academic mastery broadly or in a specific subject area, which may leave a student seemingly less competitive relative to another candidate who attends a school that offers APs, IBs, or A Levels. Strong ACT or SAT scores can make a big difference in this common scenario.

How many test takers are there?

If we look at the number of students taking tests as part of their admissions process, we see that this number is on the rise. More than 1.7 million high school students in the class of 2022 took the SAT. This number of students was higher than the 1.5 million students who took the SAT in 2021 but down from 2.2 million in 2020, according to College Board, the SAT test publisher.

Similarly, the number of ACT testers is rising again. According to Higher Ed Dive, about 1.35 million students in the 2022 high school graduating class took the ACT college entrance examination, slightly more than in the previous year but far fewer than numbers seen prior to the pandemic. About 54,000 more students took the ACT test in the 2022 school year’s graduating class compared to the 2021 class. But that’s far lower than the peak of nearly 2.1 million students in the 2016 graduating class who took the exam.

Kelly Slay, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University, conducted in-depth interviews with admissions officers in 2022 to understand how the elimination of SAT and ACT testing requirements has been playing out inside colleges and universities. Slay shared the following in an interview with The Hechinger Report: “I think the students that do have the strong test scores still do have that advantage, especially when you have a student that has strong test scores versus a student who doesn’t have test scores and everything else on the academics is more or less the same.”

Test Scores Ease Access to Certain Courses and Majors

We anticipate that colleges will continue to make changes to their test-optional policies. We have already seen some schools like MIT and Georgetown revert back to requiring testing as part of the admissions process. We are also seeing a trend at some schools where students are admitted without test scores but then asked for scores when a student wants to apply to certain programs within a college or in determining course placement upon enrollment. This surprise request can be incredibly stressful for students their senior year who will have to grapple with the question of taking the test or choosing another course of study.

The UC system announced that they are not accepting SAT and ACT test scores as part of the admissions process, but their admissions website further includes, “If you choose to submit test scores as part of your application, they may be used as an alternative method of fulfilling minimum requirements for eligibility or for course placement after you enroll.” In other words, applying without testing doesn’t mean that testing is ultimately avoided. This is just one example where the fine print differs from the public buzz.

Howard University’s admissions website states that all applicants must complete one or more of five (5) general admissions requirements. One of them states that standardized testing (e.g. SAT, ACT) may be “required by the university/the intended academic program.” Many students aren’t sure about their intended course of study at the point of submitting an application, so if a student decides later into their senior year, for example, that they want to major in architecture, then they encounter this policy:

Students may be eligible for admission by presenting acceptable secondary school records which should include: 3 units of English; 3.5 units of mathematics with 1.5 to 2 units in algebra; 1 unit in plane geometry and trigonometry; 1 unit in a foreign language, and 5 units in any academic courses counted toward graduation, preferably in solid geometry, physics, and chemistry.

All applicants must take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and receive a minimum score of 500 in the verbal section and 550 in the mathematics section or 22 on the American College Test (ACT) equivalent. Preference will be given to applicants who rank in the upper one-third of their graduating class and have achieved a grade of C or better in the recommended high school courses.

Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business states the following admissions requirements for the undergraduate business school:

Step 2: Meet GPA and test score criteria

Earned the required test score:

a composite ACT score of 30, or

an SAT score of 1370 (Evidence-Based Reading & Writing and Math)

Earned a cumulative GPA of 3.8 on a 4.0 scale in high school. We will use the highest GPA that is sent to IU Admissions from your official high school transcript. In most cases this is the weighted GPA.

If your record does not meet the criteria above or you wish to apply under test-optional guidelines, you will need to request a review through our website to be considered for Kelley direct admission.

NYU’s Stern School of Business, for example, has particularly confusing language associated with undergraduate admissions. NYU Stern refers applicants back to the university’s main admissions page for admissions criteria. The main page proudly shares that “NYU has one of the most flexible testing policies of any college or university.” Then further down the page, one can find additional program requirements for the Stern School of Business and the Tandon School of Engineering. Students are required to submit either AP or IB exam scores or A Level scores in math and other subjects. These types of exams aren’t available to many students, in which case ACT or SAT scores must be submitted with the initial application. It’s not abundantly clear without reading the fine print carefully (and several times in our case).

