Guidance Matters

Weeks 24 & 25

2012-02-20T06:05:00.001-08:00

General Notes of Interest

Student Success Plans (SSP) were recently expanded to include middle school students as mandated by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE). School representatives from each of the towns comprising the Region 19 School District met to decide the contents of this plan (grades 6-12) and the most effective way to construct the SSP. The end result is that now Naviance has reached into the Ashford School, Hall Memorial School, and Mansfield Middle School. Plans are being developed to begin electronic portfolios for all students in the district. More information about this collaborative initiative will be released in the weeks ahead.

The University of Connecticut released its admissions decisions for the Class of 2016 and the initial conclusion is that it's becoming increasingly more difficult to get an admissions ticket punched. With an increase in applications over the past few years, spurred by significant improvements on the campus and tuition prices made more attractive with the onset of the Great Recession, the mean SAT scores for admitted students keep rising. Like it or not, the SAT is a significant factor in the admissions equation, particularly when dealing with the volume of applications that a school like UConn must process. It appears that a combined score of 1200 in Math and Critical Reading is the benchmark needed. Of course, small variance around this mean that is offset by a strong transcript will probably suffice as well. Take note, however. UConn is no longer the default option when all else fails.

The EOS administration extended study hall privileges to ninth-graders who made the honor roll for the first two quarters of the school year. What this means is that this group of students (112) will be released from monitored study halls and allowed to sign in at the cafeteria or the library media center. Parental permission is necessary before any schedule changes are made.

The initial phase of the course selection process for 2012-13 has been completed for present 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students. Eighth graders will soon complete this phase as well. Students and parents/guardians may access Powerschool (Powerscheduler tab) to review their course selections. Plenty of time remains to make changes. Counselors will review selections and make recommendations where they see fit. Students wishing to make changes should contact their counselors. Schedules (with room and teacher assignments) will be finalized in early August.

The Naviance Family Connection link has been added to this page. If you haven't noticed, it's in the upper right corner.

UConn Mentor Connection is a unique summer program that provides high school students with the opportunity for hands-on participation in research and creative projects under the supervision of university mentors. Accomplished university professors and advanced graduate students in over 30 different areas of study work alongside program participants on current research or creative projects in shared areas of interest. For more information click on UConn Mentor Connection.

A Technology Committee has been formed to examine the use of technology in the delivery of instruction. Comprised of BOE members, administrators, teachers, and students, the objective is to look at ways that teaching and learning may be enhanced with the tools now at our disposal.

A Vision: The College of 2020

The Chronicle of Higher Education Research Services recently released a report that provides a vision of what colleges will look like in the year 2020. The report is based upon reviews of research and data on trends in higher education, interviews with experts who are sculpting the future paradigm of colleges, and the results of a panel of college admissions personnel that was selected by the Chronicle Research Services. The defining questions asked were 1) What is college? and 2) Why should I go? The answers reflect a significant shift in the way students envision higher education and how they will wish to pursue a degree.

The following points appeared in the Executive Summary:

The traditional model of college is changing, as demonstrated by the proliferation of colleges (particularly for-profit colleges), hybrid class schedules with night and weekend meetings, and, most significantly, online learning.
Students' convenience is the future (more students will attend classes online, study part-time, take courses from multiple universities, seek three-year degree programs, and low-cost options).
These changes, and the pressure they will put on colleges to adapt, are coming at a particularly acute time (the hour glass-shaped economy of the future will require a college degree as a means of entry and/or advancement in higher-paying, career-oriented professions).
Colleges that have resisted putting some of their courses online will almost certainly have to expand their online programs quickly.
The conversion to more convenience for students will multiply over the next decade.
Colleges will need to offer these options in addition to the face-to-face instruction.
Students now going to elementary school are going to expect more connectivity and creativity from colleges.
Today's high school students see their educational futures built almost entirely around technology.

Below are three quotes extracted from the report:

"The students of 2020 will demand an education on their terms and will be seeking a technology-based customized approach. The bottom line is that they will want it all: a plethora of learning options that they can mix and match to play to their strengths."

"The Internet has made most information available to everyone, and faculty members must take that into consideration when teaching. There is very little that students cannot find on their own if they are inspired to do so. And many of them will be surfing the Net in class. The faculty member, therefore, may become less an oracle and more an organizer and guide, someone who adds perspective and context, finds the best articles and research, and sweeps away misconceptions and bad information."

"Good teaching will always be at the core of a good university, but for most colleges, higher education will become a more retail-based industry than it ever has been. The students of the future will demand it. Many colleges have a long way to go before they can fulfill that demand."

This, according to the report, is what the 21st century college will look like. Students (and their parents) will be seeking more affordable options, recognizing the value of higher education while opting for the best value as a return on their investment. If this is so, and high schools are charged with preparing students for success in higher education, then will high schools have to change as well in order to adapt to this paradigm shift at the college level? And is this what it means when reference is made to developing 21st century skills? Will standards be compromised if they are adapted to meet the needs/demands of students? Or will any change in standards simply reflect more compatibility with life in the 21st century? Is there a more cost effective way of conducting the business of education - of providing an enriching learning experience? And if these changes are made, will they reduce the role that teachers presently play in the process (oracle) or, instead, change the role to fit a new model (guide an organizer)? These are just some of the questions being addressed by the Technology Committee.

An article appearing in the New York Time (11/21/10) entitled Growing Up Digital: Wired for Distraction" may provide a perspective on the challenges that these new forms of technology pose. And Digital Learning: What Kids Really Want may inform us as well.

Check Out New Links Added

National Student Clearinghouse

Your Path Presentation for Student-Athletes

Division I and II Worksheets for Eligibility

Article That May Interest You

College Aid Advice From Ivy League Expert

Dates of Interest

EOS Counselors Visit Hall Memorial School
Thursday, March 8 @ 9 AM

EOS Transition for Parents of 8th Graders
Thursday, March 8 @ 6:30 PM
Hall Memorial School

Weeks Twenty-Two and Twenty-Three

2012-02-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

Dates of Interest

Monday, February 6

Annual Student/Parent Meetings with EOS Counselors Begin

Thursday, February 9

EOS Counselors Visit with Ashford 8th Graders (10:15 AM)

Friday, February 10

Registration Deadline for March 10 SAT

Wednesday, February 15
EOS Transition Presentation to MMS Parents/Guardians (6:30 PM)
Mansfield Middle School

Thursday, February 16

EOS Transition Presentation to Ashford Parents/Guardians (6:30 PM)

Ashford School

Friday, February 17

First Shadow Visit for Columbia Students to EOSHS

Opportunities of Interest

Gap Year Fair

February 8 @ 7 PM

Hall High School, West Hartford, CT

Exploring opportunities between high school graduation and higher education

Playing with Violence:

The Mental Health Effects of Video Game Play

February 8 @ 9:30 AM

Dodd Research Center

University of Connecticut

A free seminar providing information on understanding the extent and effects

of video game play by children adolescents.

UConn's Explore Engineering Program

A program open to current sophomores and juniors interested in exploring opportunities to conduct research in various fields of engineering. Offered June 24-28. Application deadline is April 27, 2012.

For more information, call 860.486.5466 or email kaa@engr.uconn.edu

Junior State of America Summer Program

A program providing students the opportunity to strengthen their leadership skills, study with university professors and gain familiarity with the college living experience. For more information, go to http://www.jsa.org/.

Articles of Interest

Gaming the College Rankings

Examples of the pressures colleges feel with publications like US News & World Report

What Does Your School Know About You?

It's not necessarily a bad thing.

Parent-Child Conflict: It's in the Genes

In other words, conflict just may be natural.

Average Is Over

Being "average" may no longer be good enough in this new global economy.

With Media Parents and Kids Learn More Together

Various forms of media available today may actually provide opportunities

for parents and kids to learn more together.

A Short Video

The Happy Secret to Better Work

Parent/Guardian Meetings Set to Start:

What to Expect/How to Prepare

Annual Student/Parent/Counselor meetings begin on Monday morning, February 6th. These meetings, scheduled in the mornings to accommodate parent work schedules while also getting them in the building when it's "alive" with students, are 45 minutes long for 11th graders and 30 minutes in length for 10th graders. Parents of 9th graders were invited to attend transition meetings back in October and November. Counselors will meet with their 9th graders to review the school year and course selections for 2012-13.

Students and parents should come prepared for their meetings. Expect the following agenda items to be addressed;

an academic review of this year's progress-to-date
a review of test scores (CAPT, PSAT, SAT)
verification of course selections for 2012-13
discussion of testing requirements and recommendations
initial launch of the post secondary planning process
discussion of extra-curricular involvement.

Come prepared to ask questions and share information with your counselor that may be helpful in maximizing the potential for a successful and satisfying high school experience.

A short video is available for your review that will provide directions to the EOS course catalog, course planner, and a free SAT test prep program. Click on the link below and follow along.

How to Access the EOS Course Catalog

Weeks Twenty and Twenty-One

2012-01-22T04:23:00.000-08:00

Dates of Interest

College Goals Sunday
January 29
ECSU and MCC
Help with the FAFSA

Events/Opportunities of Interest

Willington Scholarship Foundation

For students from Willington.

The Scholarship Coach
A link to scholarship opportunities.
See more at the bottom of this page.

We Can Change
A scholarship competition offered by Siemens Foundation

Articles of Interest

What the Top 1% of Earners Majored In
How much does one's college major really matter?

What Does One Jobless Youth Cost Taxpayers?
Care to guess before you open the link?

Self-Esteem Is Losing Favor in Schools
There's a difference between praising ability and praising effort.

Are You an Annoying Parent?

Take the quiz and find out.

Dirty Jobs
A YouTube video worth watching.

Exam Grades, Quarter Grades, Semester Grades, and Year-End Grades

As we move into the exam period, it's important for students to know how these exams contribute to their semester and final grades. The link below will bring you to a short video that describes what a transcript looks like and how to read it. Know this - if the course is "semesterized" (S1/S2), then the exam will count 20% towards the final grade (Q1=40% and Q2=40%). If the course is year-long (YR), then the exam will comprise 10% of the final grade (Q1=20%, Q2=20%, exam=10%, Q3=20%, Q4=20%, exam=10%).

How to Read a Transcript

Tips When Taking the SAT

As the SAT "season" goes into full swing, it's worth noting some of the "tips" that supposedly can help students increase their scores. Below are some of these suggestions;

instead of looking for the right answer, it may be more useful to look for the wrong answers and eliminate them. The thinking here is that by process of elimination you'll arrive at the right answer - or at least you'll be able to choose between two possibilities rather than among four.
read the italicized section before each reading passage in the Critical Reading section. It provides helpful clues.
if you face a reading passage that just doesn't spark your interest, it may be wiser to read each question FIRST and then search for the answer in the lines provided.
there are six basic rules you need to know in the Writing section - subject/verb agreement, verb tense, pronouns, parallelism, idioms, and comparisons.
when writing the required essay, it's not important which side of a position you take. What's more important is that you open with a strong statement expressing your position that is followed by three descriptive examples (each developed in a paragraph) and a concluding paragraph that ties it all together. It's your basic five paragraph essay.
you can earn a 600 on any of the the three sections simply by correctly answering all of the easy and medium difficulty questions.
answering 8 questions correctly and leaving 2 blank will result in a higher score than if you answer 8 questions correctly and get 2 wrong. This is because you lose a 1/4 of a point for each incorrect answer.

A reminder - the Guidance Department has purchased a test-prep program that is available on Naviance under the "Colleges" tab. It's a free SAT practice program. Use it if for no other reason than to familiarize yourself with the kinds of questions asked.

Keep in mind, too, the tips listed above.

Meta-Learning...Learning How to Learn

What's a significant difference between those who are successful in school and those who aren't? You may think of at least a few differences, and one may be how students learn. Knowing how to learn goes a long way in delivering successful outcomes. Learning how you learn, then, becomes a critical factor in your success. Check out this first in a series of videos produced by a college professor.

Study Intelligently for Your Exams.

And Good Luck!

Weeks Eighteen and Nineteen

2012-01-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Important Dates

Registration forms for UConn courses on campus are due in the Guidance Office on Friday, January 13th. Classes there begin on Tuesday, January 17th.

Cocoa and Cram for Ninth Graders
Wednesday, January 18
6-8 pm

Exams
January 24-27

Possible Events/Activities of Interest

Lentz & Lentz, an SAT prep outfit, is conducting a free practice SAT for all EOS 10th and 11th graders on Wednesday, January 18th from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. Students who wish to participate must submit a registration form and email to them. For more information, call 1.800.866.7287 or email info@lentzsatpprep.com.

Princeton Review is once again offering an SAT prep course at EOSHS. Cards were mailed home promoting this to all 10th and 11th grade students. This course is being offered independent of EOSHS.

Course Selection Process for 2012-13

The course selection process for 2012-13 is set to launch on Tuesday, January 31st. Students will be escorted to the Library Media Center by teachers in designated classes and the former will select courses in Power School. Selections are tentative and subject to approval in cases where prerequisites are established. Counselors will review course selections with each student, and students will have the opportunity to make changes through the close of this school year in June.

Students should give considerable thought to their selections, not only as they pertain to next year but in subsequent years as well. They should also consider the time commitments required to be successful in their chosen courses and weigh these against extra-curricular commitments made. Saying "yes" to some choices implicitly means saying "no" to others. New to the process this year is the direct involvement of specific subject area teachers. Students' current teachers in English and Math will make recommended level placements for next year. The same will be done by current Social Studies teachers for 9th and 10th graders.

Keep these thoughts in mind when choosing;

Think about the kinds of options you'd like to have once you graduate from EOSHS. For example, what kinds of post secondary schools might you like to attend? What might you like to choose for a major? Note - if you really don't know, then you should keep open your options by choosing a challenging course of studies. Too often, students eventually discover what they'd like to do only to discover that they don't have the necessary coursework to pursue the major.
Think about the options available at EOSHS. Then think about how much time remains to your high school experience. What makes sense to take in 2012-13? In 2013-14? What courses are available to take for college credits? How many would you realistically want to take? How much money could youI save in higher education costs if you take these courses? What will you have to give up in terms of time and commitments elsewhere if you choose these courses?
Think about work commitments. Are you planning on working at a part-time job? How many hours do you intend to work each week?
Think about when your extra-curricular involvement is most time intensive. Is one semester busier than the other with respect to the involvement?

In the end, students are making lifestyle choices when they make course selections. Some courses require more effort than others. The reward for this effort may come in more heavily weighted grades or it may come in the form of college credits or it may come in the form of better options beyond high school. But it also may come at the expense of time spent with friends and family or at the expense of a part-time job or even at the expense of sleep. Risks and rewards are often related. They have to be evaluated as well.

Course descriptions are available on Naviance. Click on the "Courses" tab for this information. Four-year plans of study are also available in this tab. These plans are categorized by the competitive category of schools. Take sufficient time to review this information. Wise choices require this time.

Course Planner

As you know, Naviance is a relatively comprehensive web-based program that the Guidance Department uses in addressing issues related to the three components of a developmental guidance program - social/emotional, academic, and post secondary issues. Students complete surveys on-line, conduct research on career and college options, prepare for the SAT, and plan for their futures in a variety of ways. One such way is through a component of Naviance called "Course Planner". Here's how it works.

Students (and parents) can access "Course Planner" by logging in to their accounts and clicking on the "Courses" tab in the menu bar. From there, four-year plans of study may be reviewed simply by clicking on course plans. Several plans are available and each is based upon the kind of schools - defined by competitiveness (how difficult it is to be accepted - the lower the percentage of students accepted, the more competitive it is) - that a student may wish to pursue. By clicking on any one of the plans, you will see the types of courses available to choose from that will comprise a four-year plan of study compatible with the kinds of competitive schools for that particular category. For example, a student interested in attending a highly competitive school would click on that plan and see that the vast majority of courses from which to choose would be at the "A" level. What is not taken into consideration are the grades that a student earns in these courses. Rather, the strength of the four-year plan is based upon the rigor of one's course selections.

