Digital SAT math timing, Common Core, and the “deep understanding” trap
A couple of months ago, before I got sucked back into the black hole of my SAT vocabulary book, I wrote a post about the importance of time constraints in standardized testing. In it, I briefly...
View ArticleStatement regarding the recent website outage
If you attempted attempted to visit this website during the past week-and-half (2/5 through 2/14/24), you are undoubtedly aware that it was inaccessible. Although I’ve posted a note on Facebook...
View Article“However” vs. “though”: similar, but not the same
Among conjunctions (transitional words), however and though pose a particular challenge because they are so similar in terms of both of both meaning and usage. But while there is significant overlap...
View ArticleWhy are SAT and ACT English benchmarks so low?
In my recent post on the timing of the Math section on the digital vs. the paper-based SAT, I alluded to the striking difference in proficiency levels in Math vs. English set by the College Board (530...
View ArticleWhat does freshman composition look like in 2024?
In my previous post, I looked at how universities’ reliance on adjuncts and the resulting grade inflation in freshman composition classes trickles back to the high school level, depressing minimum...
View ArticleWhy “grit” failed
For a while, the notion of “grit” was all the rage in edu-land, but recently it seems to have taken a backseat in the collective consciousness. Nevertheless, it’s been in mind recently for a couple of...
View ArticleNow available: digital SAT reading and writing questions by category
I am happy to announce that at long last I have finished indexing, by question topic/type, both the reading and writing questions from the six official (linear) College Board digital SATs: the four...
View ArticleWhen commas-with-names-and-titles questions bend the rules
Of all the grammar concepts tested on the SAT and ACT, the use of commas around names and titles is perhaps the trickiest because it straddles the line between grammar and meaning. In most cases,...
View ArticleAnnouncement: Critical Reader book updates coming fall 2024-winter 2025
Over the next few months, updated versions of several Critical Reader guides are projected to be released. Late October 2024: The Complete Guide to ACT® Reading, 2nd Edition The book will be aligned...
View ArticleA suggested order for working through Critical Reader guides
I periodically receive emails inquiring about the order in which students should work through Critical Reader guides, and it occurred to me that rather than respond to them on an individual basis, I...
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