How many applicants are there?

As a result of test-optional policies, application numbers are way up at competitive programs, which adds to the stressful climate that all families are trying to navigate. To get a sense of the numbers, we’ve highlighted a handful of schools below.

Tufts

Applications to the undergraduate Class of 2027 grew nearly 12% over last year to more than 34,000, making this the largest and most diverse applicant pool ever, according to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

For the Class of 2021, as a comparison, just over 21,000 students applied to Tufts University.

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan saw continued growth in the number of prospective first-year and transfer students looking to enroll for the fall 2023 term. There were 87,766 first-year students applying for fall admission this year, up 4% from the nearly 85,000 applications to the university for 2022.

USC

The number is large by any standard: 80,790 first-year applications. It’s the most applications USC has ever received in a single year. It also represents a tremendous amount of work for USC’s Office of Admission, which thoroughly reviews every application. The number of applicants jumped 17% compared to last year, reaching an all-time high.

UC

In February, The University of California announced that it received a total of 245,768 applications (206,405 for freshman admission and 39,363 applications for transfer admission) for fall 2023 admission.

Following two consecutive cycles of record-breaking undergraduate application growth, the University maintained strong numbers for freshman and transfer admission, though many campuses experienced slight declines, particularly among international and out-of-state freshmen and transfer applications. For fall 2023 admission, the University saw a 2.2 percent decrease (-5,411 applications) in total applications from the fall 2022 admissions cycle, where the University received 251,179 total applications (210,840 freshmen and 40,339 transfer). The largest decrease in applications was from nonresident (out-of-state and international) freshmen and transfer applicants (-4,632).

Now what?

For effective college planning, which includes managing test-optional policies, it’s critical to read the fine print. Consider your own situation and what it means to excel relative to your school setting and peers, and then make a cautious and thoughtful decision with the intention of keeping doors open and avoiding unwanted disappointment or scrambling at some later point during senior year. While we know that studying for these tests is a lot of work and takes a lot of time to prepare for, they do still matter and continue to remain an important part of the admissions process. None of us has a crystal ball for what the future will hold, but we do know that while the tests are imperfect, preparing for them can help our students master high school material, gain testing confidence, and be in a position to put the most compelling and competitive application forward to gain admissions to the schools of their choice.

As you navigate your college planning process, we’re here to help! From goal setting and intention setting semester by semester, to making the most of the high school experience, to earning strong grades and test scores, to masterfully constructing essays and managing an effective application process with great project management skills, our faculty has you covered! Please contact us to discuss your planning further!

By Faya Hoffman, M.A. and Board Certified Educational Planner, and Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed. and Board Certified Educational Planner

Understanding Pandemic Learning Loss

May 5, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Parents and educators have observed firsthand that the pandemic caused massive disruptions in the academic, emotional, and social lives of students. The compounded effect of the past three years is responsible for significant pandemic learning loss. Meira Levinson and Daniel Markovits note in their article for The Atlantic that no other historical event has so suddenly and so drastically changed the way that American children spend their days–not the Great Depression, not World War II. For children and teens especially, a year or two is a large chunk of their lives. As we wrap up the second full year of in-person schooling since the onset of the pandemic, we are beginning to have enough data and perspective to better understand the impacts that the pandemic has had on our students and how we will continue to recover from them.

Quantifying Pandemic Learning Loss

Recent studies show that the pandemic’s major disruptions to daily instruction have set today’s students back significantly. A meta-analysis of studies conducted in 15 countries by Nature Human Behavior suggests that pandemic learning loss for students is the equivalent of 35% of a school year’s worth of learning. Indeed, 2022 US National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) logged significant drops in reading ability and the greatest decline in student math performance in American history. Students in New York state were hit especially hard. On average, their math and reading losses were double those of their peers across the country. In purely quantitative terms, the pandemic’s impact on learning has undone decades of progress in American student performance in English and Math. Getting test scores back to pre-pandemic levels would take decades at the current rate of recovery.

