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Vol. 23 No. 1
September 2008
Round-up of Summer News
Higher Ed Act Renewed
CONGRESS passed
the Higher Education Act this summer, five years after the old
act expired. Both branches of Congress voted on the bill, it
went through reconciliation of discrepancies between the House
and Senate versions, and in August was signed by President Bush.
Congress began working on the 1,158-page HEA five years ago and
had extended the old act 14 times. The HEA sets national higher
education policy for the next five years.
Some Highlights
Included in the HEA are dozens of new grant programs for
colleges and hundreds of new reporting requirements for colleges,
according to an analysis of the legislation by The Chronicle
of Higher Education. HEA also creates a national "watch
list" of the most expensive colleges; stops the Department
of Education from mandating how colleges measure student learning;
punishes states that fail to increase spending on higher education
by withholding federal College Access Challenge Grant funds;
requires a tougher crackdown by colleges on students who illegally
share music and video files; and makes it easier for for-profit
colleges to award federal financial aid.
Among other provisions, HEA expands eligibility for Academic
Competitiveness and Smart Grants for low-income, high-achieving
students who need to supplement their Pell Grants, and makes
them available to part-time students.
Critics Focus on Issues Missed
But some critics feel Congress ducked some tough issues such
as how to really control spiraling tuition and high levels of
student debt, particularly from private loans that carry higher
rates and less attractive repayment terms.
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings congratulated
Congress, but added that "while the legislation takes some
positive steps forward, it fails to create the necessary reforms
in accessibility and affordability, and it falls short on strengthening
accountability." Spellings also denounced the "more
than 60 new, costly, and duplicative programs."
NATIONAL TEST RESULTS
ACT Tests Flat. A record 1.42 million students took the ACT
this year, a 9 percent increase, including all high school graduates
in Colorado, Illinois and Michigan. That represents about 43
percent of all 2008 U.S. high school graduates. But the percent
of grads meeting "ACT College Readiness Benchmarks"
remained basically the same. Last year, ACT test takers posted
an average score of 21.2. This year the average was 21.1.
Only 43 percent of the ACT-tested 2008 high school graduates
met or surpassed the "ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks;"
53 percent did so in reading, just 28 percent did so in science,
while 68 percent met or exceeded the benchmarks in English. And
only 22 percent met or surpassed the benchmarks in all four subjects,
down 1 percent from last year. The benchmarks are meant to predict
that a student will be able to do "C" or better in
college classes.
The number of African Americans taking the test increased
by 17 percent this year, while the number of Hispanic students
taking the test rose by 23 percent. The Hispanic average score
was 18.7. The average for African American test scores was 16.9.
The ACT said results again proved that more students need
to take challenging college-prep classes. It found that 50 percent
of test-takers who took the core curriculum met the benchmark
in math. And the same proved true for other areas. For results
see: www.act.org.
SAT Scores "Stable." During the last week
of August, the College Board announced results for its national
tests. Here, too, a record number of students, 1.5 million, took
the test, "with a higher percentage of first-generation
students than last year and a high rate of minority student participation,"
said the College Board. This totaled an 8 percent increase from
five years ago and nearly 30 percent increase from 10 years ago.
Among the highlights: Females narrowed the performance gap
with males in critical reading, and outperformed males on the
writing section. Females "continue to form a majority of
test-takers among all ethnic groups," said the College Board,
by 13 points. And, according to the College Board, "The
SAT's writing section has proven to be the most predictive section
of the test for determining first-year college" success.
For more info and a list of scores by states see www.collegeboard.com.
OTHER RECENT RESEARCH
Better SAT? A study of the first cohort to take the "new"
SAT in 2005 and to finish its first year in college indicates
that the "improved" test yielded about the same predictive
results as the "old" SAT. The new third writing section,
however, was slightly better at predicting college grades. The
College Board, which administers the test, said the study proved
that the SAT remains an "excellent predictor" of success
in college. The test also is a slightly better predictor than
high school grade-point average of college grades.
But the new writing section has prompted various responses.
A study by The Chronicle of Higher Education found
that 32 percent of the schools that use the new SAT writing section
said it had "no influence" on whether they admitted
a student, while 17 percent said it had "great influence."
Critics point out that the entire test may be a good predictor
for white males, but it still under predicts the college performance
of women and minority students. And they point out the new test
is 45 minutes longer and about $15 more expensive than the old
test.
