What Makes an "Honors" Student?

Full credit to one of my mentors for this post. Though he has been retired now for several years, his perspective on what constitutes an honors student still resonates today. 

When assessing whether or not a student was qualified for an honors or AP course, he would drill down to three characteristics: willingness, aptitude and interest. 

Willingness is the desire or eagerness to do extra work. Most honors courses require students to go above and beyond the regular course content. Thus, an honors student must be willing to do extra. 

Aptitude is the ability or the natural inclination to excel academically. To be an honors student, one must have some natural ability already. This can come in the form of a variety of skills like critical thinking, reading, reasoning, logic, public speaking, etc. 

Interest is passion for or great curiosity in the subject matter. Honors students have a keen interest in the material and seek out opportunities to learn as much as they can. They are sponges who yearn for more. 

But here is the best part of these characteristics: an honors student need not have all three. Instead, according to my mentor, as long as the student had at least two of the three characteristics, then that student could very well excel at the honors level. 

Simple yet elegant: an honors student is one who is either willing and apt, apt and interested, or willing and interested. 

Students: if you have two of those three qualities, then consider yourself an honors student. 

And if you lack more than one of these characteristics, then maybe the honors level for a given subject is not for you? And that is okay. You need not be a high-achieving honors student across all academic disciplines. 

Unfortunately, so many families and students push the honors track because they see that as the path to college opportunities. Yes, academic rigor can help your prospects. But if you lack the aptitude, the willingness and the interest, why force it? 

Take a Practice SAT

On Saturday, the team at CROSSWALK will proctor a full-length practice SAT test as part of our six-week program for students of the Salinas Union High School District. 

Practice tests are hugely beneficial in test prep for obvious reasons. Namely, students get to experience the time management and mental endurance needed to take on a full-length SAT. 

After all, the SAT and ACT are not much more than mental marathons. And the course of these particular marathons are the exact same every time. Sure, the questions might vary, but the directions, content, sections, order, and timing are all the same. Every time. E-v-e-r-y t-i-m-e. 

So it can only help to practice a test marathon to see how you do. 

Following the practice test, the students in our program will score their performance and analyze their own results. The scoring and analysis is a crucial step in identifying strengths or weaknesses as well as understanding how many more correct answers a student needs to target in order to achieve a goal score. 

So if you are preparing for the SAT or ACT, be sure to incorporate at least one full-length practice test in your preparation. 

Shorter practice sets, like the ones on Khan Academy, are helpful. But there is nothing like a full-length practice test to assess your mental stamina. 

Download full length practice SATs right here. Or find a full length ACT to practice here. 

As always, if you need help, contact CROSSWALK.  

3 Compelling Reasons to Start a Study Group

"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." -Helen Keller 

When facing a challenge, would you rather go at it alone? Or with a team of like-minded individuals focused on a common goal? 

Individuals can accomplish great things but just about anything is easier with a team. 

Especially learning. 

With study groups, learning is enhanced. Consider these three compelling reasons why a study group is a great way to learn: 

1) Increased knowledge: Several brains are smarter than one. With a study group, students can leverage the knowledge and perspective of their team members. So instead of one brain doing all of the thinking, several brains can do it. 

2) Increased motivation: When working with a team, students can be more motivated to complete tasks. As the team focuses on its learning goals, individuals can be motivated to contribute to the team more than they would be just working on their own tasks. 

3) Increased accountability: Since the team relies on its individuals to move forward, team members are accountable to their group and not just to themselves. The added layer of accountability means students are more likely to accomplish their tasks since the team expects them to do so. Individuals can often procrastinate but when one is part of team, procrastination is selfish and therefore less likely. And if the study group keeps a calendar or regular meetings, members can easily focus on the tasks that need to be done. 

The curious thing with all of this is that many students are afraid to create their own study groups. Sometimes students are eager to work with a group but often I see students afraid to admit they need help from a group. Perhaps in our ultra-connected, social media-dominated and information-at-your-finger-tips world, students think they can solve all of their problems by themselves. 

Yet the fact is undeniable: a study group is a very effective way to learn more, accomplish more and achieve academic goals. 

Sure, there are drawbacks of study groups. Sometimes team members don't contribute. Sometimes it is hard to schedule meetings. And sometimes personalities take over the group. 

So assuming you can find a group of like-minded individuals focused on a common goal, why wouldn't you at least try and get a study group together? Gather a group to complete tasks, review material, take practice tests or otherwise focus on study goals. Treat it like a book club: invite people interested in the subject matter, schedule regular meetings and make the meetings enjoyable. 

If you need help creating a study group or otherwise finding ways to be more successful in your learning, contact CROSSWALK. We specialize in learning, tutoring and test prep for all types of learners. 

 

SAT/ACT Prep for Salinas Union High School District

CROSSWALK is honored to host a six-week SAT/ACT test prep program for all Salinas High School students in the Salinas Union High School District. 

This program will be conducted via Zoom for six consecutive Saturday mornings from 9am-12pm starting Saturday, September 25th. 

Here is an overview of the classes:

• 9/25: SAT/ACT Overview and Testing for College Admissions 
• 10/2: SAT/ACT Reading Strategies for Success
• 10/9: SAT/ACT Writing and Language Strategies for Success
• 10/16: SAT/ACT Math Strategies for Success
• 10/23: Practice SAT
• 10/30: Scoring the SAT, Study Tips and Next Steps 

In this program, students will learn key strategies, practice multiple test sections and determine how to achieve a goal score. What's more, students will understand how testing fits into the current COVID and test-optional landscape of college admissions so that they can create a plan to maximize their college admission goals. 

This program is paid for by SUHSD for high school students in the district. Students are not charged for this course. 

