Monthly Archives: June 2014

What Parents Need to Know About the New High School Equivalency Tests

The American Council on Education, the creators of the GED test, recently announced an update to the test to better reflect modern needs, including alignment to the Common Core and career readiness standards.

However, when it came out that the new test would only be offered online and that the cost was almost double ($120) the previous version, states started shopping around for alternatives. Two competitors, the TASC and the HiSET, have entered the market. States are free to choose one of them, the new GED, or a mixture of all three for their high school equivalency needs. Check with your state’s Department of Education website to see which they have opted for, or where they stand in the decision making process.

What Parents Need to Know About the New High School Equivalency TestsGED® Test

The new GED tests four subject areas: language arts reasoning, math reasoning, science, and social studies. Because all testing is online, scores are available within three hours of completion. Items have also been updated to reflect technology capabilities, asking testers to drag-and-drop and digitally organize information. There will still be two extended responses, one in language arts and one in social studies. Testing is completed at state-approved testing centers.

HiSet

The High School Equivalency Test, HiSET, also tests the five subject areas of the former GED and the TASC. It is also available online and via paper, but testing locations are left to the states to decide. The HiSET is already fully aligned to the Common Core and will further modify itself once instructional programs can align themselves both to the Common Core and the HiSET itself. The HiSET also costs $50, with two retakes.

TASC

The Test Assessing Secondary Completion, or TASC, is available both online and on paper. This makes it possible for the test to be administered anywhere, depending on their state’s rules. The TASC tests the same subject areas as the old GED, meaning testers can combine scores from previously taken GEDs and the TASC. Although not currently aligned, the TASC will be phasing in Common Core content over the next three years. Score reporting is instant if the online option is used or available in 10 days if the paper test was taken. The cost of $52 includes two retests.

One thing is certain: preparation materials are almost certainly out-of-date. In fact, most publishers have not had the opportunity to release new workbooks and other resources for the new tests. The best bet to prepare a student for your state’s chosen high school equivalency test might be to enroll in a comprehensive tutoring and preparation program that can take the changes into account.

How to Plan the Summer

The words “plan” and “summer” don’t seem like they go together. It’s every family’s biggest chunk of free time so it doesn’t seem like a plan is necessary or wanted. And maybe that’s the case. If so, consider yourselves one of the lucky ones.

For most of us, the hectic schedules continue—perhaps even increasing in severity. After all, now you have to fit in camp and vacation(s) and sports and…

If that sounds like you, here are some hints on how to plan the summer.

How to Plan the SummerRamp up to school

If it’s possible, don’t schedule the major vacation or camp right before school starts. It’s too much of a shocking change to go from lounging by the pool or fishing at a national park to being confined in a classroom for eight hours.

Instead, schedule the big things in a way that gives some lead-time for the start of school, even if it’s just a week. That gives you an opportunity to adjust the kids back to a reasonable sleep schedule and perhaps prime their brains for the school year with some of the ideas we had about keeping kids sharp over the summer.

Do something new

If summer follows a predictable routine every year, eventually it doesn’t seem special anymore. Everyone just goes through the motions. It might as well be October!

Make it a point of trying something new every summer, whether that’s a trip destination or simply a new hobby. Maybe it doesn’t work out. Maybe it becomes one of your new favorite summertime activities. Either way, summer will feel fresh again.

Give everyone ownership

Schedules are sometimes dominated by one person’s needs or a particular aspect of family life. Perhaps you are locked into always going to see Aunt Edna every summer because she can’t travel to see you. Perhaps a kid’s swimming camp throws off the rest of the summer schedule.

Some of those things are unavoidable. For the rest of the time, give everyone a chunk to do with what they choose. Let the kids choose a trip. Give dad time for a golf weekend (the family can still come and hang by the pool). With this, there is less feeling that the summer got away from everybody and less resentment that someone always gets priority.

The plan is just a guideline

Some of the best memories are those that didn’t go according to plan. Yes, you might have something scheduled at the end of a long drive, but when is the next time you’ll have an opportunity to see the world’s largest acorn?

The beauty of summer is that there’s usually plenty of time for everything. Yes, plane schedules and other things just can’t be moved without penalty, but other than that the sweetest words on any summer day are “what should we do today?”

The Books That Will Get Your Kids Reading This Summer

Summer is a big time for reading for pleasure. Hopefully your kids feel the same. The mantra of teachers everywhere is that it doesn’t really matter what a child is reading for fun as long as they’re reading. It helps during the school year and it certainly fights off the summer brain drain. Graphic novels, trashy romance, courtroom thrillers, or spy stories are all fair game. Just make sure to preview first, if not for content then for what teachers call “Lexile”, or the level of challenge in reading the book.

