10 Keys to SAT & ACT Success

For many years, I have presented my "10 Keys to SAT & ACT Success" to all of my test prep students. Whether I work one-on-one or in a group setting, I typically start my work by laying out these keys because they set the foundation for the mindset, the strategies and the approach needed to achieve maximum success on test day. 

Yet, after all this time helping students understand the keys to test prep success, these nuggets have only been accessible to those students who work with me personally. 

Why shouldn't all learners be able to understand these keys? And isn't now, in the midst of a pandemic, the best time to provide access to crucial resources? 

So without further ado, drum roll please, CROSSWALK is proud to announce the production of 10 separate YouTube videos all dedicated to my 10 Keys to SAT & ACT Success. 

Check out the first batch of videos here. 

Now, you might be asking, why do this work now when the future of the SAT and ACT is in doubt? 

Good question, but my take on this is twofold: 

1) While the short term future of these tests is in question, I feel that in the long term these tests will likely remain a part of both admissions, and more importantly, scholarship or financial aid. 

2) The keys communicated on these videos may be targeted to test prep, but in reality they are simply essential learning techniques for anyone embarking on learning a new skill. 

So subscribe to the CROSSWALK YouTube channel for unlimited access to the 10 Keys to SAT and ACT success that my students have enjoyed for almost two decades. 

And please share these videos, comment on them or otherwise let me know if they are helpful for your learning process. 

CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula's resource for academic tutoring, test prep and lifelong learning. Contact us today to take the next step towards your learning goals. 

What Did You Do During COVID-19?

Many college applications for 2020 include essay prompts addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. Students will be given the space to write about how this event has impacted their lives, like in this Common Application question here. 

While this question is optional on the Common Application, it's always a good idea to write something. Especially if applicants can share meaningful experiences to help colleges better understand who the applicant is and what they are all about. 

For example, an applicant might share what they did during the shelter-in-place order, like how they learned a new skill, took on a service project or did something else productive. 

So, you ask, what is CROSSWALK doing while sheltering-in-place? 

Plenty. 

Even amidst the question of future of the SAT and ACT, CROSSWALK is using this time to reset, recalibrate and redeploy resources to better serve its clients. 

First and foremost, CROSSWALK is deepening its partnership with InspirED. Brooke and Marisela have been hard at work adding to their podcast and hosting weekly College Planning meetings on Wednesday nights. 

Second, CROSSWALK is expanding its instructional offerings to meet the new needs of remote learning. For example, we are prepared to help set up and manage remote learning pods for local families. And we have also added a new remote course called "Personal Finance for Tweens and Teens." 

Third, CROSSWALK launched a new website. The new site is easier to navigate, has its own dedicated payment page and will keep you up to date on the latest learning news and study tips. 

Finally, CROSSWALK is leveraging its two decades of standardized test preparation to prepare for what may be the next big thing in standardized testing: SAT and ACT scores as a means to access financial aid and scholarships. With this focus, CROSSWALK will work with families seeking to achieve good test scores in order to qualify for scholarships and financial aid. 

Certainly, CROSSWALK is using the shelter-in-place to position itself for continued success post-pandemic. 

So what did you do during COVID-19?

For test prep and learning help, contact CROSSWALK today. 

How to Set Up a Remote Learning Pod

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, schools are preparing to offer more remote teaching in the fall. While some families hope for a return to normalcy and in-person instruction, many schools intend to deliver lessons via remote instruction or a hybrid model of both remote and in-person instruction.

The prospect of more online school is stressful for many families. Online instruction does not foster the same socialization as in-person schooling, especially for younger learners. Furthermore, moms and dads who work from home have a hard time simultaneously performing their jobs and attending to the learning needs of their children. 

One solution can be found in the form of Remote Learning Pods (RLPs). 

RLPs are groups of 2-6 students who would meet at someone's home or office. Together, students would log into their remote learning experience and, with the help of a tutor or a parent, navigate the online lessons for the day. 

In addition to offering greater socialization, RLPs can also be a way for parents to share the burden of instruction. Or, parents can hire a tutor to help guide the students through the day and share the cost across families. 