A design flaw that Naviance has not yet corrected relates to the schools of interest that are listed below the "meter" that measures rigor. A plan that may be appropriate for admission to ECSU may not be sufficient for acceptance to UConn, even though Naviance is indicating otherwise. For more accurate feedback, students should speak with their counselors. Still, Course Planner may be very useful in the course selection process when taking into consideration post secondary aspirations.

Articles of Interest

Several new articles have been posted under "Articles of Interest" that relate to the course selection process over the long-term. You're encouraged to click on each and take a few minutes to read them.

Weeks Sixteen and Seventeen

2011-12-19T03:38:00.000-08:00

This Much We Know... It's That We Don't Know

Most of us have our own ideas about what should be taught in school, how it should be taught, and what kids should know at the end of grade 12 (or 14 or 16.. or even 20, for that matter). Seems like everyone has an opinion - not that there's anything wrong with that, except that anyone who disagrees with yours is dead wrong. Right? So, when you listen to anyone who's ever weighed in, you eventually reach the conclusion that this much we know - school is a good place for kids to be. And there's this much we don't know - what kids should learn by the time their tickets are punched for life-after-high-school. Do you know?

What we do know is that piles of data collected in recent years show the value of education in terms of how much money you've banked, whether you dine on Taco Bell or Bell & Evans, if you remember to vote and care to show up at the polls, and if you choose to volunteer or are forced to live in fear..of the next crisis - health, financial, or otherwise - that puts you under.  If schools function to prepare students for productive work and active citizenship, then we know they are.   So, we can safely conclude that a relationship exists between higher education and higher income, etc. (see Education Pays, But How Much?). This is why we know that school is a good place for kids to be. But do we know what it really means to be an educated human being? And do we really know what we should expect a high school graduate to know at graduation in 2012? It sure seems like we really don't know.

So, let's... get... ready....to... r...u...m...b...l...e!!!

OK - this doesn't really need to devolve into a brawl, but it often does because both questions tend to be politically charged. Why? Because the answers reflect value judgments that often clash among competing interest groups (think evolution vs. creationism - or Scopes Trial II). What does it mean to be an educated person? What is it that they know that earns them this status? What skills do they possess (even "have in hand" as in hands-on skills)? Is this "knowledge" different today than it may have been, say, a decade ago?

Well, this much we know - we don't really know ( actually, we know but others who disagree with us really don't know). High schools and colleges can't seem to agree, either. They can't agree among themselves within groups or between the two. Which group knows for sure? Or put another way, who's right?

Even a cursory review of graduation requirements at three colleges, never mind the three thousand or so more out there, will reveal pretty significant differences in what students are expected to know. St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland (and Santa Fe, New Mexico), a highly respected (in academia) but little known (in the public) college, requires all students to complete the exact same curriculum - reading the same books and taking the same courses. The school promotes itself as the ideal liberal arts institution and assigns students many of the "Great Books" chosen by a panel of faculty members and students (changed periodically). So, students are expected to know the same curriculum. Brown University in Providence, RI, on the other hand, is the yogi master in higher education. The school offers total flexibility, giving students the freedom to choose ANY courses they wish as long as the credits bend (I know - I'm stretching it here) in a way that match the number of credits prescribed for a degree. And all the other schools fall somewhere along the continuum that begins with St. John's College at one point and ends with Brown at the other. UConn is one of these "tweeners", a hybrid of sorts that requires students to choose from a menu of courses that's organized kind of like food groups. Students are free to choose items as long as they select from each of the four "tables" (content areas). Know that it resembles a Sunday brunch - lots of items from which to choose and plenty to digest. But you'll probably discover that your plate looks much different from others' at your seating arrangement - unless you're sitting with someone who's selected the same major.

So, think about it - is it a stretch to say that one college produces more educated graduates than another? Do we really know? What's more, do we even know what these graduates know (more on this below)?

And what about high schools? What should students really know when their date of manufacture is stamped at graduation? The CT State Department of Education (CSDE) provides broad requirements for high schools in the state to follow (which are supposed to change in a few years), but local school districts usually add their own ingredients to the mix - presumably because they know what students are expected to know. But even within high schools there are differences in department requirements - some are more specific than others. Take EOSHS, for example. Four credits in math are required, but there isn't any specific math course mandated for all students. It's not like you have to successfully complete, say, Algebra 1 in order to graduate. In science, there is - but just one and that's Biology (that's life). Otherwise, students are required to earn two more credits besides Biology to meet graduation requirements, and these credits can be anything, just as long as they're science courses. Four credits in English are mandated, and these courses are relatively fixed at each grade level (and course level), although the CSDE doesn't dictate the content that must be offered in any of these courses for credit. And the Social Studies Department defines its requirements even more specifically (I'd say ~~inflexibly~~ just to keep that "stretching" thing going, but it sounds too pejorative, so I won't) - all students must complete Politics (required by the CSDE), Geography, U. S. History (also required by the CSDE), and World Civilizations. So, it seems like groups (and individuals) have their own opinions about the specificity of subject matter required, not that there's anything wrong with this (just as long as no one messes with "my" control panel).

Do you know what else? A student can earn a "D-" in each of these required courses and...still graduate.

Confusing? I think so. Everyone seems to have their own ideas about what students should really know (and, of course, be able to do), but there doesn't seem to be much agreement. It's little wonder, then, why many colleges still cling to the SAT requirement in order to evaluate readiness for success in higher education (for those who now make it optional, there are other reasons for this than simply thinking they agree that the test is flawed - one major reason is that it drives up applications)? However "invalid" the test may be, it's at least a measure that may be applied to all students (who choose to take it) regardless of the schools they attend or even courses of studies they take within their respective schools. And there's still another test for some students to "pass" - the Accuplacer has received its fair share of attention in recent years as more students opt for community colleges. If you don't know, the Accuplacer is a placement test designed to accurately place students in English and math courses (see more about this below). Both tests - the SAT and Accuplacer - are suppose to measure what students know and are able to do.

There are all sorts of discussions about common assessments and a common curriculum that should be set in stone for all high schools throughout the country to follow. I don't know about you, but it seems like this stone is a boulder too large for anyone to grasp. Even colleges are arguing about this as the federal government is putting pressure on them to put in place some kind of assessment that measures growth over the duration of a college experience (click on the link to learn more about the Collegiate Learning Assessment). All that exists now to measure the "value" of colleges are SAT scores, acceptance rates, and yield rates on those accepted - all measures of entering students and not of those graduating from the colleges. And if you've read or heard about Academically Adrift, a book authored by two college professors and published last year, you're left wondering what's under the hood of that high-priced "vehicle" you just purchased that's guaranteed to carry you to a middle-class lifestyle. Just to further drive home the point, check out this article. Makes one wonder - "You can't get there if you don't know where you're going?"

What's more, high schools and higher schools (colleges) don't agree with each other on what a student should know at the time in their lives when they become eligible to vote. Of the seventy percent of high school graduates who go on to some form of higher education, less than half actually complete a four-year degree (that's about 28% of the population - did you know this?). And many take more than four years to do it. For those who choose (or have no choice but to go to) community colleges, about forty percent don't meet the benchmarks on placement tests (Accuplacer) and are placed in not-yet-ready-for-prime-time remedial courses that cost lots of money but are worth nothing in terms of college credits. For the vast majority of these students, college ends before they officially ever get there (see False Hope ).

So, at this point, if you've made it this far, you may be wondering, "Wait, so where is he?"  OK - let's say I'm at Big Y in the produce department sorting through apples and you stumble upon me. The conversation goes something like this:

You: I read that blog piece. I don't get it. So, what's the problem?
Me:   I'm sorry. I'm trying to decide how fresh these apples from New Zealand could really be. Would you say that again, please?
You: The blog - what's your point? You argue that schools are a good place for students to be and then go on a rant about these same schools not agreeing on what kids should know these days. So what? As long as they're going!
Me: You're right. And, although much is said about the disconnect among and between colleges and high schools in terms of what students are expected to know, the real issue is that more and more students are leaving high schools assuming they're ready for higher education and find out they're not.
You: But you said just last week that our PSAT scores are way above national averages. And, for that matter, so are our SAT scores.
Me: Absolutely, and we should take immense pride in this. But we should also keep in mind that the participation rate - meaning the percentage of students who take the test - hovers in the low 60% range. That means another 40% or so are not taking it. While we're on this subject, a similar percentage of EOS graduates go on to four-year colleges, and another 15% or so matriculate to places like community colleges. So, when you think about it, these numbers resemble those reported in the blog piece - about 70% of graduates go on to college. What we don't know is if the completion rate - meaning fewer than half (28%) - for EOS graduates mirrors the national average.
You: Really?
Me: Really.
You: What about this Accuplacer. Are those numbers for EOS students similar to the national averages?
Me: Yes.
You: Oh. So some of these kids aren't finishing, or even starting college courses because they're buried in remedial courses?
Me: I believe so.
One other number worth mentioning here is the percentage of students receiving free-and-reduced lunch. It's fast approaching 20%.
But, I need to go now. The frozen Bell & Evans chicken in my shopping cart is melting. Nice talking to you. If you have a chance, read the articles I posted in the piece. Taken together, it's pretty compelling stuff. And, oh yeah, Happy Holidays!

OK, so these are the articles (I know it's a lot, but it's Week Sixteen and Seventeen combined. And it's important stuff.) Read this - (Inconvenient Income Inequality). And this - Class Matters - Why Won't We Admit It?. If you're still not convinced, how about this - The Wrong Inequality. If you listen to the experts, there's a growing divide between those who have and those who wish they had. The middle is disappearing. Where's this taking us?

Let's acknowledge (meaning - we know this) that a four-year degree is not for every high school graduate - nor should it have to be. But some form of higher education needs to be, especially in a changing economy that's beginning to take on an hour-glass shape, one in which there will be plenty of jobs available that require professional degrees and plenty that we'll always need - plumbers, electricians, automotive technicians - that will still require certification and requisite skills as evidenced by performance on entrance exams required for admission to certification programs.   If the numbers tell a story, almost 4 of every 10 students aren't going there. And, of those who are, some aren't able to enroll in "ready-for-prime-time" courses because...well, you know why. This leaves too many kids academically adrift, and they're not even in college.

So, we know that school is a good place to be for students. We know that there is significant variance in what's expected among and between secondary schools and institutions of higher education, not that there's anything wrong with that. It also appears that some of this variance leads to problems for kids when they sit for placement tests. And we know, too, that high school graduates need to move on to some form of meaningful educational experience if they have any chance of meaningful employment in their adult lives. If they don't, then there's something wrong with that. Well, guess what? More and more don't appear to be ready - according to measures used by postsecondary insititutions. There's something wrong with that. And it seems like we don't know (can't agree) on what to do about this.

Do you know?

Still one other thing - I want to know how many people are reading this vs. just clicking on it and quickly moving on. So, to this end (and, if you've made it to the end - which you have if you're reading this), I encourage you to send me a quick email at dmelody@eosmith.org. I'll, in turn, fold up your email and include it in a drawing for a $25 Starbucks gift card. If the response is anything like what I got when asking for replies on reading is to writing as _____is to______, then you're chances of winning are real good. Emails need to be delivered by midnight on December 22. I'd like to at least know this - how many are paying attention.

Week Fifteen Notes

2011-12-11T06:18:00.000-08:00

PSAT Index - A Measure of Achievement

Unless you've been living on Easy Street these past couple of years, you know all about the Great Recession and the attendant Great Debate that ensued on how to fix it. One thing is painfully clear - it's not fixed yet. All of the economic measures - the Dow Jones, S & P 500, Russell 2000, NASDAQ - show wildly inconsistent behavior and hardly any sustainable gains to get excited about. Education, like the economy, has its own measures of "health" and productivity (otherwise known as achievement) with acronyms like CMT, CAPT, SAT, ACT, ED 540 (wait, what? - we'll save this one for next week), and the PSAT. Using the last "index", EOSHS' stock price was recently revealed by The College Board and, unlike the national picture depicting the economy (or education in many parts, for that matter), this landscape appears pretty attractive. Here's why.

About 200 students sat for the PSAT (stands for Preliminary SAT...which used to stand for Scholastic Aptitude Test and then the Scholastic Assessment Test - aptitude sounded too much like an intelligence test, which it wasn't supposed to be, so they dumped it for assessment - until The College Board, in its infinite wisdom, decided to once-and-for-all kill the controversy over the scarlet letter "A" and now simply calls its bread and butter the S A T) back in October and the recently released scores show impressive results, especially when these scores are held up against national averages. Take a look;

Average Critical Reading score for EOS students is 570

while the national average is 478.

Average Math score for EOS students is 557

while the national average is 485.

Average Writing score for EOS students is 538

while the national average is 457.

Pretty impressive, no? If you look at this "economically", then EOS is far outpacing the national index - as measured by the PSAT. In this view, EOS looks like a wise investment. The benchmark, by the way, as set by The College Board after statistical adjustments made over a decade ago, is 500 in each sub test. So, while the rest of the nation as a whole is under performing (at least by this measure), EOS is achieving (The College Board shouldn't deny this word) well above the benchmark.

If only the national economy could follow suit...

By the way, individual student score reports along with test booklets were mailed home last week to each student who took the PSAT in October. Counselors will review these reports with students in the weeks ahead. But, in the meantime, students and parents may click on the tutorials posted to the right of this page for more information about how to make sense of the student reports. These are power point presentations, so be sure to click the screen in order to make it through the sequence. In addition, a tutorial on My College QuickStart has been posted. This is an on-line feature offered by The College Board to test-takers that they may find helpful for reasons they'll need to discover. And, believe it or not, the program is actually free.

Housing Bubble 2.0

Money, money ,money...seems like that's the theme this week. We all know that the burst of the housing bubble helped to trigger the economic collapse. When the bubble burst so did the dreams of many individuals. For better or for worse, the American Dream has gone 2.0 on many of us, according to American Dream Deferred: We Now Embrace More Modest, Personal Goals. And, of course, we all know about the frequently professed relationship between higher education and a middle-class lifestyle. What gives?

What's finally gotten the attention of many, including President Obama (check out this NY Times piece), is the outlandishly escalating costs of higher education. For many schools ,the cost for attending resembles the purchase price of a modest ranch...overlooking the water. For many who choose these schools, they eventually sink under this water - drowning in debt. College costs have now become Housing Bubble 2.0, with many schools pricing themselves out of the reach of middle-class families. And, as if it's not already daunting enough, many experts (and "non"-experts, too) are now calling into question the value of a college diploma against its costs (see Employers Say College Graduates Lack Job Skills and, to cause confusion, Bachelor's Degree Still Best Path to Middle-Class Earnings). Who's right? It depends.

It depends upon what you're looking for. Whatever it is, you definitely don't want a meagre, are-you-kidding-me!!! financial aid package if you can avoid it. So, you need to do your homework. There are several financial aid links posted at the bottom of this page that are designed to provide helpful information. College credit courses offered at EOSHS aside, families can reduce the costs of higher education without compromising value. How?

It takes time and effort to figure this out. Unfortunately, there isn't a getafreecollegeeducation.com web site available - or, at least, not a legitimate one. But there is some good news is - colleges, somewhat reluctantly, have been told by the federal government to "open their books" on net costs. In other words, each school is now required to post on its web site a cost calculator that students (really, parents) can use to determine what it will really cost them in the end. So, it's kind of like a no-hassle-car-purchase approach. You just have to take the time to see where this purchase will take you (for some help, check out "Degrees by Debt" under "Articles of Interest")..

And check out this website...College Goals Sunday...for more information about a program being offered at ECSU on January 29th. Help is available. It's on you to seek it out!

Wanting to Write Without Wanting to Read Is Like Wanting to _____Without Wanting to____

You may recall a recent post that addressed the issue of reading and its relationship to writing. Readers were asked to offer their own view of this relationship by completing the following...reading is to writing as ________is to ________. Can't say there were many offerings. Oh well. Here's a sampling of what was offered. "Reading is to writing as breathing is to living"..."music theory is to singing"...