ACT Test Prep Too Late. It's a common student and parent
complaint; too much time devoted to test prep. Now a new study
from the U. of Chicago's Consortium on Chicago School Research
has reached a similar conclusion.
"Students are training for the ACT in a last-minute sprint
focused on test practice, when the ACT requires years of hard
work developing college-level skills," the lead author of
the report told The University of Chicago Chronicle. "Students
are very motivated to do well on the ACT, so they put a lot of
effort into test prep, thinking it will raise their scores,"
she said. But, "teachers need to channel this energy into
what really matters for the ACT, students doing high-quality
work in their courses."
In fact, the study, "From High School to the Future:
ACT Preparation-Too Much, Too Late," found that ACT scores
were actually a little lower in schools where 11th-grade teachers
spent at least 40 percent of their time on test prep, compared
to schools where teachers devoted less than 20 percent of the
class time on test prep.
New 8th Grade PSAT Exam. According to a report in The
Los Angeles Times in August, the College Board "plans
to introduce an eighth-grade college assessment exam in 2010."
The test would be voluntary, according to the report, "tailored"
to eighth-graders and reinforce the need for students to take
rigorous courses in high school. The LA Times noted that
critics worry it pushes the pressure of applying to college into
the middle grades.
NEW TEST AIDS
Speaking of testsBarron's released a bevy of new test
aids:
Flashcards: AP Calculus, David Bock; 300-plus
flashcards covering equations, formulas, functions, derivatives,
and more; definitions on reverse side of each card; ISBN-13 978-0-7641-9421-4;
$18.99.
- AP Chemistry, Neil D. Jespersen, 500 flashcards to
cover AP Chemistry test topics; explanations and chemical equations
on reverse side; ISBN-13 978-0-7641-6116-2; $18.99.
- AP Statistics, Martin Sternstein; 400 flashcards covering
exploratory analysis, planning a study, probability, statistical
inference; explanations on reverse side; ISBN-13 978-0-7641-9410-8;
$18.99.
Study Guides. AP Art History, Jon Nici; two full-length
model tests with answer keys, diagnostic charts, answer explanations
and model essay responses; 500 works of art described with side-by-side
images; ISBN-13 978-0-7641-9463-4; $29.99.
- AP Human Geography, 2nd edition, Meredith Marsh and
Peter S. Alagona; two full-length exams with answers explained;
a detailed eight-chapter subject review covering all AP Human
Geography topics; ISBN-13 978-0-7641-3817-1; $16.99.
- AP Italian Language and Culture, Samuel Ghelli; two
full-length practice exams with answer keys; grammar review and
a list of Italian idioms; focus on all five parts of the AP exam:
listening, reading, writing, culture and speaking; ISBN-13 978-0-7641-9368-2;
$26.99.
- AP Spanish, 6th edition, Alice G. Springer; two full-length
practice exams on CD-ROM and two more in the manual; automatic
scoring on CD-ROM exams; listening comprehension and added review
on audio CDs; ISBN-13 978-0-7641-9405-4; $34.99.
- AP U.S. Government and Politics, 5th edition, Curt
Lader; two full-length practice exams with answers fully explained;
a general overview of the test; study advice and test-taking
tips; ISBN-13 978-0-7641-9404-7; $29.99.
To order see www.barronseduc.com.
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Scholarship Scoops
Help for Hearing Impaired. Rochester Institute
of Technology in New York has announced the Warren R. Goldmann
Endowed Scholarship to help students with hearing loss to succeed
in college. To be eligible, a student must be a deaf or hard-of-hearing
National Technical Institute for the Deaf student who has financial
need, is majoring in an undergraduate science, technology or
mathematics program at RIT and is expected to earn at least a
2.9 grade-point-average.
AXA Achievers. For the seventh year, U.S. News &
World Report and AXA Foundation will award scholarships to
students throughout the nation. Fifty-two students, one from
each state plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, will
be selected to receive one-time scholarship awards of $10,000
each; 10 students will be selected as national winners from the
pool of 52, earning an additional scholarship of $15,000 and
the offer of an AXA internship. Qualified candidates will have
demonstrated drive and determination to succeed, the ability
to thrive in a college environment, and respect for self, family
and community. Applications are available at http://www.axa-achievement.com/.
Deadline: December 15.
