ACT vs. SAT

A generation ago, taking a standardized test was a no-brainer: it was mainly a matter of geography. In the Midwest, students took the ACT. If you lived on the coasts — or were applying to a highly selective college or university there — you took the SAT. Now, with some Ivy League schools rejecting nine of 10 qualified candidates, applicants are looking for any edge to improve their chances. Many, particularly those in traditional SAT territory, are taking both tests and submitting the higher score or both scores. In the last five years, the number of ACT takers on the East Coast has risen 66 percent, and on the West Coast 46 percent, according to ACT Inc.

5 Myths About Education Reform

To borrow from the old quip on giving up smoking: Fixing public schools is easy -- we've done it hundreds of times. Even with the billions of dollars in economic stimulus aid, public schools stand no chance of getting better until we dispel some empty theories about how to help them.

Are SAT scores "worse than meaningless"? - Testing - state ranking - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Ranking states according to their SAT averages is "worse than meaningless," warn Greg Marchant and Sharon Paulson, education experts at Ball State University, Muncie, Ind. "The state SAT rankings are worthless in determining the quality of the schools in a state, and the potential for basing perceptions and policies on the rankings is even worse," argues Marchant.

For Parents

• Being Great:Winning the battles within by Eyal Yurconi
• Empowering Underachieversnew strategies to guide kids to personal excellence by Peter A. Spevak and Maryann Karinch
• Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades by Dr. Sylvia Rimm
• The Motivation Breakthrough: 6 Secrets to Turning On the Tuned-Out Child

For Tutors

• The Tutoring RevolutionApplying Research for Best Practices, Policy Implications, and Student Achievement by Edward E. Gordon
• 500 Tips for Tutorsby Sally Brown and Phil Race
• The Practical Tutorby Emily Meyer and Louise Z. Smith