If you're interested, here's the original article - Writing Without Reading Is Like___

And if you've had enough by now, count the aforementioned as this week's Article of Interest.

Week Fourteen Notes

2011-12-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

About Attributions

If you've been following along, you'll know that last week's post was about attributions. It was about the difference between saying "I can't" (don't possess the ability) and "I won't" (won't make the effort). It was about the explanations we use to make sense of what we experience in our lives. How we construct these explanations - our explanatory style - goes a long way in determining how we live our lives. Before moving on to the role that self-confidence plays in all of this, I encourage you to open the video below and take the seven minutes needed to view it.

True grit - that's what it takes. At least that's what a piece called Grit Is More Important Than Talent claims. Andi, if you want to find out how much grit you really have, then take the Grit Scale.

Are you seeing the Little-Red-Engine-That-Could chugging up that mountain yet? Yet?

By the way, if you're wondering who Bill Bradley is (that is, if you read the piece about grit and talent), click on the video below. He has advice about how to deal with failure.

About Self-Confidence

If attributions are about trusting the process - meaning that you trust the relationship between effort and outcomes - then self-confidence is about trusting yourself - believing that you have what it takes to be successful. You've probably heard this - that s/he can because s/he thinks s/he can. If you believe this - and many do - then the opposite makes sense as well. S/he can't because s/he thinks s/he can't. Yet?

Self-confidence isn't necessarily a general trait but rather one that pertains to specific behaviors. The Student Success Plan that has been referred to fairly frequently in this blog includes an inventory that measures academic self-confidence. This inventory may be located in the "About Me" section of your Family Connections page.

Belief is critical to success. Gaining confidence in a specific area takes belief in the process. Gaining experience is one of the more powerful ways we gain confidence (hey - I can do that!). Your explanatory style - interpreting your experience - will help you get there, too.

Article of Interest

Top Ten Mistakes Young Drivers Make

Week Thirteen Notes

2011-11-28T16:37:00.000-08:00

I have to admit it - I actually gave some consideration to skipping over Week Thirteen and moving right on to Week Fourteen. Hotels do it, right? I mean - who wants to risk the unimaginable by booking a room on the thirteenth floor?

Alright. The truth is I didn't really give all that much thought to the idea, but it did remind me of the relative power that superstitions hold over some people and the rationale for them. When you think about it, anyone who subscribes to superstitions is actually attempting to control events/outcomes in their lives. They somehow see a connection between walking under a ladder and experiencing misfortune. Even better, some athletes do really "rational" things to enhance their chances for success like wearing dirty/smelly/unwashed socks game after game because their teams are winning game after game. Surely this winning streak is due to the socks.

I don't know about you, but I think of attributions when I hear someone repeating some superstitious mantra. You learn about attributions in Psychology 101 - that we all look to attribute explanations for outcomes that we experience in our lives. Here's a very simplistic explanation of attributional theory - we believe that the successes and failures we experience in our lives are the results of luck (here's where the superstitions play a huge role), task difficulty (Oh, I succeeded because it was too easy - or I didn't because it was too hard), ability (I'm not good enough - or I am good enough), and effort (I didn't try hard enough - or I tried really hard at it). If you're wondering - "How about if I just don't care?" - well, this has to do with effort. Doesn't it? Although, it may be that some don't care because they don't think they have what it takes (ability) to care.

There's much to be said about how people assign reasons for what they experience in their lives. Think about it - failing at something because you believe you aren't good enough (ability) is different from failing because you didn't try hard enough (effort). In the latter case, you can do something about it - you can try harder.

THE EOS Guidance Department actually includes an attributional survey in every Student Success Plan. There are 15 statements and students are asked how strongly they agree or disagree with each - 1) Heredity determines most of what a person is like, 2) Luck has little to do with being successful, 3) Whatever plans I make, there is always something that will get in the way of completing them, 4) Failing a test is a sign of incomplete preparation on my part - I didn't study hard enough, 5) Being in the right place at the right time is essential for getting what I want in life, 6) If I set realistic goals, I can succeed at most anything in life, 7) School success is mostly the result of one's socioeconomic background (how much money a family has), 8) Each person is responsible for her/his own actions, good or bad, 9) If I don't succeed at something, it's because I don't have what it takes to succeed, 10), Being smart/intelligent isn't entirely inborn - a person can become smarter/more intelligent through hard work, 11) If I successfully complete a task, it's because it was easy, 12) My chances of succeeding in school are largely based upon my effort, 13) Teachers have more to so with student success than students themselves do, 14) If I study hard enough, I can succeed in any course, and 15) I can complain about being treated unfairly, but that's about all I can do. The responses students choose may provide some insight on how they respond to difficulties that life inevitably presents along the way.

We've heard this phrase expressed repeatedly - "Forget it. I can't do that." Okay. Maybe not - yet. Yet, what if we added a three-letter word to the end of our judgments - yet? "Yet" can change everything. It can empower us to keep on keepin' on in pursuit of those goals we're otherwise so quick to discard. "Yet" changes the perception of "failure" from a sense of permanence to one that is temporary. "Yet" extinguishes excuses. "Yet" connotes choice. "Yet" tells us that it's a judgment in the moment and not one that is absolute. "I can't do that - yet." From an attributional standpoint, this is about effort.

Think about it. Think about something you want to do or wanted to do but didn't. Perhaps it's losing x amount of pounds or running an x minute mile or learning a new software program or joining a new club - or all of these. Perhaps it's writing a research paper or solving a math problem or doing homework daily. It's November 29th. Now think forward to April 1st. And you haven't done what you set out to do. Don't fool yourself by saying - "I give up. I can't do that." Instead, give up the first sentence in the previous phrase and add one word to the second sentence - "I can't do that YET." Hope remains alive...and so should your commitment. There may be goals we can't reach or behaviors we can't master no matter what, but not nearly as many as we think. Rather, we simply can't do them yet. This attributions survey mentioned in the previous paragraph, by the way, can be tied to the goals activity that students do.

If you're old enough, you may remember the three "Rs" as Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic. Each still has its place in learning, but so does another set of "Rs" - Relationships, Relevance, and Resilience. It's this last one that deserves our attention in this piece. Resilience is about belief. And belief is related to effort.

If you want research to back this up, then you should make the effort to read Can Everyone Be Smart at Everything?

A Reminder

Financial Aid Workshop for Parents/Guardians on December 5 @ 7 pm

EOS Lecture Hall

An Invitation

Method Test Prep, the company that provides SAT prep programs through Naviance, is offering free webinars over the next couple of weeks for parents and students. These webinars are designed to help participants maximize the benefits of the SAT program available on the Family Connections page. If you're interested in this and want more information on how to register, contact EOS Guidance - guidance@eosmith.org.

Article of Interest

How the Future Looks from High School

Week Twelve

2011-11-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

What an Attitude of Gratitude Can Do for You

It's turkey time. Loosen the belts. Grab the remote. And give thanks!

With each November comes the holiday that marks the American tradition of Thanksgiving. It's a day devoted to festive feasts, road races, football rivalries, and family relatives. It's also a day set aside, in principle, for giving thanks.

Perhaps you can make this Thanksgiving the start of a new year in which giving thanks is exercised daily. No one needs to tell you that the American culture has come under attack in recent years for its inflated sense of entitlement as we've witnessed the pursuit of happiness morphing into the expectation of such. It's to no one's surprise, then, that anger and angst often surface when this expectation goes unrealized. All of this can lead to a terribly toxic environment. Not good. What may surprise you is that research is revealing a whole host of benefits that may be derived from regular expressions of appreciation and gratitude. Want proof? You may appreciate this article (The Neuroscience of Why Gratitude Makes Us Healthier) as evidence of the research, and this one as well (A Serving of Gratitude May Save the Day). It doesn't take a whole lot of effort, either. They can even be expressed in subtle ways. Here's how.

Donate blood...Hold the door for someone...Give up your seat...Participate in a race/walk that benefits a charity...Send a note to someone who has shown you kindness...Stay calm during a stressful time...Let go of an old grudge...Mentor a classmate or colleague who is new to your school or organization...Throw a party for someone celebrating a milestone...Next time you're ready to blow the horn at a car - don't...Surprise someone...Say "thank you"...Write a letter to someone who's made a difference in your life...Tell your parents you love them...Tell your kids you love them...Give a compliment...Make a donation to your favorite charity, however small...Extend a warm welcome to a newcomer...Put yourself in another person's shoes...Reduce, reuse, recycle...Praise someone who's done well...Tell a joke...Kick bad habits that can harm others...Pass on good news...Give your full attention...Forgive yourself...Laugh...Call a friend you haven't heard from in awhile...Lead by example...Help a younger person discover a hidden talent...Invite someone who's not part of your inner circle to a friendly gathering...Teach about giving...When you see trash, pick it up...When you hear "trash", leave it be.

Practicing an attitude of gratitude - clearly a choice for most people - positively impacts human health, happiness, and social ties. Because so much of life is about giving and receiving, gratitude serves as the organic link between the two. Really - it's what makes us human.

So, make this Thanksgiving a truly Happy Meal, and launch the pursuit of happiness with a Happy New Year of Gratitude Expressed Daily. After awhile, you may find you don't need the research evidence to prove it works.

If You're Enrolled in MCC Courses at EOSHS, Then...

In Week Nine Notes, information was presented about Manchester Community College (MCC) courses offered - for free - at EOSHS. Well, it's time for students (11th and 12th graders) to complete applications if they wish to earn college credits for these courses. Let's reiterate - the courses are free, and so is the application process.

Even if there is nothing more than a remote possibility that a student will use these credits, that's enough for the student to submit the form. It takes about five minutes to do. Applications are available in the Guidance Office. They're due on December 8th.

A Reminder About December 1 Deadline for Early Action Applications to UConn

UConn admits most of its students from the Early Action pool. It makes sense to submit an application even if there is a remote chance that you'll attend if accepted. For many students in the recent past, the remoteness of the possibility turned to reality by the time they graduated from EOSHS.

A Reminder About Rolling Admissions at CT Public Universities

The CT public universities - CCSU, ECSU, SCSU, WCSU - offer admission on a rolling basis, meaning that these schools accept qualified students throughout the year. It means NOW. Students (and parents/guardians) should know that these schools have become more attractive in recent years for several reasons - not the least of which is the "price tag". Two years ago, SCSU closed its "doors" to applicants in March of the application cycle. This was much earlier than ever before. So, it becomes increasingly more difficult to be admitted as one waits longer to submit applications to these schools. Get it?

A Reminder About the Financial Aid Workshop for Parents/Guardians

It's Monday, December 5th at 7 pm in the EOS lecture hall. Carolyn Karno, a financial aid expert who has presented annually at EOSHS for several years now, will review relevant information regarding the financial aid process, the FAFSA, and loans available through various channels. This workshop is primarily for parents/guardians of seniors, but parents with younger children are welcome to attend as well.

Week Eleven Notes

2011-11-13T07:05:00.000-08:00

Can Reading Be Saved?

Chances are that you aren't reading this. Of course, there could be lots of reasons why but I won't touch any of them - except one; that fewer people are reading today than was the case almost thirty years ago. At least this is what was reported in an extensive study conducted by the Census Bureau way back in 2002 (at the request of the National Endowment in the Arts), and the findings - mixed with anecdotal observations - seem to be even more relevant in 2011. Reading is at risk. So, if you devote time each day to reading, you're in a club whose membership is dwindling each passing year.

Here are the ten significant findings:

The percentage of adult Americans reading literature has dropped dramatically over the past 20 years -now 30 - with less than half of the adult American population reading literature.
The decline in literacy reading parallels a decline in total book reading.
The rate of decline in literary reading is accelerating - meaning that the percentage of adults who aren't reading is declining faster than in previous decades.
Women read more literature than men do, but literary reading by both groups is declining at significant rates.
Literary reading is declining among whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics.
Literary reading is declining among all education levels (the higher the level of education, the higher the reading rate - but it's still declining).
Literary reading is declining among all age groups.
The steepest decline in literary reading is in the youngest age groups.
The decline in literary reading foreshadows an erosion in cultural and civic participation.
The decline in reading correlates with increased participation in a variety of electronic media, including the Internet, video games, and portable digital devices.

This is telling data - if you've made it this far in the post. It does not bode well for the future of American democracy if there is a positive correlation between reading rate and voter participation rate - which there is. But some also feel that it's inaccurate data because it doesn't take into account the various forms of literacy that have emerged in this age of technology. For instance, they claim that individuals need to cultivate a digital literacy that is more visual (video) than the reading literacy addressed in the above report. Given the various ways in which information is now presented, it calls into question how one actually defines "reading" these days. After all, if you've made it this far, you're reading this on-line. Shouldn't this count as reading?

No doubt, we're deluged with information from every which way. And we're challenged in our efforts to manage this information, to sort through and make sense of it. Keep it short. Keep it simple. Where is the Spark Note version?

Hey - can you text it?

We were told back in 2002 by the Commission on Adolescent Literacy of the International Reading Association that teenagers entering the 21st century would be reading and writing more than at any other time in human history. What do you think?

For another take on this issue, check out an interview with Kelly Gallagher, author of a book called Readicide.

Closer to Home

Back near the start of this school year, 289 ninth-graders completed a reading survey that was administered in their English classes by EOS Reading Specialists. The survey was comprised of the following components - 1) a Student Self-Report of Academic Skills designed to gather information about preferred styles of learning, attitudes, interests, and goals, 2) spelling dictation of 25 words representing phonetic and orthographic patterns or conventional rules, and 3) a nationally-normed assessment called the Nelson-Denny Reading Test that took timed measures of vocabulary and reading comprehension. The objectives were to establish individual baseline performances, to identify student needs, and to make recommendations where appropriate. The data was grouped by academic levels and some of the information contained in the detailed report prepared by Ms. Sandra Popeleski, EOS Reading Specialist, follows in the bullets and paragraphs below;

160 students in English 9A, representing 53.6% of the population tested, completed the survey, while 129 students in English 9B did the same.
Percentile scores on the Nelson-Denny in Vocabulary for 9A students ranged from 22 to 99, with the mean percentile settling on 83.1. For Comprehension, the range was 19 to 99, with the mean being 80.6. Finally, the range for Total Reading was 21 to 99 and the average was 83.3.
Percentile scores for 9B students in Vocabulary were in the range of 2 to 99, with the mean being 54.3. For Comprehension, the range of scores fell between 1 and 99 and the mean percentile was 46.3. The Total Reading range was 1 to 99, with the mean being 50.
100% of the students in 9A earned at least a 64 (goal for incoming ninth-graders) on the 8th-grade Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) - the DRP average for this group was 85 - while 67% of B-level students (for whom scores were available) reached at least the benchmark DRP of 64.

Individual reports on each student are available in the EOS Guidance Office. Counselors have been reviewing these reports with students during scheduled meetings that have been conducted since the beginning of October.

As already noted, there has been growing concern in recent years about the amount of time that children (and adults, for that matter) spend reading on their own. EOS students were asked back in 2008 on the High Student Engagement Survey administered to 1170 students about how important it is to "read and study for class". Forty-five percent of students in mostly "A" level courses felt it was a top priority or very important while 21% in primarily "B" level courses viewed it as very important or a top priority. When asked in this same survey how much time they spend each week reading for themselves, almost half the A-level population reported spending an hour or less while over half of B-level students spent fewer than 60 minutes.

Reading Is to Writing...

Several experts point to the critical link between reading and writing - that the quality of one's written expression is related to an individual's reading patterns. In other words, it's hard to write clearly and coherently if you're not reading the written word. What do you think?

Try this analogy: reading is to writing as ________________is to_____________.

Send your response to dmelody@eosmith.org. Really! Replies will be posted next week. No names mentioned, if that's your preference.