Setting up an RLP is quite simple:

1) Gather a Group: Form a small group of 2-6 students. Ideally, the students are in the same class but this is not totally necessary. 

2) Create a Safe Space: Convert a living room, garage, or outdoor area into a temporary classroom. The space must offer robust internet access if multiple people are accessing the network at the same time. More importantly, the space must be safe so social distancing is possible. 

3) Assign Roles or Hire a Tutor: Designate who will supervise the learning for each day. If parents are involved, they can rotate responsibilities  One mom can supervise one day, a dad on another day and so on. If parents cannot be involved, hire a tutor. The cost of one tutor shared across 2-3 families can be quite affordable. 

4) Follow a Daily Schedule: Follow the normal school day schedule and hold students to this schedule. Allow times for break so students can move, get outdoors, snack and hydrate. 

5) Establish Safe Routines: Even in smaller groups, students still need to socially distance, wear masks, wash hands and avoid sharing food/drinks. Practicing good hygiene will ensure students can learn safely. 

If you need help setting up a RLP for your learners, contact CROSSWALK. We can help you connect to a group, set up a space or otherwise help you prepare to best serve the learning needs of your child. 

Should you wish to hire a CROSSWALK tutor, know that we will only send a tutor to your home who has been screened, tested and issued a clean bill of health. And we will even provide FREE tutoring for the first day of your RLP so you can try it out and see if you and your children like it. 

RLPs: maybe the future of learning for many kids? 

For more details, contact CROSSWALK, the Monterey Peninsula's local resource for tutoring and test prep. 

What is the Future of the ACT and SAT?

Questions abound about the future of the SAT and ACT in the process of college admissions: 

• Will testing sites be open in the fall for seniors to take the tests? 
• Since so many schools, like the entire University of California system and all Ivy League schools, "temporarily" adjusted requirements to make the SAT and ACT "optional" for the next admission cycle, will this change be permanent? 
• If test scores are tied to financial aid and scholarship, how will aid and scholarships be determined in absence of the tests? 

Truthfully, there are more questions than answers. Uncertainty is the current state of affairs. 

Nevertheless, there may be some certainty about the future of testing.

First and foremost, the College Board (maker of the SAT among other things) and ACT, Inc (maker of the ACT among other things) are sure to fight for their lives. These are multi-million dollar companies whose financial future is tied to the relevance of these tests. Both companies will surely lobby, work and make a major effort to keep their business models in tact as long as they can. 

Secondly, with respect to aid and scholarships, there may be a place for these tests after all. Considering the vast discrepancy in GPAs across schools in the United States, testing may be the only standardized approach to differentiate students. 

Admission teams at universities have the resources to shift away from weighing test results heavily and instead approach admission decisions more holistically (weighing other elements like GPA, course load, essays, recommendations, etc. more). But can the same be said for financial aid offices and scholarship programs? Since aid and scholarship are so closely tied to tests, like the PSAT, chances are these tests may stick around for a while until another standardized, scholarship-identifying model is established. 

So in the near term, the changes may not be much. As long as schools are test-optional (and not test-blind) then test scores will continue to matter. 

In the long term, however, major changes may be likely. 

If you are focused on the near term and want to book a solid test score, either for admission reasons or scholarship ones, contact CROSSWALK today. Since 2003, CROSSWALK has been the Monterey Peninsula's local resource for test prep and academic tutoring. 

  

Take Advantage of Summer with Test Prep

Rumor has it that college applications for the class of 2021 will ask students, "How did you spend your shelter-in-place time?" 

Hopefully your answer is not, "I binged Netflix." 

Instead, take advantage of a summer to do some good work. Like CROSSWALK's Summer Test Prep Program. This program is perfectly timed for students gearing up for the SAT or ACT in the fall of 2020. 

Students will meet Monday nights online for twelve weeks and dive into all aspects of the SAT and the ACT. From strategy to score analysis, this course will provide direct instruction on how to maximize test scores in order to achieve greater college admission opportunities. 

By signing up for this program, students will receive:

• Twelve weekly online classes from 6-7:30pm
• Step-by-step strategies for each test section
• Two personalized full-length test score analyses 
• One private tutoring session with Instructor and Test Expert Brooke Higgins
• Access to class videos, handouts and practice tests
• Unlimited SAT or ACT essay grading 

To keep the instruction personalized and individualized, there will be a maximum number of students allowed. So reserve your spot today. 