If you are a student in the SUHSD district, ask your principal or college counselor for the flyer and sign up information. Or contact CROSSWALK directly right here. 

Bad and Good of the SAT Experimental Section

My students from the recent August SAT reported that they received an experimental test section at the end of their SAT. While the experimental section is not a new phenomenon, I was mildly surprised to hear that all of my students--who tested across a variety of testing locations--received the extra section. 

For some context, the SAT pre-2016 always had one experimental section on the test. In the old days, there was no indication which section was the experimental so students had to put forth their best effort on every section. 

Post-2016, the College Board still included an experimental section in the SAT with two key differences: 1) it was reserved for only those students who opted to not do the essay and 2) the experimental section occurred at the end of the test so students knew which section it was. 

Today, this section continues to exist for the simple reason that the College Board wants to test out the difficulty level of their questions. Test takers are thus lab rats for the College Board to dissect the results. 

Going forward, it seems that the experimental section is here to stay for all students for three reasons: 

1. The essay is permanently eliminated so now all students can do an experimental section. 
2. With fewer test takers in the last 18 months due to COVID, the College Board needs more data.
3. Both the test-optional or test-blind movements are in full force, so the College Board is scrambling to find ways to make the SAT more relevant. 

With this, there is both bad news and the good news.  

First the bad: 

• Fatigue: This section comes at the end when most students are exhausted and ready to leave the testing room. 
• Content: There is no way to predict if the experimental section you receive is a reading, writing and language or math section. 
• Scoring, part I: Students might be led to believe that the results of this section could impact the overall score (see below for the good news on this one). 

And now the good: 

• Scoring, part II: Scores on this section truly do not impact your overall score. They just can't. They are experimental sections and different students get different ones so using scores on these sections for all students would de-standardize the whole thing. Meaning: do not stress about it.
• Test order: Unlike in the old days when students didn't know which section was experimental, today students will know that this section will be the extra fifth section after the four typical sections of reading, writing and language, math (no-calculator) and math (calculator). 
• Test reliability: Your performance on this section will help make the test more reliable in the future. That may not be good news in the present but in the long term you would help overall scores be a better measurement of test success.

So my advice to students is the same as it would be in other parts of the test: relax, problem solve, remove any stress and do your best. 

After all, you are not defined by a test score so why would you be defined by an experimental section? 

If want more advice on experimental sections, or the SAT and ACT in general, contact CROSSWALK today. 

5-Day SAT Prep Plan

Many students will be taking the SAT on Saturday, August 28th. 

That's in five days.

At the end of summer. 

Talk about getting back to school! 

If you are in this situation, and you want to perform your best on test day, consider this very brief and easy 5-day test prep plan:

1) Don't Stress: Followers of this blog and all my students know that, say it with me, "stress is the enemy of test performance." So first and foremost, don't stress! There are so many reasons to NOT stress and the main one is that most schools will remain test-optional for this upcoming year (and beyond). Since test scores are not as meaningful as GPAs, transcripts, essays, letters of recommendation and the other key components of the application, then don't stress! 

2) Practice a Section Each Night: Starting tonight (Monday), practice one section each night. Do the reading tonight, writing and language tomorrow night, math no-calculator Wednesday night and finally the math calculator section Thursday night. But don't worry about scoring your practice, unless you are curious. Just practice the section like you would on test day meaning against the clock. This is no time to try out new or crazy strategies (that usually don't work). Just get into the rhythm of the test, read the directions (so you don't have to on test day) and rehearse your performance. 

3) Take Care of Yourself: Since the goal is to wake up on Saturday as fresh and focused as possible so that your brain can work at its maximum power, you need to take care of yourself all this week. Eat well, get plenty of sleep, and do whatever you need to do to ensure that you wake up on Saturday rested, stress-free and mentally firing on all cylinders. Self-care goes a long way, especially when it comes to standardized tests. 

4) Chill on Friday Night: The night before the test is the night to simply chill. Relax, watch a movie, hang out with friends or family. Just don't any test prep. Remember: the SAT is a mental marathon. A marathon runner does not run a marathon the night before the race so you shouldn't either. Perhaps you could organize your testing materials the night before, like get your calculator ready, your pencils sharpened and your testing identification all set up. Otherwise, do nothing! Chill out and relax. 

Really, with only five days left the key is to familiarize yourself with the test and take care of yourself. That's it. That's the plan. 

You can't go back in time and do a bunch of practice tests so why start now? Just relax, review each section of a practice test and then see how Saturday goes. 

You might be surprised: a summer off from school might actually help you stay calm and relaxed on Saturday. 

How Musicians Become Good Test Takers

Make no mistake: successful test-taking is simply a skill. 

To learn a skill takes dedicated practice. 

And since musicians are well-versed in practice, they can become good SAT or ACT test takers. 

Most skilled musicians know how to push through difficult learning. They understand that learning comes in fits and starts. A new melody or a new 8-bar progression is not mastered in one sitting. On the contrary, mastery is achieved through repeated attempts.

Learning a new skill is also about embracing humility. Musicians understand that their successes are a direct result of their failures. Fail first, fail often and then succeed. 

Really anyone who has worked diligently to practice and perfect a new skill, like musicians, has the ingredients to be successful test takers.

So approach your test-taking goals with measured, consistent and ongoing practice. It need not be stressful. Just the routine of doing the regular practice: read, take practice tests, analyze performance, improve weaknesses, repeat and repeat.  

Like a musician, prepare for your performance (i.e. test day) with regular and ongoing work to build the skill of test-taking. Become a musician with your SAT or ACT preparation and you will deliver a fantastic performance. 

And if you need any fine-tuning, CROSSWALK is here to help.