That being said, teenagers tend to stick to what they know, which is young adult fiction. There are now two divergent (see what I did there?) schools of YA. One is the vampire/dragon/dystopian kind of books that are frequently made into movies.

Then there are the young adult books that might as well be literary fiction for adults. The only reason they are considered YA is that the characters are teenagers. They deal with sex, violence, death, loss, betrayal, and all sorts of issues that you’ll see in any other adult book you can find on the shelves.

That being said, the subject matter is graphic and sometimes considered inappropriate by some parents and teachers. Of course, the best way to get a kid reading is to tell them how inappropriate it is. If you think your kid might be susceptible to that trap, here are three selections that will certainly fit the mold.

The Books That Will Get Your Kids Reading This Summer

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

You can’t escape the #1 movie in America and the book it’s based on, which is firmly entrenched on bestseller lists even though it’s two years old. The story is about two “cancer kids” who meet in a support group and fall in love. The kids, Hazel and Gus, are sarcastic, blunt, and occasionally vulgar. For your information, they also have sex once. If you can put all that aside, it’s really a remarkable book—for both kids and adults.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park are two social outcasts in the 80’s. Eleanor is from a broken home and poor. Park is Korean-American and exists just on the border of popular and not because of it. They bond over late 70’s and 80’s rock music while sitting together on the bus.

The language is quite pervasive and the themes dealing with Eleanor’s relationship to her abusive, alcoholic stepfather are mature, but moving. There is also a sex scene. But again, if you can get past those caveats, it’s a great book.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Although almost five years old, If I Stay is getting traction again because its movie is being released in August.

Cello prodigy Mia is in a serious car accident that puts her in a coma. During the coma, she has an out-of-body experience where she relives pieces of her life and can see her friends, family, and boyfriend visit her in the hospital. Eventually she has to decide whether to come back to the land of the living or fade away. Sex, profanity, and underage drinking all make moderate to heavy appearances and the car accident is described in graphic, violent detail.

Steps You Can Take in June to Prepare for August

The children in some districts have already sung “No more teachers, no more books…” while others are still a couple of weeks away. It’s entirely too early to start talking about the next school year, right?

Well, sort of.

Steps You Can Take in June to Prepare for AugustNo one wants to talk about curricula or reading scores right now. But summer brain drain is serious business. In the three short months of summer, it’s been proven that your child might lose half of what they learned in math class last year. Here are some ideas to keep that brain fresh while still capturing the essence of summer.

Keep them learning

Far too many kids park themselves in front of the TV or video game system from mid-June to late August, only leaving for food and sleep. Although summer is the time for resting, that is simply a bad practice.

Instead, try to stoke some curiosity while still allowing them freedom. Tell them they can explore any topic they wish (use your best judgment, of course) as long as they are learning something new. Show them how to watch TED talks or Coursera videos. Even if it’s something related to video games, like coding, it’s better than nothing and it keeps the cogs in the brain turning.

Let them plan a family activity

Part of brain drain is that kids actually aren’t used to the freedom of summer, so they shut down. If their topical explorations from the last idea go well enough, perhaps they will want to explore something related to their interest out in the real world. If that’s the case, let them refocus that freedom into something productive.

Depending on the age of your child, let them plan everything having to do with a trip including the budget, travel arrangements, and itineraries. The brain often wants a project when one is not available. Giving them control provides both a project and an outlet for their curiosity.

Get started on summer work now

In an effort to fight the summer brain drain, many teachers and schools assign summer projects and reading lists. Most are ignored until the very last minute, if completed at all.

Even if your school doesn’t assign much weight to summer work, it’s important to show your kids that responsibility doesn’t stop during the summer. Help them break up the work into super-manageable pieces (something like 15 minutes per day) rather than saving it for the week before school starts. Reward them for being diligent. Many parents don’t agree with summer work, but it carries with it an opportunity for some valuable life lessons.

Finally, bulk up on weak subjects

Summer is an opportunity for students to backtrack to bolster weaknesses they might have had during the year without falling behind on new content. Some topics, especially in math and science, have a habit of coming up again and again, year after year. If your student struggles in one of those topics, they will probably continue to struggle.

Believe it or not, tutoring centers are quite busy during the summer. If they need help, sell them on tutoring by pointing out that this is an opportunity to receive help without it cutting into the limited free time they have during the school year. It’s definitely worth consideration.