Articles of Interest

Best College Majors for a Career

(Wall Street Journal)

A Personal Guide to Digital Happiness

(Atlantic Monthly)

Student Entrepreneurship In College Is On the Rise

(Washington Post)

Week Ten Notes

2011-11-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

A Test of Time

The unexpected loss of power last week, and the subsequent frustration it ignited while waiting for CL&P to return light to our lives, offered a test in patience, for sure, and even a temporary respite from the quickening pace of life that has us so wired these days. Some of us dusted off the monopoly game and others dug out the deck of cards buried under...stuff. And still more of us found ourselves actually having a conversation during a "candle-light" dinner.

As much as the power outage inconvenienced us, it also provided a time for reflection. It gave us downtime. And it was an odd feeling. Whatever happened to downtime? Here's one view - What Happened to Downtime?

Test Optional

Several colleges and universities - mostly smaller schools - have chosen to become "test-optional" institutions, meaning that students are given the option of submitting their SAT/ACT scores. On the surface, it may appear that these schools are making the claim that other measures are far more important to consider than some standardized test taken on some Saturday morning. In fact, this may be the case since research indicates that students who choose not to submit scores perform just as well in the college classrooms as those students who do submit scores. Of course, there are cynics who believe that there are other strategic reasons for implementing the "test-optional" policy. We'll save that for another time.

Either way, schools that implement this option give students who feel their test scores would diminish their chances for admission the choice to hold back their scores. For those students who wish to have their scores considered, they go ahead and submit them.

To read one take on this, click on Rigors and Rewards for Going Test Optional.

Adjustments in School Calendar

As a result of last week's storm, the school calendar has been adjusted as reflected below:

November 15 First marking period closes

November 16 Second marking period begins

January 24-27 Semester 1 exam period

January 30 Third marking period begins

March 29 Fourth marking period begins

June 18-21 Semester 2 marking period

You may want to use a "pencil" when putting this into your calendar. No need to say why.

Knowing Who You Are

We all know about physical fitness and what we can do in the way of exercises, diet, rest and the like in order to become more physically fit. But what about mental fitness - Is it possible for us to become more mentally fit? Can we actually strengthen our cognitive capacity, expand our mental muscle, and stretch our malleable minds? There is enough evidence to suggest we can. But, much like physical fitness requires intelligent and intense effort, so too does mental fitness require this kind of effort. An article appearing in Time, Teens' IQ May Rise or Fall Over Time, addressed this issue. Is intelligence fluid? Or is it fixed?

Of course, nothing is as clean and precise as research sometimes indicates. Still, preferences and tendencies may be revealed that could lead to interesting discoveries. It used to be "common knowledge" that intelligence was a fixed trait and captured on "intelligence" tests. Many have since challenged this notion, including Howard Gardner of Harvard (multiple intelligences) and Robert Sternberg of (formerly Yale) Tufts (triarchic theory of intelligence). Intelligence is much more than what may be measured by an intelligence test (or SAT, for that matter - by the way, The College Board actually changed the "A" in SAT from "aptitude" - implying innate intelligence - to "assessment" - denoting achievement). Guess what? Now the "A" stands for absolutely nothing. SAT stands for SAT. Anyway, intelligence is much more fluid, subject to change, than was once thought.

The same may be considered of personality temperaments. In past posts on this blog, descriptions of four basic temperaments - reduced from the sixteen "personality types" defined in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - were provided that may resemble different kinds of individuals that comprise a student body (or even a human race). If you were asked to review these descriptions and then choose in order the pairs of students likely to be successful in a school environment, you probably could do it with reasonable accuracy.

Each type/temperament has its strengths. Each has its weaknesses as well. Without getting too technical (and long-winded), suffice it to say that all of us possess the potential for developing the strengths inherent in each temperament. Obviously, it requires effort - intelligent and intense effort. We can become intellectually stronger, more flexible in our thinking, and we can cultivate the stamina sometimes required in challenging situations. Repeat - it takes intelligent and intense effort, in the same way that it requires this kind of effort to become more physically fit. Of course, there are limits to what one may be capable of doing simply because of one's genetic makeup, but there is also a range within this makeup where one can move along a continuum. The ideal would be for each person to move to the upper limits of this range. Repeat - it takes intelligent and intense effort to do this.

Students who complete "Do What You Are" (high school version of the MBTI) in Naviance - it's part of their Student Success Plan - receive a detailed description of their strengths as well as their "blind spots." It's very useful information that can serve as a workout plan to make one more mentally fit. Repeat - it takes..

Sometimes personality temperaments can clash. You may want to read how in Ambitious Parents, Mellow Children.

Article of Interest

The Wrong Inequality

Week Nine Notes

2011-10-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

A Plea to Ninth-Graders

This a third request (the first was by email and the second via Facebook) for ninth-graders to complete an on-line survey about their transition to EOSHS. It takes fewer than 10 minutes and it can be found on the Family Connections page of Naviance. Students can click on the "About Me" tab and locate the survey on the left of the page. Thus far, only 12 students have responded. We'd really appreciate a healthier response. Individual responses will remain private, but the aggregate data is very useful information. Thank you in advance for your help with this.

A Correction

The Financial Aid Workshop for Parents/Guardians is scheduled for Monday, December 5th at 7 pm in the lecture hall.

Setting Measurable Goals

OK...we've presented information about Naviance and Student Success Plans (enough already, right?), so let's move to the next step in the sequence of building an electronic portfolio (ninth-graders, by the way, have been asked to complete the Ninth Grade Six Week Assessment - directions were given via email and are also available on Facebook). This next step has ninth-graders identifying measurable goals they'd like to achieve this year that will help make the first year experience a meaningful one for them.

This exercise is done in Naviance and students input their information on the Family Connections page. Students are first asked to identify at least two goals they'd like to achieve. More often than not, they respond with goals such as "I want to do better in school" or "I want to get better at _____ (insert sport)", but they're quickly told that the goals have to be defined in measurable terms. So, "I want to do better in school" may really mean "I want to make the honor roll in all four quarters" or "I want to earn at least a B in each course." These are measurable. Students are then asked why the goal(s) is (are) important to them. In other words, what is it that makes the goal meaningful? Finally, they're instructed to list the steps/behaviors they'll need to take/exhibit in order to move towards realization of the goal(s).

This exercise has at least two objectives - to help students target behaviors (process) that will move them towards desirable outcomes (product) and to help them understand how to establish goals in measurable ways. After all, if they're not measurable, then how will you know when you get there?

Tuition Break for Connecticut Residents

Looking for a discount on college tuition? Well, the New England Board of Higher Education may have a program for you. Called the Regional Student Program (RSP) Tuition Break, this program is a partnership comprised of the public colleges and universities in New England that offers more than 700 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and provides a significant discount on regular out-of-state tuition rates to eligible students.

Here's how it works - residents of one New England state are eligible when they attend certain public colleges in the other five New England states and pursue majors not offered by public colleges in their home state. This means that a CT resident may enroll in an out-of-state public school in New England and pay what amounts to almost in-state tuition provided that the major pursued at the college is not one offered by any of the public colleges and universities in CT.

If interested (and why wouldn't you be?), you can find more information about the program as well as majors available elsewhere at Regional Student Program Tuition Break.

Take the Quiz

Complete College America is a non-profit organization working to significantly increase the number of Americans with a college degree or credential of value and to close the attainment gaps of traditionally underrepresented populations.

Take the quiz to check your awareness of student matriculation and completion rates in higher education (answers are at the bottom);

1. Just over ____(a) 35%, b) 50%, c) 65%, d) 75%) of students who start a four-year bachelor's degree program full-time finish in six years.

2. Fewer than_____(a) 3, b) 5, c) 7, d) 9) out of ten students who start at community colleges full-time graduate with an associate degree in three years.

3. America now ranks ____(a) 1st, b) 5th, c) 10th, d) 20th) in the percentage of young adults in the world with a college degree.

4. In the current recession, unemployment rates are_____(a) 100%, b) 50%, c) 25%, d) same) higher with just a high school diploma compared to those with a bachelor's degree or higher.

5. ___(a) 75%, a)50%, c) 25%, d) 10%) of today's college students are attending full-time and living on campus.

6. For every 10 students entering community colleges, ____(a) 7, b) 5, c) 3, d) 1) require remediation.

7. ____(a) 75%, b) 60%, c) 35%, d) 25%) of college students enrolled full-time graduate within eight years.

8. ____(a) 75%, b) 60%, c) 35%, d) 25% of college students enrolled part-time graduate within eight years.

Answers: 1) b, 2) b, 3) c, 4) a, 5) c, 6) b, 7) b, 8) d

EOS Courses Offering Community College Credits

Much has been publicized about UConn courses (Early College Experience) made available through the EOS curriculum, and the school community should also know that EOS several Manchester Community College courses as well. They are (MCC equivalent is in parentheses) Accounting 1A (ACC 115: Financial Accounting), Human Anatomy & Physiology (Bio 115: Human Biology), Introduction to Criminal Justice (CJS 101: Introduction to Criminal Justice), Video Productions 1 & 2 (OM 240: Broadcast/TV Production), Child Development (CE 101: Introduction to Early Childhood Development), Health and Wellness (LT 103: Investigations in Health Careers), Culinary Arts (SP 101: Principles of Food Preparation), Elementary Algebra Foundations (MAT 095: Elementary Algebra Foundations), Quantitative Literacy (MAT 109: Quantitative Literacy),Algebra 3 & Trigonometry (MAT 138; Intermediate Algebra: A Modeling Approach), Physics B (PHY 110: Introductory Physics), Student Success Skills (SD 111: Foundations of Student Success).

Due to federal government restrictions (this program is funded by Washington, DC), only juniors and seniors are eligible to earn college credits in these courses. Applications will soon be available in the Guidance Office.

Money, Money, Money

The best place to look for scholarships is in your own neighborhood. In other words, the major national scholarships tend to be extremely competitive and the best bet on finding money is with local scholarships. The EOS Guidance Department posts scholarship information on Naviance (click on "Colleges" tab). For other scholarship opportunities, you may want to try Sallie Mae, fastweb, or SchoolSoup.

Articles of Interest

You get the gist of this week's theme. If you think that the goal is to get into a "good" college and that you'll be set from there on, then read Humming to Higher Ed for a reminder that parenting is hardly over once kids move into a dorm on campus. And if you're wondering how much student debt is too much, you may want to read How Much Student Loan Debt Is Too Much? Finally, if you're trying to decide which major to pursue, then click on The Major and the Job Market, the Dream and the Reality, and then read about why Your First Job (Really) Doesn't Matter. Hope you find these pieces interesting and thought-provoking.

Week Eight Notes

2011-10-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

Using Course Planner in Naviance

As you know by now, Naviance is a relatively comprehensive web-based program that the EOS Guidance Department uses when presenting issues related to the three components of a developmental guidance program - social/emotional, academic, and post secondary issues. Students complete surveys on-line, conduct research on career and college options, prepare for the SAT, and plan for their futures in a variety of ways. One such way is through a component of Naviance called "Course Planner". Here's how it works.

Students (and parents) can access "Course Planner" by logging in to their accounts and clicking on the "Courses" tab in the menu bar. Under "My Course Plans", click on "manage my course plans", then open the "add a new plan", and click on the "create a new draft plan". From there, you'll see several four-year plans available and each is based upon the kind of schools - defined by competitiveness (how difficult it is to be accepted - the lower the percentage of students accepted, the more competitive it is) - that a student may wish to pursue. By clicking on any one of the plans, you will see the types of courses available to choose from that will comprise a four-year plan of study compatible with the kinds of competitive schools for that particular category. For example, a student interested in attending a highly competitive school would click on that plan and see that the majority of courses from which to choose would be at the "A" level. What is not taken into consideration are the grades that a student earns in these courses. Rather, the strength of the four-year plan is based upon the rigor of one's course selections.

A design flaw that Naviance has not yet corrected relates to the schools of interest that are listed below the "meter" that measures rigor. For example, a plan that may be appropriate for admission to ECSU may not be sufficient for acceptance to UConn, even though Naviance is indicating otherwise. For more accurate feedback, students should speak with their counselors and use the "Colleges" tab for more information as well. Still, Course Planner may be very useful in the course selection process when taking into consideration post secondary aspirations. It's about planning for what's ahead and knowing what you need to do in order to get there.

Federal Law Requires Colleges to Provide Real Cost of Education

A federal law is about to go into effect (October 29) that will require all college websites to provide an online tool called a net price calculator that is intended to give a more accurate estimate of real costs for students and families. An article appearing in USA Today last week describes this law and its intended effects. What it's not meant to do is provide "sticker shock" but rather a more realistic - albeit, estimated - view of costs for attendance.

A website managed by the federal government that's labeled College Navigator - National Center for Educational Statistics (available in "Helpful Links" below as well) already provides a good deal of this information. Using these tools may reveal that some schools which may appear to be out of reach may, in fact, be affordable if sufficient financial aid (based upon need) is provided. At any rate, the time invested in using these tools may reap the net effect of finding affordable options for higher education.

EDocs Program Allows EOS to Send Transcripts Electronically

The EOS Guidance Department began using a program last year called Naviance eDocs that delivers electronic transcripts and admissions forms to hundreds of colleges, including every Common Application member institution. In all, there are now 1545 schools throughout the country that use this program, including most all of the popular schools pursued by EOS students.

By using this program, EOS is reducing the use of paper and postage while expediting the delivery of admission materials to their intended destinations. And the program is free. It makes sense - and saves several cents in the process.

A reminder - with most all college applications now submitted online, it's imperative that seniors notify their counselors when submitting their applications electronically. The EOS Guidance Department otherwise has no way of knowing that students have done so.

Opportunities

The Princeton Prize in Race Relations recognizes students who are helping improve race relations in their schools or communities. Winners of the prize are awarded up to $1000 and invited to Princeton for an expense-paid weekend symposium on race. For more information, visit www.princeton.edu/pprize.

Northeastern University is offering a program called "2011 Women in Engineering Day" on Friday, October 28th. The program is a great way for female students who are interested in engineering to learn more about Northeastern's program. Call 617.373.3402 for more information.

Seniors - be sure to check the "Scholarships" section in Naviance for an updated list of opportunities.

Articles of Interest

A few new articles are presented here that may be of interest to you. One argues that how we learn is more important than our innate capacity to learn (The Science of How People Learn) in determining how much we actually do learn. Another argues that we should forget everything we've been told about good study habits (Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits) and that research points to more effective methods, and a third instructs parents how not to parent their children (12 Ways to Mess Up Your Kids). The last piece is a twist on parenting advice - one worth reading.

Week Seven Notes

2011-10-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

More Specific Information About the Student Success Plan

A little over a year ago, the CT State Board of Education (CSBE) adopted a rather ambitious position statement on measuring student success. What follows is an excerpt - "The State Board of Education defines successful students as those who can read, write, compute, analyze information, think critically and creatively, solve problems, communicate effectively, and use technology. All students should also enjoy and perform in the arts and athletics, and understand history, science, and other cultures and languages. Each student must share ample responsibility for his or her learning and behavior, be able to persevere at complex tasks, work well with and be helpful to others, and contribute to the community. All students must graduate from high school and be prepared to continue their education, become productive members of the workforce and function in the global economy. Ultimately, students must become engaged citizens and lifelong learners who lead healthy and productive lives." Of course missing from this position statement are the benchmarks that define success in each of these areas. Without it, who is to say when success has been reached? How would we know? That is apparently left for high schools to decide.

Anyway, as noted in last week's announcements, the EOSHS Guidance Department is moving towards an objective that will see every student with a plan for success. Called the Student Success Plan (SSP), it will be an electronic portfolio that will be constructed over a four-plus-year period. It will begin in the latter part of 8th grade and conclude near the end of each student's senior year. This SSP will include cognitive and affective data that should help students determine readiness for success with post secondary options and it should help them to choose their options wisely.