American students in 2022 were, on average, about 15 to 24 weeks behind in math and nine weeks behind in reading compared with 2019. History scores have also fallen significantly. National test scores for 2023 reflect an “accelerated…downward trend [in history] that began nearly a decade ago” with only 13 percent of eighth graders achieving scores deemed proficient in U.S. history, and about 40 percent scoring “below basic,” according to The New York Times. The average 8th grader is performing one full year below grade level.

Pandemic learning loss disproportionately impacted students who were already struggling academically before the pandemic, to the point that statistical declines across subjects have largely been driven by the lowest-performing students. Students from lower-income families and districts also tended to suffer greater setbacks than students in high-income families and districts. At the middle- and high-school levels, male and female students experienced similar rates of academic achievement declines across all subjects. Results reported by the Enrollment Management Association indicate that performance gaps between students of different racial identities are wider today than they were pre-COVID. Public school students experienced significantly larger declines than private school students. Asian and Black students at the middle-school level experienced much sharper declines in quantitative scores than their peers of other racial identities.

Across socioeconomic lines, children whose schools remained remote longer tended to suffer greater academic setbacks. Most often, the schools that managed to limit the amount of time students were in Zoom school were often well-resourced private schools. In fact, many elite private schools practically avoided pandemic learning loss due to lower student-teacher ratios, more in-person instruction, and greater ease in implementing remote learning measures when their buildings were closed during the 2020-2021 school year.

Beyond Test Scores: Mental Health Impacts of the Pandemic

The social isolation of the pandemic caused suffering in people of all ages but this is compounded in children and teens, who are still developing the skills needed to form and maintain friendships, collaborate with others, and cope with their emotions. 94% of the 362 school guidance counselors surveyed by The New York Times last April reported higher rates of anxiety and depression among their students; 88% percent said students were struggling to regulate their emotions; and almost 75% said that students were struggling to resolve conflicts with their friends. A CDC survey of high-school students from January to June 2021 found a 20% increase in teens who felt “persistently sad or hopeless” over the previous year. 20% of the students surveyed had “seriously considered attempting suicide.” The rates of hospitalization and suicide attempts were even higher for girls. In response to this data, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health in 2021. The declaration itself notes that while the pandemic exacerbated the mental health crisis in children and teens, the growing rates of mental health concerns predate it.

As we come to grips with this alarming situation and plan for the future, it is also important to note that students who were able to maintain social connections–whether to a friend, counselor, or teacher–during lockdown and remote learning, tended to fare much better than those who did not.

A Patchwork of Solutions

What’s especially concerning about pandemic learning loss is that there is no tried and tested method for recovering so much missed instruction at scale. So how have districts been spending the $190 billion dollars provided as pandemic relief funds? Some of the most common academic recovery interventions among schools surveyed by Future Ed, a research lab at Georgetown University, are summer learning, instructional materials, investing in software, afterschool enrichment, and tutoring. Among the most promising and prevalent interventions is “high-dosage” tutoring, where school districts hire a “tutor corps” that can provide individual and small-group instruction to students. States crafted their own plans, but most address some combination of making up for lost instructional time, investing in student mental health, hiring new staff, training existing staff, and infrastructural investments like expanding internet access for students.

The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University released a study that measures the impact of COVID recovery interventions and has identified some effective strategies for alleviating pandemic learning loss. However, the study notes that, “The implementation challenges district leaders recounted suggest that the simple-sounding logic of academic intervention—identify students in need and provide them extra support—belies a host of complex design and implementation decisions.” In other words, the reality is that even apparently straightforward academic interventions are cumbersome to implement at scale, and would require historic action to be effective.