And it doesn't matter if you miss a class. We can get you caught up. Even better, contact CROSSWALK to sign up for just the class you need. Here is a schedule of the class topics. 

Change is in the air for all testing formats as universities are adjusting admission requirements. This program will prepare students for these changes, help them understand why test scores still matter and guide them towards their goal score. 

Sign up right here or contact CROSSWALK with questions. This sign up form also includes pricing information. Please note that financial aid is available for those students who qualify. 

Take advantage of your summer by learning how to get the SAT or ACT score you need to get into the school of your choice. This program is your ticket to mastering the SAT & ACT so that you can get admitted to the college of your dreams.

Questions or need more information? Contact CROSSWALK today. Call 831-70-TUTOR, email mail@crosswalkeducation.com or find us on Instagram and Facebook. 

Since 2003, CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula's local resource for test prep and tutoring. 

ACT, SAT & COVID-19: Answers, Plans & Next Steps

How has the SAT and ACT landscape changed in response to COVID-19? What can you do to prepare for the changes? 

Here is a quick video I prepared based on questions I am receiving from CROSSWALK clients: 

After watching this, consider our Summer Test Prep Program starting June 8. This program is perfectly timed for students gearing up for the SAT or ACT in the fall of 2020. 

Students meet Monday nights online for twelve weeks and dive into all aspects of the SAT and the ACT. From strategy to score analysis, this course will provide direct instruction on how to maximize test scores in order to achieve greater college admission opportunities. 

By signing up for this program, students will receive:

• Twelve weekly online classes from 6-7:30pm
• Step-by-step strategies for each test section
• Two personalized full-length test score analyses 
• One private tutoring session with Instructor and Test Expert Brooke Higgins
• Access to class videos, handouts and practice tests
• Unlimited SAT or ACT essay grading 

To keep the instruction personalized and individualized, there will be a maximum number of students allowed. So reserve your spot today. 

Sign up right here or contact CROSSWALK with questions. This sign up form also includes pricing information. Please note that financial aid is available for those students who qualify. 

Take advantage of your summer by learning how to get the SAT or ACT score you need to get into the school of your choice. This program is your ticket to mastering the SAT & ACT so that you can get admitted to the college of your dreams.

Questions or need more information? Contact CROSSWALK today. Call 831-70-TUTOR, email mail@crosswalkeducation.com or find us on Instagram and Facebook. 

Since 2003, CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula's local resource for test prep and tutoring. 

Summer ACT & SAT Test Prep Program

CROSSWALK is proud to announce a new Summer Test Prep Program starting June 8. This program is perfectly timed for students gearing up for the SAT or ACT in the fall of 2020. 

Students will meet Monday nights online for twelve weeks and dive into all aspects of the SAT and the ACT. From strategy to score analysis, this course will provide direct instruction on how to maximize test scores in order to achieve greater college admission opportunities. 

By signing up for this program, students will receive:

• Twelve weekly online classes from 6-7:30pm
• Step-by-step strategies for each test section
• Two personalized full-length test score analyses 
• One private tutoring session with Instructor and Test Expert Brooke Higgins
• Access to class videos, handouts and practice tests
• Unlimited SAT or ACT essay grading 

To keep the instruction personalized and individualized, there will be a maximum number of students allowed. So reserve your spot today. 

Change is in the air for all testing formats as universities are adjusting admission requirements. This program will prepare students for these changes, help them understand why test scores still matter and guide them towards their goal score. 

Sign up right here or contact CROSSWALK with questions. This sign up form also includes pricing information. Please note that financial aid is available for those students who qualify. 

Take advantage of your summer by learning how to get the SAT or ACT score you need to get into the school of your choice. This program is your ticket to mastering the SAT & ACT so that you can get admitted to the college of your dreams.

Questions or need more information? Contact CROSSWALK today. Call 831-70-TUTOR, email mail@crosswalkeducation.com or find us on Instagram and Facebook. 

Since 2003, CROSSWALK is the Monterey Peninsula's local resource for test prep and tutoring.