Each student is required to complete Geography - the study of places,etc. in this world of ours. Consider this SSP exercise an informal course called "Biography" - the study of oneself and the position s/he holds in this world. The SSP will be comprised of the following;

8th Grade - tentative four-year plan of study, transition survey, goals to achieve in high school
9th Grade - reading assessment, six-week transition survey, self-confidence inventory, personality assessment, revision of plan of study
10th Grade - career interest profile, attributions inventory, resume, revision of plan of study, CAPT
11th Grade - PSAT/Accuplacer, post seconday plan, resume, reflection, SAT, revision of plan of study
12th Grade - SAT/Accuplacer, post secondary game plan, resume, transcript review, application process

All of these plans will be stored in Naviance and available for viewing from any computer and at any time. More information about these plans will be presented in blogs to follow. You should also know that the CSBE has mandated that this SSD begin in sixth grade and extend through high school graduation. Discussions with school officials from the sending towns are already underway about implementation of this plan over six years.

PSAT Score Reports Due for Return in December

Over 200 students sat for the PSAT on Saturday, October 15th. This test is a shortened version of the SAT. It does not include the essay required on the SAT. Still, the PSAT can be a relatively accurate predictor of performance on the SAT.

It can also serve as a valuable learning tool in preparation for the SAT. Aside from "experiencing" the test on a Saturday morning (albeit not the three-plus hour version), test-takers receive a detailed itemized analysis of their test results. The EOS Guidance Department collects the test booklets with student names on them and then mails each student's test booklet home along with the score report. So, students have the opportunity to review each question, observe which ones they answered correctly, and which ones they answered incorrectly. Furthermore, with each question tagged by a specific content area label, students can also identify areas that may need further attention when preparing for the SAT.

If used properly, the score report can be a very valuable learning tool. For those who took the test this past Saturday, they should expect to receive this information by mail in early December.

Performing & Visual Arts College Fair in Boston

On Wednesday, November 2nd, the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) will present its annual Performing & Visual Arts College Fair in Boston, MA. More than 130 of the nation's premier arts institutions will be represented at the fair. This fair offers prospective students a first-hand opportunity to ask questions and collect relevant information from schools of interest. This is the only college fair of its size in New England that is specifically geared toward arts students, and it only occurs once each year. For more specific information - including time, location, and schools in attendance - click on 2011 Boston Performing and Visual Arts College Fair.

Dates to Remember

Friday, November 4

End of First Quarter

Thursday, December 1

UConn Application Deadline for Early Action

Wednesday, December 7

Financial Aid Workshop for EOS Parents

Finally...

A few more articles have been added that you may find interesting. One is about college majors related to future jobs (What's Your Major? Working Toward the Uninvented Job), another is about learning from setbacks (Why Do Some People Learn Faster?), and a third is about how we measure happiness (Redefining the Meaning of No. 1).

Week Six Notes

2011-10-09T05:38:00.000-07:00

Success Planner Added to Help Students Plan Successfully

A couple of years ago, the Connecticut State Department of Education mandated that every high school in the state develop a student success plan that is designed for students to, well, be successful in and beyond high school. Whether mandated or not, it makes sense that students should put a plan in place that leads to a successful experience in high school and beyond. And the EOSHS Guidance Department is helping students to do just that.

Success Planner, a brand new feature in the Naviance suite of options, was recently added to the EOS Naviance Program. Among its many features is the capacity to build electronic portfolios over four years, keeping everything in one place and making it accessible from any Internet connection. Other features allow students to set goals, complete tasks assigned to them, create to-do lists for themselves, connect to-dos to goals, and add reflections on goals and tasks.

What's more, counselors and teachers can assign standard or custom tasks, monitor goals and tasks, and comment on these goals and tasks. EOS counselors have already assigned grade-level tasks for students to complete.

The focus initially will be on 9th and 10th graders as they begin to construct four-year plans and portfolios. The department goal is for every 9th and 10th grade student to complete all tasks assigned to them by the end of this school year. More about this will come in future "Notes".

If it wasn't such a cliche, I'd say ~~that failing to plan is planning to fail~~. But it is. So, I won't.

What's a Transcript and How Do You Interpret It?

Let's begin with what a transcript is not - it's not a report card. Whereas a report card "reports" grades at designated points in the school year, a transcript lists final grades issued at the end of semester and year-long courses -grades that are permanent. Below is a very brief video made to help you "see" what a final transcript looks like and how you can make sense of it. Know beforehand that the video is a collection of snapshots depicting the various parts of a real transcript, with descriptive labels attached to each slide. It's not award-winning footage, but then again it's not designed as such. Hopefully, though, it gives you a sense of what a transcript is and how to interpret it. Stop it along the way if you need to view a part more closely. Contact your counselor if you have additional questions.

The Difference Between ACA GPA and TOT GPA

If you're wondering what ACA GPA and TOT GPA mean and if there's a difference between the two, then know there is.

ACA GPA represents the weighted grade point average a student earns on the basis of grades earned in courses at the various levels (A, B, G). This academic (ACA) GPA is the one seen on transcripts and used with the bar graphs (see below) appearing on the school profile.

TOT GPA is used strictly for honor roll designation and is based upon a traditional 4-point scale. So, an "A" is worth 4 points regardless of the course level. An A- and an A+, by the way, are both worth 4 points as well - there is no differentiation with a + or - in the grade. So, an "A" is an "A+ is an "A-".

Rationale for Eliminating Class Rank

Several years ago, EOS began moving away from reporting numerical class rank (1, 2, 3...101, 102, 103...), first switching to percentiles (99th percentile, 98th, etc., where - in a class of 300 - three students would share the same percentile), then to deciles (first ten percent, second ten percent, etc.) and eventually to no rank at all. Some have wondered why. Here's an explanation.

Let's start with numerical ranking. EOS uses a weighted grading system, as most everyone knows, with higher level courses offering "heavier" weight on grades earned in those courses. Using this method doesn't accurately depict "ranking" and the following example shows why - if Sam takes the most advanced courses in the curriculum and Sally does the same, and if Sam earns an "A+" in each course and Sally does the same, and if Sam chooses to take nothing else in the way of electives but Sally takes a B-level elective, then Sam is ranked number one and Sally is runner-up in the ranking. This is simply because she chose to take an elective. I don't think anyone would suggest she skip the elective she wishes to take so that she can protect her ranking. Do you?

With regard to decile rank, EOS students have occasionally been eliminated from scholarship competitions because they have not been ranked in the top ten percent of their class (sometimes a criterion for scholarships). These same students could very well have been in the top ten percent at other schools. When asked what they'd do if EOS didn't report class rank, college officials have said that they'd calculate a rank themselves. So EOS decided that is the way it should, in fact, be determined - colleges could decide and EOS wouldn't do it for them.

EOS then moved further ahead on the issue and contacted fifty of the most competitive colleges in the country, asking each for feedback on the possible elimination of class rank. Not one school said it would hurt EOS students in the admissions process. Many reported it wouldn't matter because they re-calculate GPA anyway, and some said it could actually help EOS students because it would force admissions officials to delve more deeply into the application. Based upon this feedback, the decision was made to do away with class rank. EOS, by the way, is hardly alone on this. The majority of secondary schools across the country have responded similarly to this issue.

In its place, EOS reports on its school profile (this accompanies every college application that leaves EOS) a bar graph that depicts the distribution of GPAs across a class, with each bar representing a .5 range of GPAs. Doing it in this manner provides schools relative data, and it does so without giving up who is (or is not) in the top ten percent of the class.

Students are now free to choose electives for the right reasons.

Ninth Grade Appointments Begin This Week

Ninth-graders and their parents/guardians will begin their individual appointments with assigned counselors this week. These half-hour meetings are the final phase of the transition program that was first launched back in March.

Counselors wish to make their first contacts with families a positive one and these scheduled meetings are designed to do just that. They'll conduct a review of academic progress-to-date, summarize the results of a reading screening administered to every 9th grader, make reference to Naviance, take a brief peek into the next four years, and respond to questions/concerns that students and parents may have. It's a worthwhile use of time for all involved.

Midpoint of Quarter - Changing Schedules

Having reached the midpoint of the first quarter, students (parents and teachers, too) have been provided sufficient time to assess course/level placements. Students have until Wednesday, October 12th, to make schedule changes on semester courses (meaning level changes or drops) without any record of these changes appearing on academic transcripts. After October 12th and before the close of the first marking period, changes made during that time will be noted with a "W" (for withdrawal) on the transcript. Note that the "W" has no impact on GPA. Also note that any change requires written parental consent Contact your counselor for more information.

Finally...

Articles of interest are updated periodically to keep this section fresh and up-to-date. Added this week are The Learning Class (a piece about "open universities" and predictions on the direction of higher education), The University of Wherever (continuing on the previous theme), The Half-Baked Teen Brain (a view on the developing nature of the teen brain), and Study: An Early Bedtime May Help Keep Teens Fit (early to bed, early to rise...).

Week Five Notes

2011-10-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

We're on Facebook and Twitter

That's right. We're going where kids hang out these days in our continuing effort to reach out and communicate information we feel they need to know. Email, for many students, seems to have been dumped at the "swap shop" and replaced with Facebook and even Twitter.

So, while we've moved to open a Facebook page, we've also created a Twitter account. If you use Twitter, try us out @eos_guidance. And if you're a Facebook user, make us a "friend" and receive information this way as well.

What's Naviance and Why Should You Be Interested In It?

The EOS Guidance Department has been using Naviance for several years now, adding features along the way when they become available to subscribers and when we feel they're useful to our school community. Naviance is a web-based program that offers a full range of services. You'll find course descriptions on classes offered at EOS, four-year plans of study that match the various post secondary goals that students may have, data on student outcomes specific to colleges and universities to which EOS students have applied over the past seven years, links to the vast majority of post secondary institutions throughout the country, links to financial aid web sites, a link to The College Board, career information, results of surveys we administer to students, Success Planner that holds electronic portfolios we're building with students, and an SAT prep program that is extensive - and free to students. There is even more. The link to Naviance may be found on the school web site (http://www.eosmith.org/). You may also wish to follow a tutorial video that we put together. This may be found to the right under "Tutorials" or you can simply open the link here.

Part Two is available as well. It's not Hollywood calibre, but it suffices in terms of providing an overview. Should you have questions about the program, do not hesitate to contact the Guidance Office at guidance@eosmith.org.

PSAT Registration Continues

Registration for the PSAT continues this week. Students may register in the Guidance Office during school hours. The window for registration will close on Wednesday, October 12th. Unlike the SAT, where registration is done on-line through The College Board, registration for the PSAT is conducted at the test site. Cost for the test is $20 and is payable by cash or a check made to E. O. Smith High School. More information about the test, including times and date, may be found in the Week Three Notes.

How to Register for the SAT and Report Scores to Colleges

Unlike the PSAT where students register at the test site (in this case, EOSHS for EOS students), students register for the SAT via The College Board. Simply click on the link just mentioned in the previous sentence and you'll go to the web site where information about the registration process is available along with test dates and registration deadlines. Be sure to have a credit card handy when registering.

Readers should also know that students possess sole ownership of their test scores and, thus, possess sole rights to these scores. This means that only students can request that The College Board release their official scores to colleges, etc. The College Board began offering a "score choice" option a couple of years ago that essentially gives students the right to choose a set of scores earned on a specific test date. Previously, when students requested that an SAT score be sent, all previous scores would be sent as well. Now, if students sit for the SAT on more than one occasion, they can choose to withhold a set of scores and release the other(s).

Colleges have expressed their own views of this score choice option - they want all the scores, and they assure students that the highest scores earned in each category (Critical Reading, Math, Writing) will be considered even if these scores are earned on separate test dates.

Tutoring Available

Students have hit their stride now that four weeks of the school year have passed. Some may be experiencing difficulty in their classes at this point in the school year. Everyone should know that plenty of support is available. The Math Department offers tutoring in all of its courses (arranged through each student's math teacher), help with writing is available in the Writing Center (housed in the LMC), world language support is provided through the World Languages Department, and three UConn interns preparing to be teachers are also available to provide assistance in the Guidance Office. Regarding the latter, students can arrange to work with one of these tutors by contacting their counselors.

For additional support at home, students may wish to try Khan Academy. This web site has received much acclaim in the media in recent months and may be useful to students as another form of support.

Faith-Based Education Necessary for Success in School

OK - it's not what you think. It really has nothing to do with religion, with the Tea Party, or with politics in general. Rather, it really has everything to do with students believing in the process of education and trusting that what they're being asked/required to do will lead to promising opportunities - in spite of what may seem like a lack of relevance in the moment. So, it's about having faith in education and it's about having faith in themselves to succeed in what they're doing/learning. This is what it means by a faith-based education.

Unfortunately, more and more students are beginning to question their faith in the educational process (College Senior Glimpses Future, Sees Hope) and too many are finding it difficult to finish (The Completion Shortfall). Still others are saddled with debt and unable to find meaningful employment once they do graduate (Degrees of Debt). And many wonder if the American Dream is any longer a reality for the majority of students who will soon find their place in adulthood (Can the Middle-Class Be Saved?).

Graduating from high school assures the graduate of very little if s/he is not prepared for access to a meaningful pathway that leads to some form of higher education. Whatever path one takes, it will likely mean meeting up with an assessment like the Accuplacer, SAT, ACT, and even a licensing exam. Like it or not, we're all tested. So, we need to be ready. No one needs to utter another word about the state of the economy these days or the prospects for improvement in the immediate future. But we do need to tell kids that their best chance for reaching the promised land of meaningful employment and a middle-class lifestyle is still via the pathway of higher education. The data shows it. They need to believe this, to trust the process, and believe in themselves. Meanwhile, educators need to adapt to a changing world, although the debate continues about what this adaptation should look like.

The brief video below was played at the start of Sony's Annual Convention a couple of years ago. Even though it's almost two years ago, the contents and message remain relevant today. The world is changing rapidly. And change is inevitable.

Finally...

Let us know if there are topics you'd like us to write about in this blog or any ideas you may have to make this space more useful to the EOS community.

Week Four Notes

2011-09-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

College Board Reports SAT Score Profile for Class of 2011

The College Board reported the SAT Score Profile for the recently graduated Class of 2011. The scores represent the last administration in which seniors took the SAT. So, in other words, if a student sat for the SAT in May of junior year and again in October of senior year, the latter score is the one used to calculate mean averages. Below you'll see much of the data reported;

There were 197 test-takers. The mean averages were 574 in Critical Reading (CR), 584 in Math (M), and 571 in Writing (W).
Fifty-seven took the SAT in their junior year only while 139 students completed the test in their senior year (some, no doubt, were repeat test-takers). The average scores for those who took the SAT in junior year only were 597 in CR, 610 in M, and 604 in W while the average scores earned in senior year were 565 in CR, 572 in M, and 557 in W.
These scores compare favorably to state and national averages, with those scores reported as 509 (CR), 513 (M) and 513 (W) for CT while national mean scores were 497 in CR, 514 in M and 489 in W.
With regard to score distributions, 154 EOS students earned scores higher than 500 in CR, 155 did the same in M, while 156 surpassed the 500 benchmark in W.
The ten colleges and universities that received the most SAT Score Reports from EOS students were UConn (118 students), ECSU, (51), CCSU (26), University of Rhode Island (24), University of Vermont (21), Keene State (15), University of New Hampshire (15), Quinnipiac (14), SCSU (14), and UMass (14). Of the aforementioned ten listed, nine are public institutions.

Reminder About PSAT Registration

In last week's post (Week Three Notes), information was reported about registering for the PSAT that will be administered on Saturday, Octber 15th at EOSHS. Refer back to this post of last week for the details on registration.

Managing the Power of Power School

When student grades became accessible last year through Power School, it opened a whole host of issues that accompanied the opening of teacher grade books. What was surprising to many is that the data revealed students accessing grades at the rate of twice that of parents. What wasn't known, though, is to what degree students were/are accessing grades through their own portals in the presence of their parents or if parents were simply using student accounts to check. What we did learn in the process is that access to grades can be both a benefit and a liability, depnding upon how this access is used.