As states and districts weigh their options for how to address these historic setbacks in the academic success and emotional health of American students, we must remember that the statistics we’ve outlined here are helpful for painting a picture of our present reality in aggregate. Yet, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that the development of academic ability, emotional resilience, and self-regulation are deeply personal journeys that each individual student undertakes. Students’ academic abilities and emotional wellbeing are certainly impacted and conditioned by context, but in addition to the way that states, districts, and independent schools end up addressing pandemic learning loss, one thing is for certain: our students will need our continued support, encouragement, and guidance as we continue to make our way out of this strange and difficult time.

To discuss your family’s needs in more detail, please contact us to schedule a call.

By Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed., Board Certified Educational Planner, and Faya Hoffman, M.A., Board Certified Educational Planner

Sources

Betthäuser, B. A., Bach-Mortensen, A. M., & Engzell, P. (2023). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence on learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01506-4
Howard, J. (2023, January 30). Children lost about 35% of a normal school year’s worth of learning during the pandemic, study suggests. Retrieved May 4, 2023, from https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/health/covid-learning-loss-study-wellness/index.html
Levinson, M., & Markovits, D. (2022, June 23). The Biggest Disruption in the History of American Education. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/covid-learning-loss-remote-school/661360/
O’Neill, J. (2023, March 15). New York 4th-graders lost twice as much ground as peers and lost year of learning during pandemic virtual learning. NY Post. https://nypost.com/2023/03/15/nys-4th-graders-saw-test-scores-plummet-during-pandemic/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=pasteboard_app
Bryant, J., Dorn, E., Pollack, L., & Sarakatsannis, J. (2023, January 11). COVID-19 learning delay and recovery: Where do US states stand? McKinsey & Company. Retrieved May 4, 2023, from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/covid-19-learning-delay-and-recovery-where-do-us-states-stand
Braga, Dana, and Kim Parker. “Most K-12 Parents Say First Year of Pandemic Had a Negative Effect on Their Children’s Education.” Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/10/26/most-k-12-parents-say-first-year-of-pandemic-had-a-negative-effect-on-their-childrens-education/. Accessed 5 May 2023.
AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/child-and-adolescent-healthy-mental-development/aap-aacap-cha-declaration-of-a-national-emergency-in-child-and-adolescent-mental-health/. Accessed 5 May 2023.
Kane, Thomas. “Kids Are Far, Far Behind in School.” The Atlantic, 22 May 2022, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/schools-learning-loss-remote-covid-education/629938/.
“Academic Recovery.” FutureEd, 7 June 2022, https://www.future-ed.org/academic-recovery/.
“With an Influx of Covid Relief Funds, States Spend on Schools.” FutureEd, 3 Jan. 2021, https://www.future-ed.org/with-an-influx-of-covid-relief-funds-states-spend-on-schools/.
Carbonari, M., Davison, M., DeArmond, M., Dewey, D., Dizon-Ross, E., Goldhaber, D., Hashim, A., Kane, T., McEachin, A., Morton, E., Patterson, T., Staiger, D. (2022) The Challenges of Implementing Academic COVID Recovery Interventions: Evidence From the Road to Recovery Project. Research Report. Cambridge, MA: Center for Education Policy Research, Harvard University. Accessed on May 5, 2023. https://cepr.harvard.edu/road-to-covid-recovery
Mervosh, S. (2023, May 3). It’s Not Just Math and Reading: U.S. History Scores for 8th Graders Plunge. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/03/us/us-history-test-scores.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Koo, J. K., Wright, K. D. (2023). Effects of COVID-19 on Educational Outcomes: Enrollment Management Association Special Report. Enrollment Management Association.

Addressing Math Gaps

May 4, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

$Math Gaps$ Math Gaps and How to Fill Them

What happens to students who fail to master fractions by 6^th grade? Nothing much, apparently; they continue to work on more advanced areas, building on shaky foundations. Among the myriad of topics covered in mathematics, the following three have a disproportionate effect on future development: fractions, negative numbers, and algebra. Shakiness in these areas leads to math gaps and weaknesses in trigonometry, calculus, statistics, and other topics and endless frustration with standardized tests.

