Articles tagged with Elementary School

What Every Parent Should Know About the Common Core Assessments

What Every Parent Should Know About the Common Core Assessments

Our approach to education has changed a great deal in recent years. For instance, students of all ages must complete a growing number of tests in order to ensure that they are learning and retaining information. This reality can feel a bit overwhelming, especially when you take into account the jargon and regulations that surround each exam. Perhaps you have heard of the Common Core State Standards Initiative and its related assessments. With 43 states participating in this initiative, many families may be wondering how its annual exams will affect their students. This guide aims to help. Here is what every parent should know about the Common ... Read More About What Every Parent Should Know About the Common Core Assessments

5 Questions to Ask Your Student's New Teacher

5 Questions to Ask Your Student's New Teacher

A new school year often involves changes for your student—a different classroom and teacher, for example, as well as unfamiliar peers. Understanding his or her new teacher’s practices is the first step in supporting your child’s back-to-school transition. If your child is attending a new school here are some ways to help your child transition. Here are 5 questions to ask your student’s new teacher this fall:  1. How much homework do you assign? Although the amount of homework will naturally vary throughout the year, asking your student’s new teacher about the typical content and length of homework will help ... Read More About 5 Questions to Ask Your Student's New Teacher

What is the ACT Aspire?

What is the ACT Aspire?

In April of 2014, the ACT released its first ACT Aspire exam. In June, it discontinued its ACT Explore and Plan assessments. As with the ACT Explore and the ACT Plan, the Aspire aims to prepare high school students to succeed on the ACT and to gain entrance to the college of their dreams - but what is the ACT Aspire? For students who will first take the full ACT Aspire battery during the 2014-2015 school year, it will be different from the Explore and Plan in several key ways. How? Read below for four changes to note:    1. The ACT Aspire will utilize a computer format Just as the 2015 revision of the ACT will o ... Read More About What is the ACT Aspire?

What to Know About Making the Right Impression On Private Schools

What to Know About Making the Right Impression On Private Schools

The following piece was written by Liz Perelstein. Liz has been featured in our Admissions Expert series and is the Founder of School Choice International. For many families, myths surrounding private school admissions make the application process daunting, at the very least. Often, these focus on “how to get in," but secondhand tips may contradict what admissions officers really look for in a candidate. Myth: You need to “know someone,” a high-level contact or someone currently attending the school, in order to “get in.”  Reality: In some schools in certain locations, high-level connec ... Read More About What to Know About Making the Right Impression On Private Schools

How is the ISEE Scored?

How is the ISEE Scored?

The Independent School Entrance Exam consists of an overall raw score and a scaled score between 760 and 940 for each of four sections – Verbal Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Quantitative Reasoning, and Mathematics Achievement. There is also a single, unmarked “response to a prompt” essay. Each score report includes a national percentile rank for mathematics and reading. ISEE results reflect correct answers only; there is no penalty for incorrect responses. Score reports also list a stanine, or standard nine score, that segments all possible results into nine groups. Scores in stanine five or above are considered academica ... Read More About How is the ISEE Scored?