10 Predictions for 2022

Now that 2022 is here, what will learning, education and college planning look like next year? 

Look for these 10 things in 2022: 

1. Blended learning will be the norm: For the past semester or so, many thought remote learning was a thing of the past. However, omicron and other variants are forcing schools to reconsider remote options in the interest of health and safety. For the next year, schools from elementary through college will need to balance robust remote learning options with in-person instruction. 

2. Social/emotional learning will be a greater focus: The topic of mental health is crucial and more institutions are recognizing the need to support their students in both social and emotional development.

3. More programs will address learning loss: Data suggests that most students lost weeks if not months of learning during the COVID pandemic. Resources will be put in place to mitigate this learning loss. Look for after school programming, on campus tutors or other ways schools can help students recoup lost time.  

4. SAT and ACT Test-optional will be here to stay: Students and colleges benefitted from going test-optional. Students had more choices and colleges got more applicants. Win-win for everyone.  

5. SAT and ACT will be administered on school sites: This is already happening, particularly for the SAT. With so much unpredictability of testing locations due to COVID in 2021, the model for 2022 is to host the tests on school grounds and, usually, on school days. 

6. College affordability will be a bigger factor: This one may be wishful thinking but there are indications that families are making college choices less about the brand and more about the financial impact. 2022 will see more students explore more affordable options like community college or schools that offer greater merit aid. 

7. Teachers will embrace cell phones in the classroom: Old school teachers who forbid or prohibit cell phone use the classroom are fighting a losing battle. Teachers will need to help students understand cell phone etiquette but there are so many learning tools on the phone that can be used in the classroom that it will be high time for the old schoolers (like me!) to admit that cell phones can be useful. 

8. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will enter our classrooms: AI will become a greater part of our students learning. Software designed to diagnose learning challenges will become more commonplace in school settings. 

9. The next wave of gamification will arrive: While Kahoot! and Quizlet saw a very successful 2021, the next wave of augmented reality and virtual learning is coming. Imagine Spanish students virtually visiting a museum in Spain for a scavenger hunt! This is happening already and 2022 will bring more of it. 

10. CROSSWALK will continue to support all students: This last prediction is a fact. CROSSWALK is here to support your academic achievement, testing goals and path towards learning success. 

86 Holiday Gifts Just for You

No matter what you celebrate this holiday season, wouldn't you like a gift? 

Well, what about 86 of them? 

Time to open your gifts: here is a list of 86 colleges with test-blind, test-free or score-free admissions policies for Fall 2022 (or beyond). 

That's right. Over 80 schools won't consider SAT or ACT scores in their process of admission including all campuses of the UC system, California Institute of Technology, Dickinson College, and many other excellent schools. 

What great gifts. If any of these schools are your dream schools, then don't stress about SAT and ACT prep. 

Instead of spending the time, money and energy gearing up for standardized tests for these schools, spend that time, money and energy working on the things these schools value, namely GPA, academic rigor and extracurricular commitments. 

Happy Holidays from CROSSWALK! We wish you all a stress-free holiday season. 

Maximize Test Prep This Vacation (with Minimal Work)

Attention Juniors: I know you are stressed from the last several months of school. You are ready for a break. And the last thing you want to do is study over Christmas vacation. 

But if want to open up opportunities for college admissions and merit-based aid, you may want to spend a little time preparing for the SAT or ACT. Just a little. 

So while you get lost of rest and relaxation this vacation, try this simple eight-day plan that only takes about eight hours in total in order to maximize your test prep over Christmas break with minimal work: 

Day 1: Find your goal score. Look up 3-4 schools you are interested in and find out their testing policies and, assuming they are test-optional or require a test, what SAT or ACT score you need. Determining this score is the first step in understanding what you need to do. Estimated time: 15-20 minutes. 

Day 2: Take a practice test. Download a practice SAT or ACT directly from the respective websites and print it out. In one sitting, to take the entire test cover to cover per the exact instructions and timing. Estimated time: 3 hours. 

Day 3: Score the test. Using the instructions from the test websites, score your test. Calculate your scaled score according to the instructions and compare it to your goal score from the Day 1 activity. Figure out the incremental number of correct answers you need to achieve your goal score for your next test sitting. Estimated time: 1 hour. 

Day 4: Identify your weaknesses. Review the practice test and document each question you missed and why you missed it. Review your results and see if there are any themes. Try and uncover your weaknesses, like vocabulary-in-context questions in reading or word problems in math. Estimated time: 1 hour. 

Days 5-7: Attack weaknesses. Research how to get better at your weaknesses. Find a vocabulary list to study. Look up math content on Khan Academy. Practice reading passages. Get better at those things that are weakest. Estimated time: 30 minutes/day or 1.5 hours in total. 

Day 8: Register for the real test. Check your calendar and find the test day most convenient, as in the least stressful time, for your to take the test. Estimated time: 30 minutes. 

If you follow this eight-day plan, you will be armed with the data from a practice test, a goal score and an idea of things you can work on. Ultimately, this plan will maximize your test preparation over Christmas break with minimal work. 

It's not a complicated plan and if you do all of the steps, your total time investment would be roughly eight hours. Not bad, right? I know you can carve out just eight hours in a two-week vacation. It will be worth it. 

And if you want, sign up for CROSSWALK's Winter Test Prep series starting in February. If you execute this vacation plan AND take CROSSWALK's six-week course, you will be on your way to maximizing your test score to increase your chances for college admission and merit-based aid.     

So Many Thanks

During this week of Thanksgiving, there are so many thanks to share.

Thanks to the Salinas Unified School District for helping me host a six-week SAT and ACT prep course this past fall. 

Thanks to York School for making me a part of their inaugural York Summer Bridge program and their fall test prep program. 

Thanks to South County Cal-SOAP for inviting me to offer support to their strategic planning and student programming. 

Thanks to Stevenson School for allowing me to help their students navigate the testing landscape. 

Thanks to our many CROSSWALK families who entrust us to help guide and tutor their students. 

Thanks to Independent Counselors, like Marisela Gomez of Inspired and Jane Catanzaro of College Advising Services for the referrals and support. 

Thanks to the many hardworking college counselors in the Monterey Peninsula area for helping our high school juniors and seniors plan for beyond high school. 

Thanks to my family for putting up with my dynamic schedule as a tutor. 

And thanks to anyone who I failed to mention who helped me and CROSSWALK over the years.

Indeed, a time to give so many thanks. 

The Hardest Part of the SAT and ACT

On the SAT & ACT, what is the hardest section? 

Are historical passages or science-based passages more difficult? 

Are word problems or data interpretation problems more challenging? 

Truth be told: It depends. 

Determining the difficulty level of particular questions or sections on the SAT and the ACT all depends on the student. Some students find the Reading section the easiest while others think it is Math. Science passages, for some students, are easier than history passages. And some students hate word problems and would rather graph parabolas. 

However, none of these questions really get at what makes the SAT and ACT hard. 

You see, the hardest part of the SAT and the ACT is the length of the tests. Both tests are three-hour mental marathons that require tremendous focus, rapt attention and intellectual endurance. 

What makes these tests hard is that students need the mental stamina to critically think, problem solve and navigate the hours upon hours that is the testing experience. 

If you are gearing up for the SAT or ACT, make sure to work on your mental stamina. Take regular full-length practice tests so that you can practice sustaining your intellectual energy for the entire test. Work on building up your stamina and keeping focused for all three hours. 

It's not a content thing; it's a stamina thing. Those with the mental fortitude to sustain their intellectual focus for the whole time will be the ones who achieve their goal scores.

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.