Fractions

Teachers generally present mathematics as a cumulative subject; it requires the mastery of basic techniques before tackling more advanced concepts, which assume complete knowledge of these techniques. Many of my students, for example, learn how to solve systems of equations and happily master these techniques when solutions are integers. Add fractions to the mix, though, and they begin to struggle and lose confidence in the whole topic. These weaknesses and math gaps persist into high school and beyond; in conversations with NYU mathematics professors, they shared that the biggest complaint was that many students couldn’t handle algebraic fractions. Of course, there isn’t time to redo the 6th-grade curriculum at that late stage.

Fractions also tie into other areas – students need to convert freely between fractions, decimals, and percentages; they also need to deal with decimals within fractions e.g.

Simplify:

and (my students’ pet hate) fractions within fractions e.g.

Simplify:

Given how broad and complex this topic is, teachers and tutors should review it throughout middle and high school.

In my experience, a standard method of teaching fraction manipulation leaves much to be desired: a focus on mastering concepts at the expense of developing computational skills, which makes students confused about both. Many of my students take a ponderous approach to fraction manipulation: when solving proportions, for example, we may encounter something like the following equation:

The students may painstakingly find a common denominator and then sometimes struggle with what to do next when cross-multiplication yields the solution in a couple of short steps. Once students understand that the two methods are equivalent, they should routinely use the more efficient one. When they master fraction manipulation in 5^th or 6^th grade, they are free to master more advanced topics as they progress through High School.

Negative Numbers

Fractions aren’t the only stumbling block; handling negative numbers is a topic that causes many of my high school students to struggle. A significant weakness is distributing negative signs outside parentheses and thinking of the relation between negative numbers and the number line. It’s supposed to have been dealt with by 7^th grade and is not touched upon again.

Algebra

Moving from the concrete (i.e., numerical) to the abstract (i.e., algebraic) is a leap that many students never complete consistently. Teachers usually cover this step by 8^th grade, but many students feel abandoned at this point. Algebra is not re-visited until 10^th grade, with geometry typically filling the time gap in 9^th grade, so 8^th-grade progress is often lost by 10^th grade when students have to make the enormous leap to Algebra II, leading to even more frustration and bigger math gaps. The modular nature of most school curricula exacerbates the weaknesses we are discussing, so I favor a more integrated approach that is rare in most American schools but common elsewhere.

There are other areas that could be added to the list, such as geometry and exponents, but the above topics hold the most significant foundational importance. It’s almost pointless to study trigonometry and calculus, for example, without mastery of these areas – it’s akin to playing a sport without training.

Now that I’ve highlighted some common math gaps and areas of frustration for students and their teachers, what are the possible solutions? Students who barely master skills will lose them fast without constant reinforcement – it happens to all of us, to a degree – but school teachers are under pressure to cover a curriculum that doesn’t give them latitude to return to skill-building. Frequent testing puts students under pressure to forget the material they’ve just covered as they anxiously prepare for the next test.

Students and their tutors can fill these math gaps by:

Creating a study program to review past material for students.
Avoiding a “one size fits all” approach – each student has their way of understanding the areas outlined above.
Ensuring that students don’t fall behind on quizzes and tests.

We live in a competitive environment; there is competition for middle schools, high schools, university places, internships, jobs, and graduate schools. Successful students cover more than what is offered in school, so students can’t afford to be left behind. It’s far better to tackle these issues as early as possible and then reinforce them regularly, with the help of tutors if necessary, in order to mitigate unnecessary math gaps.

By Kovan Pillai, PhD and Math Specialist as well as Executive Director of the New York Math Circle

AP and IB Programs: Why Consider Them?

May 3, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Programs—we hear these phrases with varying degrees of frequency in public and private high schools across America. What do they mean, and what are the differences? How do AP and IB programs factor into college planning, and, more importantly, in your learning and growth? Let’s explore potential answers to these questions.