Cash for College. A $2 million college scholarship
for students at two Chicago high schools has been launched with
a partnership between JPMorgan Chase and the Chicago Public Schools.
Students can earn up to $2,500 a year based on attendance, grade-point
average and test scores. The two target schools have suffered
from declining attendance, test scores and graduation rates.
Second Annual Teen Scholarship. The Alzheimer Foundation
said it was "inundated" with scholarship applications
last year from college-bound students who had the Alzheimer disease
in their families or communities. So it is offering another $5,000
scholarship this year. Students write a 1,200-word essay about
the impact of the disease on their own lives. Deadline:
February 15, 2009. See www.afateens.org.
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Enrollment Trends
Yale expands. Yale C., which currently admits less
than 10 percent of its applicants, has decided to expand its
enrollment by 15 percent by establishing two new residential
colleges, which will open in 2013. This will be the first significant
expansion since Yale began admitting women in 1969, when applications
soared from 6,781 to 10,039. This year, Yale attracted 22,500
applications. That means, Yale President Richard C. Levin said
in a letter made public in June, that in recent years, Yale has
"denied admission to hundreds of applicants who would have
been admitted 10 years ago." Yale will add faculty and facilities
to support the two residential colleges.
Community College Growth. Two-year college enrollment
is growing faster than that for four-year schools in 35 states,
according to a new report from the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute
for Government. The study ranks states in five areas of community
college involvement. Iowa, Mississippi, New Mexico and North
Carolina led the way in all five areas. Arizona, Illinois, Kansas,
Maryland, Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming led the way on four of
five measurements. See the entire report, "States and Their
Community Colleges" at www.rockinst.org.
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THE COUNSELOR'S
CORNER
 Counseling in the New Millenium
AS THE LAST CENTURY
YIELDED to the new, my son joked that I would need new
strategies to address "College Counseling for the New Millennium."
He has proven right. Changing times and record numbers of applications
have called for different strategies to help families navigate
the college application journey.
1. We Now Plan for High School. A new phase of college
counseling has developed. It is no longer just enough for students
to do well in high school. Students must now select rigorous
courses, Advanced Placement, Honors or advanced courses. To be
competitive today, students must do well and challenge
themselves.
2. Interests Need Cultivating. While doing well academically,
students increasingly need to not only choose an interest, but
cultivate it. Colleges seek students who have defined their interests
and then brought them to high levels of accomplishment. Thus,
students need to take an interest of theirs outside of school
and bring it into their school community. Last year, for example,
a young man did an internship in a third world country studying
the economy with a branch of government. He then addressed the
school about his experience and wrote a paper which won a school
award. This endeavor was impressive because his first interest
in this country had been generated inside the classroom. His
internship also linked to his interest in politics outside of
class. His personal experience turned into a shared educational
experience. One can cynically view this kind of "cultivation"
as resume padding, and, of course, not every student needs to
go abroad to demonstrate a genuine interest in a subject. But
an outside experience expands a student's understanding of a
world larger than self or school.
3. The New Focus on "Student Fit". A third
aspect of New Millennium counseling is that students are expected
to have "focus." Many students balk at having to note
a tentative major on their application or to write a paragraph
about how a particular college program can help them develop
their interests. The colleges, however, are struggling to comprehend
how students might use their resources. So students should respond
to this question with specific points related to a college's
offerings. And students now need to demonstrate an interest in
certain academic fields. For example, if interested in government,
be a part of student council. If interested in communications,
join the debate team or radio station.
4. Making Hay While the Sun Shines. Students in the
New Millennium should use the summers after grades 10 and 11
resourcefully. This does not mean expensive jaunts to foreign
lands to do community service. There are plenty of local alternatives,
such as Habitat for Humanity, community centers or homes for
the elderly. Internships and employment also demonstrate that
an interest has been put to a test.
5. Earlier Test Prep. Standardized testing has become
a first-level screen at most selective colleges. GPA, rigor of
courses and SAT I or ACT scores frequently determine whether
or not an application is taken further. This has, in turn, led
to earlier test preparation prior to the PSAT in the fall of
junior year. And more attention has been given to both extended
time and un-timed testing for students with learning differences.
Families have learned to obtain and send educational evaluations
to the College Board or ACT in order to get permission for extended
time. There is much controversy over the fairness of these compensations,
but this is now part of the process.