Like several tools, Power School can be an effective tool if used properly - and not so if used improperly. Proper use is subject to personal interpretation, but it may be safe to say that overuse may be just as detrimental as no use at all. Checking grades frequently (every day, if not every hour) can cause frustration because the pace that teachers use to input grades differs across the faculty. Likewise, there are occasions when human error results in incorrect input (in such cases, students should simply consult the teacher). But when parents check so frequently that it robs the sense of responsibility and ownership from students for the latters' grades, then the result is distrust and dismay.

Clearly, the parent portal to grades is a potentially effective tool for communication, and it may be used for a springboard to constructive conversation about academic performance, engagement, and the like...if done so in good measure. But what can we call good measure? Here's one suggestion - set aside one time a week (make it consistent from week to week) to sit down with for a parent-child session during which the "book" is opened. Set ground rules for discussion. And set a time limit, too. If there are any issues that remain unresolved, resolve to address them during the next weekly meeting. Be sure to examine the effort behind the grades - meaning homework and project completion as well as quiz/test performance. Reinforce effort made.

Proper use of this tool can enhance conversation about the school experience. Improper use, on the other hand, can lead to distrust. It may take some time to figure out what works for parents and children. It's work well worth doing.

When you have a moment, take a look at an article that appeared in last Sunday's NY Times Magazine. The link is to the right under "Articles of Interest" and is entitled What If the Secret to Success Is Failure?" While on this topic, you may want to check out a few videos on the issue of failure posted on "Learning Matters". This link may be found to the right of this page.

Finally...

Postcards are being mailed home to parents/guardians of ninth-graders announcing their appointments with assigned counselors in the weeks ahead...and seniors should make appointments with their counselors to review/revise postsecondary plans...and make sure to check out your "Family Connections" in Naviance for updates, announcements, and new programs.

Week Three Notes

2011-09-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

EOS Students Stand to Lose Thousands of Dollars

Early College Experience (ECE) applications are due in the Guidance Office on Tuesday, September 20th. As reported in previous blog posts, these applications are required for eligibility to earn UConn credits in ECE courses offered at EOSHS. Close to 250 EOS students enroll in at least one ECE course each year, and several students take more than one of these courses. At $400 per credit, you can do the math on the value of a three-credit course.

Well, several students still have yet to either submit their ECE applications or have not yet amended their applications (Add/Drop) in cases where they have changed their schedules. In spite of several announcements and several attempts to contact students about missing applications, many students have yet to respond.

The ECE Office at UConn is, understandably, very inflexible with delinquent applications submitted after the due date. This date has already been extended from September 15th to the 20th in response to the chaotic start of the school year caused by the hurricane. So, failure to submit this application for UConn credits will result in the loss of opportunity to earn college credits - credits that are free to EOS students. In this age of rising costs for higher education, this turns into an opportunity lost.

Applications must be submitted by 3 pm on Tuesday, September 20th or this opportunity will indeed be lost. Contact the Guidance Department with questions about this.

PSAT Information

Registration for the PSAT begins this week. The PSAT is a practice SAT that is highly recommended for juniors and for sophomores as well who have already completed Geometry. The reason for the latter is that a portion of the math on the PSAT includes Geometry. The test date is Saturday, October 15th. Doors at EOSHS will open at 8 am and the test will begin at 8:30 am. It is expected to conclude around 11:30 am. The cost for the test is $20 and may be paid for with cash or a check made out to EOSHS. Registration takes place in the Guidance Office. The window for test registration will remain open until Friday, October 7th. A late fee of $10 will be assessed after that date, provided room remains available for additional test-takers.

Juniors who choose to take the PSAT are eligible for National Merit Scholarships. Those students who score in the top half of the 99th percentile are typically selected as candidates for these scholarships. Their value has been $2500 and likely will remain so in the next year. Aside from eligibility for these scholarships, the PSAT provides a testing experience that resembles the SAT, and students who complete the PSAT receive a detailed summary of their test performances. This summary may be very useful when preparing for the SAT.

Contact your counselor if you have questions about the PSAT.

Free SAT Prep Program Available

The Guidance Department has purchased an on-line SAT preparation program for all EOS students to use. This program, called Method Test Prep 2.0, is available on your Family Connections link in Naviance. Simply go to your Family Connections page and click on the link to the left. You'll be asked to provide an email address that the provider will use to send updates, but it's not necessary for you to provide an email address to access the program. So, you can choose to ignore the request and proceed directly to the program.

Once there, students will find short units to complete as well as full practice test and tutorials. Test data is saved to help students analyze their strengths and weaknesses. With the program being web-based, students may access it anywhere provided they have an internet connection.

Students should contact their counselors if they have questions about this program.

Guidance Department Schedules Individual Meetings With Frosh and Parents/Guardians

The Guidance Department has scheduled 30-minute meetings for 9th graders and their parents/guardians, the purpose of which is review transitional issues during the first several weeks of the school year. Postcards will be mailed home this week that will include the date and time of appointments. Counselors look forward to meeting students and their parents early on in each student's high school experience.

While on the subject of transition, if you haven't done so already, click on the link under "Tutorials" that is entitled "Student Voices." You'll find a brief video that has seniors giving advice to freshmen about making the best of their high school experiences.

Finally...

Several new links to interesting and worthwhile articles have been added under "Articles of Interest". This section will be updated frequently throughout the year.

Week Two Notes

2011-09-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

Below is information you may find useful at this point in the school year.

Student Voices: A New Series

The Guidance Department is experimenting with a new delivery that will have EOS students speaking on a variety of issues. The first in this series is Seniors Speaking to Freshmen. It's a five-minute clip about how ninth-graders can make the best of their four years in high school. You're encouraged to view this video, regardless of class, to learn about the advice that some seniors gave to the Class of 2015. You can find it under "Tutorials" to the right of this page.

Adding/Dropping Courses

With about a week of school already in the books, students may still be weighing their course loads and determining what's appropriate to carry. Anyone wishing to make a schedule change will need to complete a "Schedule Change Request Form" that is available in the Guidance Office. This form will require both a teacher signature (course being dropped) and a parent signature before the change can be processed. The completed form should be brought to the student's counselor.

For the record, you should know that semester courses (designated by S1 or S2) and year-long courses (designated by YR) have different timelines for adding/dropping classes and how these changes are depicted on transcripts. For first semester courses, students have twenty (20) school days to decide before changes are reflected on transcripts. In other words, any changes made before the 20-day window will NOT be reflected on transcripts. Changes afer the 20-day period but before the end of the first marking period will show a "W" (withdrawal) on the transcript. For year-long courses, the timeline is doubled.

Adding/Dropping ECE Courses

Information about adding/dropping Early College Experience (ECE) courses was posted on the previous blog post. Any students making changes in their schedules that include either adding or dropping ECE courses MUST complete the Add/Drop form available in the Guidance Office by September 20th. Failure to do so forfeits the opportunity to earn UC credits in the course(s) or, in the case of failing to drop the course(s), means that an "AU" (audit) will appear on your UC transcript.

PSAT Information

PSAT information will be emailed home in the next week. The date of the test is Saturday, October 15th. Doors will open at 8 am, the test administration will begin at 8:30 am, and it should conclude at about 11:30 am. Juniors and sophomores will be receiving this information, so be looking for it in the days ahead.

Information for Seniors

Counselors will be visiting English 12 classes and reviewing pertinent postsecondary information with seniors. Seniors are encouraged to make appointments with their counselors to continue discussions about plans for life after high school.

Seniors should also log on to Naviance and check the schedule for visits to EOSHS that are being made by college admissions representatives from several colleges and universities. These visits are typically made during the school day and seniors will need to get permission from teachers if the former will be missing class to attend a session.

A representative from the UConn Admissions Office will be in the Guidance Office at 11 AM tomorrow, September 13th.

Parents/Guardians of seniors have one final chance to complete a "brag sheet" for their soon-to-be graduating child. This sheet provides an opportunity for parents to share information that they feel could be included in a college recommendation that counselors will be writing in the weeks ahead. The form is available on Family Connections in Naviance.

More information will follow next week that will outline procedures for filing college applications, teacher recommendations, transcripts, etc.

Opening Bell - Take Two

2011-09-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

The new school year launches tomorrow and, unlike the original plan that called for a Monday (8 period) schedule, students will instead follow a regular Tuesday schedule. Keep this in mind as you prepare for the day.

Several student schedules have been changed as a result of last-minute adjustments in the master schedule. Many of these changes were made late last week and many of the students affected were notified. However, many were not. Students enrolled in English 11A, English 11B, and English 10B should re-check their schedules. This may be done via power school. New schedules will also be available in the LMC prior to the start of school.

If you're still trying to figure out how to read your schedule, click on "How To Read Your Course Schedule" at the right under Tutorials.

If you find a mistake on your schedule, you can complete a form describing the mistake and what needs to be corrected. List your counselor's name on the form. Follow your schedule as is and your counselor will correct the mistake ASAP. S/he will then email you an amended schedule. You may also print a new copy on power school. If you wish to make a change in your schedule, follow the same procedure as described above.

Be sure to check this blog frequently for updated information.

Best wishes for a successful school year!

Opening Bell Announcements

2011-08-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back! Okay, not yet? Still five more days of summer fun. But...

Below is some important information we'd like you to be familiar with as we begin the 2011-12 school year.

Early College Experience Courses

Students enrolled in Early College Experience (ECE) courses - these are UConn courses offered at EOS - need to make sure they've completed the ECE application form. It was due back in June at the close of school. Students who have done this and who have not made schedule changes that include ECE courses (either adding or dropping) need not worry about anything.

However, students who are enrolled in ECE courses and who have NOT completed an ECE application must do so at the start of the school year. In addition, these students MUST complete the Add/Drop form attached to the application. These applications are available in the Guidance Office.

For those students who did complete the form back in June and who have since made changes that involve ECE courses, they need to complete JUST the Add/Drop form.

NOTE: Although the application form lists costs with each course, these costs are waived for EOS students. In other words, these courses are free-of-charge. It's a pretty good deal in this day and age. Believe it or not, a few students each year fail to folow the instructions outlined above and miss out on free college credits. The Guidance Department is very diligent in following up with students prior to the deadline (9/15) who have not completed the form. Still, with everyone's cooperation, we can be more certain that everyone enrolled in these courses earns the credits deserved.

Contact your counselor with any questions about this.

UConn Campus Courses

For those students selecting courses on campus, a separate application form is required. This form, too, is available in the Guidance Office. Per policy with the university, EOS students have access to courses on the UC campus provided they meet eligibility criteria and provided there is a seat in the chosen course on the first day of the semester. Once again, courses are free, but students are responsible for purchasing their own textbooks.

NOTE: Classes at UConn begin on Monday, August 29th.

Contact Doug Melody (dmelody@eosmith.org) with any questions about this.

Schedule Changes

Any requests for schedule changes should be made to your counselor via email. Counselors are back in their offices on Thursday, August 25th, but much of their time during the day will be devoted to registering new students to the district. Rest assured that counselors will reply to your emails should you send them.

Also note that some last-minute adjustments are being made to the master schedule and this will result in schedule changes for some students. Some sections of courses are being collapsed and others are opening up, so it means that some students will be moved around in order to balance class sizes. Affected students will be notified prior to the start of school on August 31st.

More to Follow

More information will follow in the days ahead. The Guidance Department has added a couple of features to Naviance that students and parents will find very useful. In addition, articles and short videos have been added on the sidebar of "Guidance Matters" and "Learning Matters" and you're encouraged to open them for review. These will be updated frequently throughout the year.

UC Courses on Campus and MCC Courses at EOS

2011-06-16T06:23:00.000-07:00

Several questions have been asked about the option available to enroll in courses on the UConn campus. Additionally, questions have been posed about MCC courses offered in the EOS curriculum. Both issues are addressed in the following paragraphs.

As you may know, EOSHS was once governed by the University of Connecticut and EOS students, under this arrangement, had available to them courses offered on the UConn campus. A split occurred back in the mid-1980s when UConn decided to relinquish control of EOS and the Region 19 School District evolved from UConn's decision. In the "divorce" agreement, EOS students were assured placement in UConn courses on campus provided that they were eligible to take the courses (met prerequisites), seats were available in the course on the first day of the semester (EOS students enroll for free and, understandably, tuition paying UConn students should get first dibs on any course), and the course was NOT offered in the EOS curriculum. This policy has continued to this day, although it has become increasingly more difficult to enroll our students in classes on campus due to increasing enrollment there, shrinking budgets that are reducing the number of sections available, and changes that UConn has made in eligibility for enrollment.

Eligible students (read: 11th and 12th grade students with academic credentials - strong transcript and combined SAT scores of 1200+ in Critical Reading and Math) may request enrollment in no more than two classes per semester. Decisions on enrollment are made by the Early College Experience Office. We enroll these students as part-timers through the Office of Continuing Studies, although - as stated in the previous paragraph - we are not able to do so until the first day of the semester. Typically, about 25 students enroll in courses there each semester. Final grades earned in courses there appear on both EOS transcripts and UConn transcripts. It should be noted that the grades earned in courses taken on campus are NOT factored into the EOS cumulative GPA. Students who wish to enroll in a course on campus must contact Doug Melody to intiate the process.

Regarding MCC courses offered at EOS, 11th and 12th graders are eligible to earn up to 14 MCC credits (per policy established by the College Career Pathways Program at MCC). Students must complete an admissions application to MCC in order to be eligible for credit. In most cases, a final grade of C or better is required to earn credits in any course. Courses articulated in the Business Office Technology Program require a grade of B- or better while ACC115: Financial Accounting (Accounting 1A at EOS) and MAT 138: Intermediate Algebra (Algebra 3 at EOS) require a final grade of B or better. Credit for MAT 138 also requires that the student achieve a score of 40 or higher on the College Level Math portion of the Accuplacer Test.

Both programs, as well as the many courses offered at EOS through the Early College Experience Program, are exceptional opportunities for students to begin their college experiences by enrolling courses during high school while reducing the ever-increasing costs of higher education. Any questions about either option described above should be directed to the Guidance Department.

Numbers Tell a Story: Postsecondary Plans for the Class of 2011

2011-06-11T03:57:00.000-07:00

Below are some numbers that represent the plans of the soon-to-be graduating seniors in the Class of 2011.

148 students are planning to attend four-year colleges
94 are planning to attend public colleges
81 are staying in Connecticut
54 will be attending private colleges
50 of the aforementioned 54 will be attending out-of-state schools
32 students have "other" plans
30 students intend to enroll in two-year community colleges (all in CT)
14 are entering into full-time employment
6 students will matriculate to career/certification programs
5 are enlisting in a military branch
2 students are taking a year off
1 student is enrolling in prep school
53% of the class of 2011 are males
53% of the class is moving on to four-year colleges
55% of the students attending four-year colleges are females
57% of the students matriculating to two-year colleges are females
63% of the students attending private colleges are females
75% of those who have "other" plans are males
93% of the students entering employment are males
it's an even split on male and female percentages (50-50) for those about whom nothing is known regarding plans

So, what's the story? Well, much of the story is nothing novel when compared to what's being "read" elsewhere. Almost seventy percent of the graduates are moving on to some form of higher education (matching the percentage observed nationwide), more EOS females than males are doing so (although slightly less than the percentage seen across the country), more males are entering the workforce (jobs remaining undefined) than females, and the economy seems to be having an impact on matriculation rates as about seventy percent of the students moving on to higher education are opting for public schools.

That's a version of the story.

Notes Related to Course Scheduling

2011-05-22T02:44:00.000-07:00

Verifying Course Selections

We're reaching the point where the initial phase of construction for the 2011-12 master schedule is almost complete. Most students have been scheduled into classes they initially selected back in February and March. In years past, a list of course selections would be mailed home around this time each year for verification. We'll soon be doing this again in about a week or so. When you receive this information, be sure to review it for accuracy. Students should contact their counselors immediately if they see mistakes on the list or wish to change anything on it.