Better Understanding the AP Program

To compare and contrast AP and IB programs, let’s take a closer look at each. The Advanced Placement program is designed by the College Board (the same publisher that provides the SAT). It was first implemented in the 1950s, with courses and exams in ten subject areas. There are now 38 AP courses available, covering everything from Microeconomics to Music Theory to Human Geography (along with all the core subjects). If your school offers AP courses, you can typically elect to take however many you’d like and in any subjects, although taking more than three at a time–as a general rule–can make it a challenge to balance schoolwork. It is, of course, a matter of quality over quantity–take what speaks to you and is meaningful. AP courses are considered college-level, and these courses are intended to explore subjects more deeply and move faster (covering more material) than a non-AP course. At the end of the course is an AP exam, which is where possible college credit or course selection advantages come into play. Depending on the college or university, a score of 3, 4, or 5 may earn you some amount of credit, or potentially allow you to bypass certain courses once you get to college.

AP also offers another rigorous opportunity called the AP Capstone, which involves taking AP Seminar and then AP Research (two year-long classes that develop research, analysis, collaboration, and presentation skills). Students may earn an AP Capstone Diploma by scoring a three or higher on these two exams, plus a three or higher on four additional AP exams of their choosing.

Better Understanding the IB Program

For further comparison of AP and IB programs, let’s look more closely at the IB program. The International Baccalaureate (IB) program similarly offers college-level coursework and demands a great deal of academic investment from its students, but it operates in a different manner from the AP program. The IB program is more fully concerned with the learning experience across grade levels, rather than specific, segmented courses as you elect to take them. Developed in Switzerland in the 1960s, IB offers a Primary Years Program (PYP) and a Middle Years Program (MYP) in addition to the Diploma Program available in grades 11 and 12, but you can start the program in high school without having participated in the PYP or MYP. You can also take some IB courses without completing the full IB diploma if your school’s policies allow it; and any IB course will prepare you for the associated IB exam at the end of the year. The IB curriculum promotes an international focus and interdisciplinary thinking, asking students to take standard- and higher-level courses in various subjects but also in broader genres, such as Theory of Knowledge, service, and creativity. Writing and analysis are major components of the program, and students will practice often, ultimately writing the extended essay (a 4,000-word research paper) as a culminating project for the full Diploma Program.

As one parent of an IB student recently shared, the IB program “teaches the skills that are necessary in today’s world and memorization is the least of these. It’s the difference between being a passive receptor of knowledge and actually becoming the driving force behind your learning process. I see IB as both content and individual exploration of a topic because students have an “IA”, independent assessment, in each of their IB subjects. The 4,000 word thesis is one project but certainly not the only individual project you are doing.”

How are AP and IB Programs Similar?

Both the AP and IB programs can result in either college credits or placing out of certain prerequisite courses at many colleges in the US, depending on a student’s exam level, exam score, and college policy. However, college credit or course selection and placement aren’t the primary reasons to involve yourself in these extensive and intensive academic programs. The most compelling reason to participate in an AP course or the IB program would be that you are excited about learning and want to dive deep into a given topic, or challenge yourself to sharpen the very skills you use to learn any subject. From a learning perspective, the exams at the end of the year are the smallest part of the AP and IB experience; the substance is in everything you will learn and encounter along the way. Moreover, AP and IB courses often contribute to a weighted GPA, which is a way of demonstrating that a student has more rigorously challenged themselves at the high school level.

How are AP and IB Programs Different?

In the same vein as AP, students may earn college credit or place out of certain prerequisite courses via qualifying IB exam scores. Unlike AP, to earn the IB diploma, students must be enrolled in an accredited IB school. Another difference between AP and IB programs is that you may not take an IB end-of-year exam without having been enrolled in the course. It’s possible to take an AP exam without having taken the course, though doing so will probably require extra effort and investment on the student’s own time, whether through practice booklets or working with a private tutor. We see the reverse happen, as well: students can take an AP course throughout the year and decide not to sit for the exam (provided they are at a school that doesn’t require students enrolled in AP classes to take the tests).