6. The Marketing of Counseling. I believe in the efficacy
of and need for private college counseling. However, a heavily
commercialized industry has mushroomed, spawning "packaging"
marketers who profess to "spin" an applicant into the
Ivy League. There are also services that ghost write student
college essays, both in one-on-one and Internet tutorial sessions.
All this marketing is tough for families to sort through.
7. Earlier Apps. We have seen that applying Early Decision
at many colleges increases a student's chances of being admitted.
Often this is well and good. However, many students now feel
an inordinate pressure to apply ED somewhere when they really
haven't done due diligence. This, in turn, accelerates the need
for earlier college visits.
8. Personal Interviews? Going, Going.... At the same
time, the personal interview is being phased out as many colleges
simply do not have sufficient staff to accommodate the pressing
requests. This then takes away the personalized effect that used
to complement the statistical information on an application.
The result: Increasing anonymity in the application process that
puts even more importance on grades and test scores.
9. Confusing Deadlines. There is less consistency in
the mechanics of the college applications. Families now have
to sort through various deadlines and rules for admission. Some
colleges forbid concurrent Early Action applications if applying
to their school's Early Decision; others do not. And college
web sites can be confusing. Also, colleges subscribing to the
Common Application may require their own supplemental essays.
This all just increases a family's stress.
10. The Increased Focus on the Personal Essay. The
importance of the personal essay has increased, particularly
at private colleges. In reality, most essays probably neither
improve a student's chances for admission nor hurt it. But a
poor essay can definitely have a negative effect. Yet students
are often stymied by the requirements of the personal essay.
They don't feel they have had an experience that qualifies for
the topic. They wrongly believe that they need to have invented
a cure for a rare allergy or had their poem in The New Yorker.
In fact, the best essays are about the most basic of human encounters
with another person or culture.
(A touch of appropriate humor doesn't hurt, either.)
11. More Team Member than Counselor. Today's students
lead full lives. If they set goals early on (or if their parents
do it for them), to attend a highly selective college, they carry
a heavy course load with hours of homework. Many have subject
tutors to bolster their work in a particular area. This is coupled
with test prep, community service, music lessons, art instruction
outside of school, sports, and time with consultants, doctors,
and evaluators that cut deeply into time to hang out with friends,
see films or just play. One gets accustomed to being part of
a "team" constructed to brace their investments of
time and advance their chances for success. Thus, today's college
counselor has to strike a balance between being helpful and not
contributing to the demands of a student's schedule.
12. The Reward is the Same. In the end, I tell students
that things usually work out for the best in this application
process, although along the way the panic and self-doubt can
be paralyzing. Students who are appropriate applicants continue
to get into the colleges of their choice. And the reward of a
thoughtful application appropriately targeted to the right college
that yields an admission remains one reason, whatever the century,
we are all in this field in the first place.
Frank Leana has been in
independent practitice since 1985 in New York City and Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
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CURRICULUM CAPSULES
A "Sustainable" Degree. Arizona State
U. has created a "brand new" BA in its business program
with specialization options in sustainability, urban policy,
tourism managements or communication. ASU's School of Sustainability-which
it says is the only school of its kind-will provide many of the
classes required for the new degree.
Three
New Degrees in NY. Brooklyn C. in New York is offering three
new degrees: A BS degree program in exercise science, a bachelor's
degree in multimedia computing and a bachelor's degree in information
systems.
New
Arts. Southern Utah U. has added two new arts degrees. Starting
this fall, SUU students can earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
in Theatre and Bachelor of Music (BM). According to the dean
of the College of Performing and Visual Arts, "these new
degrees will allow two-thirds of a student's classes to be discipline-specific."
SUU's Theatre program has a partnership with the Tony-winning
Utah Shakespearean Festival.
From
Geoscience to Gerontology. Reflecting the changing demographics
and need for more science degrees, Utica C. in New York has introduced
seven new programs this fall-majors in construction management;
risk management and insurance; geoscience; gerontology; and biochemistry;
a master's in health care administration and a certificate in
gerontology.
Two-Year
Law Degrees. Northwestern U. in Illinois has joined Southwestern
Law School in California and Dayton School of Law in Ohio to
become the first schools in the nation to offer an accelerated,
two-year law degrees. Southwestern started its program in 1974.
Dayton just graduated its first two-year class this year. Northwestern
will make the transition in the fall of 2009. NU will still offer
a three-year track as well. Two-year students will have had to
work for two years before entering the program.