Registration for Early College Experience (ECE) Courses

For students enrolled in ECE courses in the 2011-12 school year, they will need to complete a registration form by June 1 in order to be eligible to earn UConn credits. The forms are available in the Guidance Office. They are also available on-line at the Early College Experience (ECE) web site (see below under "Helpful Links"). Failure to complete this registration form in a timely fashion will result in lost opportunity to earn free college credits (ECE Policy). A minimum final grade of "C" is required in order to earn UConn credits.

If you're wondering which EOS courses are considered ECE courses as well, check the following list:

AD Biology (UC BIOL 1107)

AD Biology (UC BIOL 1108)

AP Chemistry (UC CHEM 1127Q)

AP Chemistry (UC CHEM 1128Q)

AD Latin 4 (UC CAMS 3102)

AD Latin 5 (UC CAMS 3102)

AD Economics (UC ECON 1201)

AD French 5 (UC FREN 3267 and 3268)

AD World Civilizations (UC HIST 1300)

AD Modern European History (UC HIST 1400)

AP US History (UC HIST 1501and 1502)

AD Individual & Family Development (UC HDFS 1070)

AD Latin America Studies (UC LAMS 1190)

Discrete Math (UC MATH 1030Q)

Calculus A (UC MATH 1125Q and 1126Q)

AD Calculus (UC MATH 1131Q and 1132Q)

Physics A (UC PHYS 1201Q)

AD Physics (UC PHYS 1201Q and 1202Q)

AD Spanish 5 (UC SPAN 3178 and 3179)

AP Statistics (UC STAT 1100Q)

List of Articulated Courses With Manchester Community College

Below is a list of courses offered at EOSHS that are eligible for MCC credits. Registration for credit will be done in November. The opportunity to earn MCC credits is only available to 11th and 12th graders (MCC policy).

Accounting 1A (MCC ACC 115)

Human Anatomy & Physiology A (MCC BIO 115)

Intro to Criminal Justice (MCC CJS 101)

Tech-Prep English (MCC COM 173)

Video Productions 1 & 2 (MCC COM 240)

Child Development (MCC ECE 101)

Allied Health (MCC HLT 103)

Health and Wellness (MCC HLT 101)

Tech-Prep Culinary Arts (MCC HSP 101)

Tech Algebra 2 (MCC MAT 095)

Quantitative Literacy (MCC MAT 109)

Algebra 3 and Trigonometry (MCC MAT 138)

Physics B (MCC PHY 110)

Foundations for College Success (MCC SD 111)

Course Planner

You may recall in a past blog entry entitled "Course Planner" that a feature has been added to Naviance that allows students to construct four-year plans of study based upon the selective category of schools they may wish to attend upon graduating from EOSHS. This tool may be very helpful when deciding which courses to choose relative to postsecondary goals. The tool may be found under the "Courses" tab in Family Connections. Contact your counselor if you need help with this.

New Courses for 2011-12

Refer to the blog post in Guidance Matters entitled "New Courses for the 2011-12 School Year" that was published on March 21.

Courses Not Offered Next Year

The following courses will not be offered next year or will be unavailable to underclassmen;

Accounting 2A

African Studies B

AP Computer Science

Computer Art B (not available to 9th and 10th graders)

Economics B

General Science 3

Genetics A

Microbiology B

Money Management A

Robotics

Start Your Own Business

Registering for Courses on the UConn Campus

Anyone wishing to take a course on the UConn campus in the first semester should email Doug Melody and list the course(s) they'd like to take. His email is dmelody@eosmith.org.

Closed Until Further Notice

2011-05-11T02:59:00.000-07:00

This blog (and the other) has been an experiment that, for the most part, has been professionally rewarding while, albeit, immensely time-consuming. It has, no doubt, been a work-in-progress as I've learned on the fly how to construct and manage this. Slowly, it seems that the blogs have found a place. The number of page views has been encouraging. The number of comments, on the other hand, has not been so encouraging. Still, as one post labeled "The Power of Yet" put forth, sometimes the goal pursued just isn't realized "yet". One post served a couple of weeks ago, though, certainly sparked interest in a way that the other forty-five posts (including those posted on "Learning Matters") didn't. The post entitled "Razing the Bar On G Level Courses" delivered comments like no other. "Yet" was no longer applicable. Unfortunately, they weren't what I had in mind when I began this experiment.

Some in the community, I've been told, have held me accountable for the comments expressed by others here. I guess I am. After all, it is "my" blog. A few have expressed frustration at not being able to post comments, so I recently changed the settings to make this easier to do. In so doing, I forfeited "editing" capability in exchange for what I hoped would be more dialog. Well, you know the rest.

This topic provided an opportunity for various constituencies in the community to speak. It was an opportunity for a town meeting of sorts to take place - at anytime and in any place . This issue could have been addressed in a manner that allowed any reader to observe and participate at anytime and from any place. It was the original intent of the blog.

It didn't happen.

What did happen is unsettling. Disappointing is not a strong enough descriptor.

Apparently, we're not ready "yet" for this to be a community forum. And I'm not about to micro-manage this blog for the latest comment. I just don't have the time. Frankly, I also don't think it's necessary for me to do it. So, we'll shut down this option. For now and at least the near future, this blog will be used much like a bulletin board - I'll post anouncements and pertinent information. Until further notice, other topics that are intended to invite discussion - like the many posted previously on both blogs - will be packed away.

I guess you could say I'm razing a portion of the blog.

Many Start, But Not So Many Finish: Is This Another Kind of Race to Nowhere?

2011-04-30T04:04:00.000-07:00

"Race to Nowhere", a documentary about teens saturated with stress triggered by the high-stakes college admissions process, has garnered its fair share of attention in recent months. What isn't getting nearly as much attention, though, is a race to nowhere of a different sort - namely, the college matriculation race many high school graduates start but never finish. Four-year (and even five- and six-year) graduation rates at many colleges across the country are abysmal. If only people knew.

About seventy percent of high school graduates nationwide move on to higher education (at EOS, it's close to 80%, with 60% going on to four-year schools). Less than half complete a four-year degree. Of course, college isn't for everyone, and this is certainly the case for some who go anyway. But, is it worthwhile to attend even for a year or two? And what are the consequences of extending the time frame for completion by one or two years? Read on.

Let's first take a look at graduation rates on college campuses in Connecticut.
Here you go. The first number is the 4-year rate, followed by the 5-year rate, 6-year rate, and retention rate after the first year. So, for instance, if school U shows 47%/59%/66%/75%, it means that 47% of an entering class graduated in four years, 59% finished in five years, 66% completed degree requirements in six years, and 75% returned to school after the first year. Got it?

Central CT State University (13%, 45%, 46%, 79%)
Connecticut College (83%, 87%, 88%, 90%)
Eastern CT State University (29%, 43%, 46%, 74%)
Fairfield University (75%, 78%, 79%, 90%)
Post University (25%, 28%, 29%, 62%)
Quinnipiac University (69%, 75%, 75%, 87%)
Sacred Heart University (56%, 61%, 62%, 81%)
St. Joseph's College (34%, 46%, 47%, 71%)
Southern CT State University (11%, 31%, 38%, 77%)
Trinity College (81%, 85%, 86%, 90%)
University of Bridgeport (28%, 37%, 41%, 49%)
University of CT (56%, 74%, 76%, 93%)
University of Hartford (49%, 58%, 60%, 75%)
University of New Haven (31%, 44%, 45%, 76%)
Wesleyan University (89%, 93%, 93%, 95%)
Western CT State University (14%, 33%, 41%, 76%)
Yale University (90%, 95%, 97%, 99%)

Notice any trends? Wonder if there's any relationship between college readiness and graduation rates? Between SAT scores and graduation rates? Between ability to pay and graduation rates? Between anything else?

William Bowen (an economist and former Princeton president) and Michael McPherson (an economist and former Macalester College president) recently authored a book entitled "Crossing the Finish Line" in which they discuss the findings of college graduation rates based on the records of about 200,000 students at 68 colleges. Below you'll see some of what they reported;

some students are inadequately prepared for higher education, but many high school graduates are sufficiently prepared and still not succeeding because...
many students "under match", meaning that they choose schools that are not necessarily the best ones they can get into, instead opting for one that is less expensive or closer to home. This is particularly the case for students in low-income families. They tend to matriculate to schools with lower graduation rates and, thus, enter a culture in which graduation isn't necessarily a high expectation. Conversely, the authors say, students who are "well-off" attend the colleges with the best graduation rates. And they graduate. This, they say, perpetuates the income divide.
colleges are part of the problem and they need to do a better job of graduating students and doing so in four years. Otherwise, "graduation delayed often means graduation denied." (High schools get hammered for dropout rates that are much, much lower than many colleges listed above. How are colleges able to escape this attention?)

Higher education remains a wise investment, even though the price has considerably outpaced inflation over the past three decades, with tuition now resembling the housing bubble that recently burst and consequently deflated sale prices. More and more families are being priced out of the market, especially at private schools. Still, the US Labor Department recently reported that workers with bachelor's degrees earn on average 54% more than those who attend college but don't finish. That's a lot of money left on the table over the course of a lifetime. And, in the final analysis, how much less expensive is it really to attend a lower priced school when it may take longer than four years to cross the finish line (think about lost income during the extra years in school)?

How can we help students finish what they started? One way, no doubt, is by helping them become better prepared, although - as already noted - many are (for those who aren't, this will become an even more serious issue as colleges deny enrollment on the "Ability to Benefit" clause). Another way is to provide a jumpstart with college credits earned while enrolled in high school. Both ways are well within our grasp. How do we get students to grab hold of them? Doing neither leaves them with little to hold on to once they move into life after high school.

General Notes of Interest

2011-04-28T02:23:00.000-07:00

Senior Design Demonstration Day at UCONN

Friday, April 29 1-4 pm

Gampel Pavilion

www.engr.uconn.edu

On Friday, April 29, UConn Engineering majors will demonstrate and discuss working models they designed, built and tested to meet a genuine commercial design challenge. All types of engineering challenges will be represented - from manufacturing, systems and materials-based engineering challenges to biomedical and logistical issues. Visitors are welcome.

Providence National College Fair

Saturday, April 30 12-3 pm

Rhode Island Convention Center

www.nationalcollegefairs.org

To register for the fair online: www.gotomyncf.com.

Students who register and bring their barcoded printout with them to the Fair will not have to fill out information cards on site! Save time, register online!

Exploring College Options

Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Penn, and Stanford are combining (as they do each year) to offer student/parent information sessions at various locations in May. The relatively local venues and dates for this presentation are listed below;

Providence, RI

Tuesday, May 17, 7:30 pm

Providence, Marriott Downtown

1 Orms Street

Providence, RI 02904

401.272.2400

Hartford, CT

Wednesday, May 18, 7:30 pm

Hartford Marriott Rocky Hill

100 Capital Boulevard

Rocky Hill, CT 006067

860.257.6000

www.exploringcollegeoptions.org

Preliminary student schedules for 2011-12 should be available for review in a few weeks. More information will follow in the days ahead.

For long-range planning purposes, the PSAT test date for EOS students is set for Saturday, October 15. Registration for the test will conducted during the latter part of September. More information about this will be made available at the start of the school year.

For information about the potential threat of cyber-bullying and measures to take against it, go to "Learning Matters" at http://eosguidancematters.blogspot.com.

Razing the Bar on G Level Courses

2011-04-13T02:14:00.000-07:00

That's right. EOS will soon be demolishing G level classes in English and Social Studies. They're being phased out as English 9G, Politics G, and Geography G will no longer be offered. The plan is to continue dismantling G level courses in subsequent years as the Class of 2015 (and other classes that follow) moves through EOSHS. Doing so in Math and Science will involve more "site work" beyond the boundaries of EOSHS and, thus, will require more time before a move is made to raze G level in those departments.

If you're wondering why, here's the rationale. Based upon a study conducted by Lou Deloreto, EOS Principal, the findings confirmed what anecdotal information otherwise already suggested - there is a disproportionate percentage of special education students and students from lower income brackets filling seats in G level courses as compared to the A and B levels. The data also revealed that those students who progress through a G level curriculum are highly unlikely to pursue some form of higher education upon graduation from EOS. Test scores support the belief that these students may not be ready either.

So, EOS is looking to eliminate this inequity by first eliminating G level. In order to accommodate for this change, the following support systems will be put in place;

Common planning time will be scheduled for teachers.
Teachers will be provided opportunities for professional development in differentiated instruction and assessment practices.
Academic support will be put in place for identified students.
Special education teachers will be incorporated into B level classes.

This change will result in smaller classes, increased academic support, and expanded flexibility in course scheduling. The hope is that all of this will lead to an increase in performance on benchmark assessments for ALL students while infusing a culture of high expectations for all.

Okay - so you may be wondering what this change will do to the present B level model. The answer is - the change will make it better for everyone involved. Instilling a culture of high expectations reflected by better performances on benchmark assessments and student engagement in the learning process should lead to more prepared students for the world beyond EOSHS.

Much of what we experience in life is fueled by what we expect of life, isn't it?. And what we see often depends upon what we're looking for. By razing the bar on G level, EOS is sending a strong signal that it expects more. Raising expectations for all should lead to a more rewarding educational experience, and it may change what students are looking for as well - most importantly, what they are looking for in themselves as they prepare for entry into a global economy that will demand higher order skill sets to compete successfully for jobs.

Why Do I Need to Learn This?

2011-04-06T02:31:00.000-07:00

"Why do I need to learn this?" Counselors and teachers have heard students express this sentiment at least a few (hundred) times in their careers.  It's actually a worthy question to sometimes ask, and not always an easy one to answer. It seems to be asked around this time of year when students are either struggling with courses they're presently in or choosing courses they'd rather not take (but are required to) during the next school year.

"Why do I need to learn this?"  Often, it makes sense to decode the motivation behind the question. After all, if we understand why the question is being asked, it may help to provide a satisfying answer. And sometimes kids ask this question not because they wonder why they need to learn something but because they're frustrated with not being able to learn it. So, an easy fix for their frustration is to simply blow it off and minimize the importance of what they're so frustrated trying to understand.

"Why do I need to learn this?" Well, you know teachers sometimes ask the question in a different way - "Why do I need to teach this?" - although they may not always express it outwardly. And students may never know that teachers feel this way. Of course, the motivation behind this question may have - just may have - something to do with teaching to a test (or, stated another way, teaching with a test in mind: think CAPT, CMT, etc.). In any case, it seems like everyone - students and teachers alike - sometimes wonders why they're learning/teaching the material they have in front of them (see "What Does It Mean to Be Educated" at Learning Matters (http://eosguidancematters.blogspot.com/). It's a worthy question to ask, and not always a simple one to answer.

"Why do I need to learn this?" Well, here's why.

Although you may not need to know it now, there may come a time when you do. By then, it may be too late.  For instance, students go to switch majors in college, only to discover they don't have the necessary coursework to continue in it. Adults go to switch jobs, need to take a math placement test or something similar, and sometimes realize - "This is why I need to know it."

How will you ever know it's useful or not, interesting or not, if you don't ever learn it in the first place?

"Why do I need to learn this?"

Because it may make you a more educated and well-rounded human being. Really.

Because the struggle involved in learning it is a lesson in itself.

Because it may help prevent you from being taken advantage of by another individual who may otherwise know more than you.

Because colleges want you to know it, and they measure your knowledge by the grades and test scores you earn. They want well-rounded learners, students who connect seemingly disparate dots among the different disciplines.

Because you may be on a television game show someday. You could win lots of money.

Because it may help you to see the world in a different way.

Because it may help you to see yourself in a different way.

Because it may lead to more learning and more discoveries.

Because you have the chance to learn it - and others in this world may not.

Because it may make you a freer human being.

After all, it's what the liberal arts were meant to do - to liberate one's mind.

"Why do I need to learn this?"