The way AP and IB programs function at different schools can vary widely. A growing number of private schools are actually phasing out AP classes, due to the feeling on the part of some teachers that the highly structured (in most subjects) curriculum doesn’t allow for sufficient pedagogical freedom. Some of these schools continue to offer the option for students to take the exams in May and often make the argument that their Honors or Advanced courses can be leveraged for the AP exam. Others may ask that interested students find another nearby school to host them for the exam, though actually making this arrangement has proven extremely challenging (if not impossible) in our experience. Again, as with many factors on the path to college, the details are very school-dependent. Moreover, the AP exams are only offered in May or June, thus scores from grades 10 or 11 may be factored into a college application process, but scores from grade 12 don’t generally affect the application package since scores come back in the summer, well after seniors have already been accepted and decided where they’re going to school. This timing is also true for the IB Diploma Program as results are not available until the summer after senior year has concluded.

It’s important to note that certain universities in the UK require AP exams for their American applicants. This is, of course, a major difference from American colleges, where, as we’ve mentioned, AP scores are not required. Even among the UK schools, AP scores are not universally needed—St Andrews in Scotland, for example, is an exception (it’s also on the Common Application, thus US students can apply without engaging in the UCAS process). So, ultimately, we return to the idea of the value of the courses themselves.

AP and IB Programs Both Offer Challenging Learning Experiences

Both AP and IB programs can offer an exciting depth of knowledge, challenge, and discovery to the student who is willing to spend their time and effort in that learning journey. Both are challenging and richly rewarding. The genuine goal of either program is not to receive college credit, but to take advantage of a truly substantive academic opportunity, and to reap the intellectual benefits. The material, the expansion of critical thinking, and the engagement with peers who are equally invested can afford you a meaningful and memorable year in class, and often the desire to explore further. If your school doesn’t offer AP or IB programs, then focus on selecting the most rigorous courses available to you and don’t fret! Competitive and ambitious students seek out appropriately challenging courses within the framework of whatever their schools make available, and optimizing your high school experience is what’s most important as you navigate your learning journey.

By Jordi Rozenman, M.A., College Counselor and Private Tutor, Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed., Board Certified Educational Planner, and Faya Hoffman, M.A., Board Certified Educational Planner

What Are A Levels?

May 2, 2023 Brad Hoffman Leave a Comment

In the UK’s unique education system, all students are required to sit formal examinations called GCSEs at around the ages of 15 to 16, after which they are allowed to leave school with no further education requirements. For those who wish to continue their high school education, however, the next step is to study A Levels (Advanced Levels) during the two years between the ages of 16 and 18.

A Levels are designed as a two-year course culminating in exams and a qualification that is superior to a GCSE qualification, but less advanced than a university degree. Indeed, A Levels are an important stepping stone to gain admittance to university in the first place, with universities offering prospective candidates conditional places, dependent upon their achieving certain grades on the final A Level tests. For example, the university may require “three As”, or “two Bs and a C” and it is up to the student to attain these results in their final exams.

Grading

A Levels are graded by letters, ranging from A* (for scores above 90%) through A (for scores above 80%) then B (for scores above 70%) and so on down to E for scores above 40%. Anything under 40% will earn a U, meaning that it was unclassified.

Assessment

Examinations for A Levels happen at the end of the second year of study in one flurry of examinations taking place across several days during the early summer. Certain subjects, such as Art & Design or the main trio of sciences (Biology, Physics and Chemistry) include a significant coursework element that will be completed before these final exams; nonetheless this coursework component will only be worth up to 20% of the overall grade, making it a significant, but not primary part of the assessment.

Uniqueness

The most remarkable feature of A Level courses, which makes them so unique globally, and so notably different from the American system or the European Baccalaureate, is that there are no mandatory subjects. At the age of 16, students are able to choose the subjects that they wish to study and drop all other subjects. Students may pick a maximum of five subjects to study, but most students study three subjects, which is what most universities expect. It may seem tempting to attempt to study more than three subjects, since this would make a student stand out to top universities; but each course of study is very demanding, and there is a very real possibility of struggling under the workload if one takes on too many courses, potentially causing grades to suffer and having the opposite effect of that intended.