It's
a Gas. Students at Western Wyoming Community C. can now work
on a new $2.3 million state-of-the-art oil and gas production
technology facility. "The oil and gas production technology
program provides an exciting opportunity for young people to
enhance their education and secure high-paying energy jobs in
Wyoming," a WWCC official told The Community College
Times.
Respiratory
Therapy. Towson U. and the Community C. of Baltimore County
are collaborating to offer students an opportunity to earn dual
degrees; a Bachelor of Technical and Professional Studies in
allied health with a respiratory therapy track and an Associate
of Applied Science in respiratory care therapy.
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NEWS YOU CAN USE
Ivy Pay Off. Students who attend an Ivy League
college earn 34 percent more than their liberal arts peers, according
to a survey of 1.2 million students with a minimum of 10 years
of work experience conducted by PayScale, an online provider
of compensation data. The study also showed that a student's
academic major has little influence on earning power.
"Ivy Leaguers probably position themselves better for
job opportunities that provide them with significant upside,"
David Wise, a management consultant told a recent Wall Street
Journal. More Ivy League graduates also go into finance roles
than grads of other schools, said the director of the Center
for Human Resources at the Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania.
Graduates of Dartmouth College earn the highest medium salary,
$134,000. At the bottom of the Ivy League earning ladder is Columbia
U., whose graduates earn $107,000. Graduates of Bucknell U. earn
the most among liberal arts college graduates, more than $110,000.
Going
Green. This fall, the U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
opened a $60 million College of Business facility with solar
panels, a green roof, natural ventilation, and other features
to save on energy costs. Worcester Polytechnic Institute opened
a "green" residence hall featuring a green roof.
It's developments such as these that have led new publications
this month to award distinction to colleges for their "green
efforts."
- Sierra, the magazine of the Sierra Club, has a feature
on "Cool Schools" in its September/October issue. The
article includes "10 That Get It," a list of colleges
that includes: U. of Colorado at Boulder, Warren Wilson C., U.
of Florida at Gainesville, Oberlin and Tufts, among others. For
a complete list see www.sierraclub.org/Sierra.
- The Kaplan College Guide 2009 listed 25 "green"
schools for "environmentally responsible campus projects,
courses offered, student groups on campus" and so on. The
list included Bates C., Berea, Carleton, Dartmouth, Duke and
Penn State among others. See www.kaplanpublishing.com.
- The National Wildlife Federation released its Campus Environment
2008 Report Card, "a comprehensive look at nationwide trends
in sustainability among America's institutions of higher learning.
The study reviews programs at 1,068 institutions and awards academic
letter grades on a variety of issues. For info see www.nwf.org.
And finally, Bowdoin C., Colby C. and the U. of New England
suggested students leave their cars at home. These colleges have
partnered with Zipcar, a car sharing service.
In
Brief... Villa Julie C. in Maryland, is now Stevenson U.,
an independent college with a career-focused liberal arts curriculum.
Albright C. in Pennsylvania will no longer require SAT or ACT
test scores from applicants.
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COLLEGE BOUND's Publisher/Editor: R. Craig
Sautter, DePaul University; Chief Operating Officer: Sally
Reed; Assistant Editor: Emma Schwartz; Illustration:
Louis Coronel; Board of Advisors: Lisa Burnham,
Edina High School, Minnesota; Claire D. Friedlander, Bedford
(N.Y.) Central School District; Howard Greene and Matthew
Greene, authors, The Greenes' Guides to Educational Planning
Series; Frank C. Leana, Ph.D., educational counselor;
M. Fredric Volkmann, Washington University in St. Louis;
Mary Ann Willis, Bayside Academy (Daphne, Ala.).
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In This Issue
Feature Articles
Higher Ed Act Renewed
Scholarship
Scoops
Enrollment
Trends
THE COUNSELOR'S
CORNER
Counseling
in the New Millineum
CURRICULUM CAPSULES
-A
"Sustainable" Degree
-Three
New Degrees in N.Y.
-New Arts
-From Geoscience
to Gerontology
-Two-Year
Law Degrees
-It's a
Gas
-Respiratory
Therapy
NEWS YOU CAN USE
-Ivy
Pay Off
-Going
Green
-In Brief...
COMING UP...
HAVE A GREAT NEW SCHOOL
YEAR!
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