The lack of mandatory subjects may be a good or bad thing for the student’s academic growth. For example, a student who loathes math may well thrive once they are no longer obliged to spend time struggling with a hated subject; at the same time, this subject will get no further support and existing math skills may atrophy during the two years that they study their chosen courses. If they wish subsequently to study at an American university, for example, they may find the compulsory math requirements in the American system to be particularly onerous.

However, the unique feature of A Levels that allows for the student to pick courses that they actually want to study encourages students to choose areas of personal interest that will motivate them to pursue their academic career. Studying only three subjects may result in a narrower academic field, but the courses explore those areas more deeply, beginning at an early age a process of specialization that continues into university and the world of employment beyond. By comparison, most American students follow a broader but therefore less in-depth curriculum throughout high school and into their first years of college, only beginning to specialize at the point that they pick their major.

Choosing A Levels

One issue with choosing A Levels at the age of 16 is that many students don’t know at this point in their lives what they wish to study in the future or what vocation they might want to pursue, and therefore do not feel clear about which subjects to pick, and perhaps more importantly which ones they can safely drop. For example, dropping Chemistry at this point would effectively rule out the possibility of a career in medicine.

With over 80 subjects to choose from, trying to make the ‘correct’ choice of which subjects to study can be overwhelming. It is therefore helpful to consider the end-goal, since most students study A Levels with the intention of moving on to university. Universities are typically looking for students with sufficiently strong grades in three subjects, and they will be looking for subjects that pertain to the college course itself. Thus, for example, a student who wants to study for a medical degree will have to have a chemistry A Level and then another two STEM subjects, such as Biology and Math. On the other hand, someone wishing to pursue Politics at university could happily choose more diverse subjects, but will definitely need to have studied at least one essay-based humanities A Level, such as English literature or History, since the college course will have a heavy essay component.

Therefore, it is sensible to contact universities that you might wish to attend to see how many A Level subjects they expect and also what grades are typically required. Alternatively, you might consult UCAS’s guide to choosing a course. The Russell Group, which represents 24 of the leading UK universities, also offers a website to help students make informed choices. However, if you are not yet sure what you wish to study at university – which is typical for 16 year olds – the top ten subjects that keep your options open are: Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, History, Geography, English Literature, and Languages (either modern or classical). These are all ‘safe’ choices. Ultimately, however, the great gift of A Level is the ability to study whatever is of interest to the student, and it is almost always better to choose subjects that the student will enjoy studying and will be motivated to work on, rather than subjects that they ‘ought’ to do.

International A Levels

As well as the regular UK-based A Levels, there is also a variation called the International A Level (IAL). The IAL has fewer course options (about 55 rather than 85), but there is not a significant difference between the content to be studied. The big difference is in how the tests are taken. The regular A Level is assessed at one set of tests at the end of the second year of study. International A Levels are more flexible: you have the option to sit them in the same way as the regular A Level in one go at the end of the second year; or you can sit half of them at the end of the first year, and the other half at the end of the second year. Also, there is more than one opportunity to sit these tests during the same year, meaning that it’s also easier to resit the IAL if need be. This modular approach to test-taking may suit some candidates who do not like to have all the pressure of the exams happen in one fell swoop; but for many candidates it is preferable to spend the full two years studying and developing their knowledge and skills before having to put them to the test. Indeed, by taking half the exam after only one year of studying, there is much less time to prepare and master the material, which potentially makes the process harder rather than easier.

Flexibility and Depth

Ultimately, the appeal of A Levels lies in the authority it places on the learner themselves: the student gets to choose for themselves what to study and what matters to them; at the same time they are empowered to stop studying subjects that they do not enjoy and don’t care to pursue. This personal investment and choice will – ideally – lead to a more focused and specialized student who takes genuine interest in their studies and develops a depth of appreciation in three areas that simply wouldn’t be possible if they were having to study more subjects.

For support with college planning in the US, UK, EU, or Canada, please contact our office.

By Nick Thomas, Private Tutor, Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed., Board Certified Educational Planner, and Faya Hoffman, M.A., Board Certified Educational Planner