Because...just because there are some things you need to do in life, like it or not. It's like eating the vegetable you really don't like, performing exercises that will keep you healthy but you'd rather not do, folding the laundry or putting out the garbage or cleaning your room or emptying the dishwasher.

Do you have any reasons why?

Job Description Offers Challenging Opportunity

2011-04-02T03:18:00.000-07:00

Job Description: Long-term player needed for challenging, permanent work in chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work evenings and weekends and frequent 24-hour shifts. There is some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway places. Travel expenses are not reimbursed.

Responsibilities: Must keep job for the rest of your life. Must be willing to be disliked, at least temporarily. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule. Must be willing to tackle challenges such as small gadget repairs, sluggish toilets, and stuck zippers. Must handle product and safety testing, as well as floor maintenance and custodial work. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars, and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and levels of maturity. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute and an embarassment the next. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of end project.

Advancement and Promotion: There is no possibility of either. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

Previous Experience: none required, but on-the-job training is offered on a continually exhausting basis.

Wages: None. In fact, you must pay those in your charge, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment may be due when they turn 18 and attend college. When you die, you give them whatever income you have remaining.

Benefits: There is no health insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays, and no stock options. However, the job offers limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life.

Position: Parent

(Taken from Ann Landers' column appearing in The Hartford Courant)

Students Speak - "What Adults Don't Know About Us."

2011-03-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

Several students at E. O. Smith High School were recently invited to do this - "Tell adults what you feel they DON'T know about you." Here is what they said. (Make sure to read all the way to the bottom of this.)

WHAT ADULTS DON’T KNOW

We are aware of things bigger than ourselves.
Adults cannot remember the sensation of discovery that comes with experiencing everything for the first time.
We don’t do sports for fun—but to please our parents and to keep the door open.
Sometimes it seems like you try and try and try and TRY! But .
Schedules separate families; there’s no time for anything. I just do what I have to do in the moment.
They don’t realize how stressful it is to always do your best, because if you don’t you’re always looked at as a failure.
They don’t realize how hard it is to deal with many different teachers. Parents complain about their one boss.
Adults don’t know how tired teens are of the world.
My peers won’t care that I have a stain on my shirt or that my socks don’t match.
Adults say we have thriving social lives, but between our school work and family requirements, we have no social life at all.
Sometimes we mean a lot more than what we say.
Teens have a better self-awareness than adults perceive we have.
We don’t hate everything.
Empathy helps me more than Sin(x+y)=Sin(x)cos(y) , etc.
We like to talk about our day.
Most of the time we’re actually listening to what parents are saying; we retain everything said in their lectures.
We know your expectations so when we fail we stick to ourselves and put so much pressure on ourselves to make you happy; you just don’t see it.
The pressure of the “future” is much greater to us than a grown adult.
We talk about, and complain about, each other all the time. Everyone does it—including teachers.
Teenagers want to be responsible AND irresponsible.
Our day doesn’t end when we get home.
We are grateful.
Teens want to reach adulthood, but don’t want to leave behind childhood. (Teens have jobs, yet have memorized a Disney movie theme song).
Teens want freedom to make their own decisions, but by restricting freedom, it becomes more desirable and only increases the desire for it.
Kids do not like to read. Kids don’t like to read not because it isn’t fun, but because they are quizzed and then tested on the material. The fun gets sucked out of reading.
Kids don’t like eye contact but are terrified of eye contact with adults.
They want to be able to talk about those things we can’t talk about without getting into trouble, without being judged.
We really could handle much harder work; we just haven’t received it yet.
Teenagers are confused. We’re between being children and being adults, having time for fun and stressing about school and between rebelling against our parents and loving them at the same time. Balance is a lot harder than it seems.
Don’t push the “college” thing too early.
Teens want to ‘connect’ with parents—they may say that they don’t, but parents need to give teens more leeway, and let them show their parents what they enjoy.
Not EVERYONE is friends with or likes your child.
We’re aware of problems in the household. Many parents try to shield their children if bad news has come, but we can feel the unrest in the miasma of the house. We feel it when something is wrong.
Teens are constantly being accused of being selfish and immature, but being told that just frustrates us more and forces us to act more child-like.
Your child needs more family bonding time.
Your child bottles his emotions.
Most of the time when we lie, it’s so we don’t hurt anyone; because we care too much, not because we don’t care at all.
Most fights between parents and teens are from parents underestimating the maturity level of their teen and therefore degrading their feeling of self-worth.
Your parents say “I know how you feel” or that I’ve been through everything you’re currently going through”. They haven’t. Everyone is different.
Teenagers, no matter how independent they act, always desire attention from their moms and dads.
They have selective hearing—they hear what they want to.
If I could run around with little kids all day instead of going to school, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
I love Art, not homework.
We want to talk to you and tell you all about our days. We want to share things with you, but sometimes we just can’t, or you make it so we can’t.
We don’t complain to annoy you or to seem ungrateful. We complain to get you to ask us questions about what we are going through—it is for positive attention from you, as parents.
Just because you were an unruly teen, doesn’t mean we are.
Part of the reason we don’t do well in school is because it’s boring and irrelevant to our lives, the more personal the more interesting.
Teens understand when a parent or person is phony. It’s really annoying because it is almost as if the parents don’t know they are.
We like to play out scenarios in our heads, over and over—such as conversations, or someone’s reactions.
We talk about the same things and repeat it over and over because we think it will fix it, solve it, make it happen, erase it, etc.
Sometimes our parents really drive us mad from the simplest things. For example, we get irritated even if they say ‘hi’, or ask how our day was. By your asking, we don’t want to anymore.
We want help with what we are going through, but are too afraid to ask for it.
Teens want parents who can understand what they are going through.
We are exposed to more things than you think; we can’t be sheltered forever—but sometimes we WISH we could be sheltered forever.
You may say we don’t know what ‘work’ is, that we don’t have a job so we don’t know what it’s like to be in your shoes. But we do—school is work!
Doodling doesn’t mean I’m not paying attention.
I’m constantly observing—whether you’re wearing different shoes or talking in a different tone. I notice.
They hate when you use ‘cool’ words in excess. It’s really embarrassing.
They hate when you tell them something they clearly already know.
We love you but we may not like you.
We may pretend not to care, but we want your respect.
The social aspect of school usually takes priority over academic. We learn more from friendships and socializing than we learn from textbooks and lectures.
We drink, smoke, and have sex. Don’t ever say, “Oh, my kid isn’t doing that.” Don’t be naïve.
Not everyone drinks, smokes and has sex. Don’t be presumptuous. We aren’t all bad kids.
We hate being grouped and labeled. Yes, we can be grumpy and lazy, but most of the time we are nice people and we hate the negative connotation that comes with the word “teenager.”
We hate it when parents compare them to others.
We hate it when adults say “you know everything, of course”. Let us argue our point, for god’s sake.
We love to look at our baby pictures because it brings back memories and shows how innocent we were.
Teens know that 99% of the time parents are right about everything. But teens don’t want to admit it because it’s embarrassing and not cool to have your parents be right.

What do YOU have to say? Powerful? Surprising? Hurtful? Helpful?

They're certainly being honest.

I wonder - is there anything that kids should know about adults that you feel they DON'T know?

Email your comments to dmelody@eosmith.org. Your comments will remain confidential. Or, if you wish, post a comment below that you care to own. Email responses will be published in the same manner as viewed above.

New Courses Available for 2011-12 School Year

2011-03-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

Although the first phase of "construction" of the mast er schedule was recently completed with students selecting courses for the 2011-12 school year, a good deal of time still remains for students to add courses or drop any they no longer wish to take. Since the list of courses was first rolled out, several courses have been approved for inclusion in the curriculum for next year. Some of these courses are available for Manchester Community College (MCC) credits. These courses are listed below;

Calculus for Business and Math (.5 EOS credit) - open to juniors and seniors, is a solid applications-oriented course for students considering a major in fields such as business, management, economics, life sciences, or social sciences.

Exploring Math Through Sports and Nutrition (.5 EOS credit) - open to juniors and seniors, is a course that covers a variety of concepts from geometry, algebra, probability and statistics as applied in seasonal sports and daily nutrition.

Financial Literacy (1.0 EOS credit) - open to juniors and seniors, it uses and extends the ideas learned in Algebra 2 in order to help students manage their finances. The course encourages active involvement by constructing and applying mathematical ideas through business and consumer themes.

Introduction to Chinese (1.0 EOS credit) - open to any student who has successfully completed three years of a world language at EOSHS. This course has an on-line (web-based) component to it.

Entrepreneurship (.5 EOS credit, 3 MCC credits) - open to juniors and seniors, this course focuses upon the issues and strategies involved in starting one's own business.

Sport Finance (.5 EOS credit) - open to juniors and seniors, this course will examine the big business of sports and include issues such as free agency,revenue sharing, the economic impact of professional sports franchises on local economies, and athletics at the collegiate level.

Student Success Skills (.5 EOS credit, 3 MCC credits) - open to juniors and seniors, this course will address the skills that students can acquire and develop in order to deliver success in higher education and life beyond school.

Trigonometry and Calculus for Business and Economics (1.0 EOS credit) - open to juniors and seniors, it will actively integrate trigonometry into the fields of civil engineering, aviation, aeronautics, landscaping, surveying, astronomy, geography, physics, meteorology, oceanography, harmonics, classical mythology, and film. Calculus for Business and Economics is a solid applications-oriented course for students considering a major in fields such as business, management, economics, life sciences, or social sciences.

Students interested in learning more about any of these courses and or wishing to enroll should contact their counselors as soon as possible.

Results of 8th Grade Transition to EOSHS Survey

2011-03-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

EOS counselors recently visited each of the schools sending
students to the high school in 2011-12 and part of the visit
included students completing a survey on Naviance that
asked them about their impressions of the impending move.

Below you'll find the results of the survey.

Edwin O. Smith High School

March 15, 2011

E. O. Smith High Transition Survey (2015 - 2015)

Response set 1

Rate your confidence in each of the following areas (1 very confident, 2 confident, 3 unsure, 4 lack some confidence, 5 not confident at all)

Average Rank

	1	2	3	4	5
Time Management						(2.5)
Organizational Skills						(2.4)
Self-discipline						(2.1)
Motivation						(2.2)
Listening Skills						(2.1)
Persistence-good work ethic						(2.1)
Sense of responsibility						(1.9)
TOTAL RESPONDED: 263

Rate your satisfaction in the following areas (very satisfied, 2 satisfied, 3 unsure, 4 a little dissatisfied, 5 very dissatisfied)

Average Rank

	1	2	3	4	5
my overall middle school experience						(2.0)
my academic achievement						(2.1)
my social experiences						(1.8)
my extracurricular experiences						(1.9)
Add answer choices here.						(1.9)
TOTAL RESPONDED: 263

Select the number that best describes your PERSONAL/SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. 1= Definitely untrue; 2=Somewhat untrue; 3= Not Sure; 4= Somewhat true; 5= Definitely true

Average Rank

	1	2	3	4	5
I am developing the skills necessary for good relationships with others.						(4.1)
I am able to express my feelings, reactions, and ideas in appropriate ways.						(4.0)
I understand how my feelings, attitudes, and values affect my life.						(4.1)
I know about resources available to me if I need someone to talk to about personal concerns						(3.9)
I have learned to accept myself, even with my imperfections.						(4.0)
TOTAL RESPONDED: 260

Select the number that best describes your CONCERNS about going to EOS High School. 1= Not Concerned; 2= Somewhat concerned; 3= Not Sure; 4= Concerned; 5= Very concerned

Average Rank

	1	2	3	4	5
Finding Classrooms						(3.0)
Being late to class						(2.8)
Knowing and following EOS HS rules						(2.0)
Being able to do high school class work/homework						(2.8)
Involvement in sports and other extracurricular activities						(2.1)
Grades						(2.9)
Being with and getting along with others						(2.0)
Making new friends						(2.1)
Being responsible for choosing your courses						(2.3)
Understanding graduation requirements						(2.2)
Peer pressure						(1.8)
Drugs, alcohol, and/or tobacco						(1.7)
Bullying						(1.9)
Personal safety						(1.7)
Being accepted on social networks, blogs, etc						(1.6)
TOTAL RESPONDED: 262

Select the number that best describes your EDUCATIONAL PLANNING. 1= Definitely untrue; 2= Somewhat untrue; 3= Not Sure; 4= Somewhat true; 5= Definitely true

Average Rank

	1	2	3	4	5
I can identify high school classes and programs available to me at EOS High School.						(3.8)
I can identify some of my interests.						(4.2)
I can identify my abilities.						(4.1)
I can identify academic areas that need improvement.						(4.2)
I am able to balance my time commitments between academics, activities, and other commitments.						(3.6)
I know how to adjust to teachers who have different styles.						(3.7)
I can identify different types of colleges and career school available to me after high school.						(3.7)
I understand what it takes to prepare and be accepted at colleges and career schools.						(3.7)
TOTAL RESPONDED: 259

Select the number that best describes your own CAREER PLANNING. 1= Definitely untrue; 2= Somewhat untrue;3= Not Sure; 4= Somewhat true; 5= Definitely true

Average Rank

	1	2	3	4	5
I have some careers in mind that I am very interested in.						(3.9)
I can identify some of my own interest, abilities, and goals that fit well with these careers.						(4.0)
I have some realistic dreams of what I would like my future life to look like.						(3.9)
I understand where to find and how to use information about colleges and careers.						(3.5)
TOTAL RESPONDED: 258

As a student, I would like to know how to: (Please select at least one choice).

Improve my study skills	60%	(150)
Improve my test-taking skills	48.4%	(121)
Improve my organizational skills	37.6%	(94)
Overcome my fear of a challenging class	30%	(75)
Set goals for myself and carry them out.	44.8%	(112)
Manage my time better	48.4%	(121)
Improve my ability to focus in class	38%	(95)
Better understand my abilities, interests and learning style	24.8%	(62)
Get help when I need it	43.6%	(109)
Be able to talk to my teachers when I don't understand something	45.2%	(113)
Other	7.6%	(19)
TOTAL RESPONDED	100%	(250)

Check the items that are concerns for you: (Please select at least one choice),

Dealing with change /new situations	35.3%	(82)
Difficulty controlling anger	15.1%	(35)
Receiving one or more poor grades on a report card	49.6%	(115)
Fights	15.1%	(35)
Having problems with alcohol or drugs	4.7%	(11)
Family or friend addicitions	6.9%	(16)
A divorce or separation	12.5%	(29)
A death in the family	13.4%	(31)
A problem getting along with friends/others	17.2%	(40)
Bullying/harassment	12.1%	(28)
Stress	54.3%	(126)
Feeling sad or depressed most of the time	12.1%	(28)
Rumors/gossip	24.6%	(57)
Dropping out of school	3.4%	(8)
Eating disorder	3.9%	(9)
Not accepting people's differences	2.2%	(5)
Being made fun of for having good grades	10.3%	(24)
Afraid to come to school	4.7%	(11)
Fear of making mistakes	22.8%	(53)
Skipping school	2.2%	(5)
Test anxiety	31%	(72)
Not getting along with teachers	22.8%	(53)
Not having at least one adult in school that I can talk to if I have a problem	13.8%	(32)
Feeling unsafe	5.2%	(12)
Dealing with my body's changes physically and emotionally	5.2%	(12)
TOTAL RESPONDED	100%	(232)

What do you think is the role of a school counselor?

Assist with academic planning (schedule changes, registration for next year, a 4 year plan, etc.)	85.8%	(211)
Assist with post high school (college and career) planning.	72%	(177)
Assist with personal/social/emotional/family problems.	70.7%	(174)
Assist my transition to high school (answer general questions, help with study skills, etc.)	83.7%	(206)
TOTAL RESPONDED	100%	(246)

Presentations to 8th Grade Parents Conclude This Week

2011-03-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Lou Deloreto, EOS Principal, and Doug Melody, Director of Guidance, recently completed a series of presentations given over a three-week period in each of the sending towns to parents of 8th graders. The primary purpose of this presentation was to emphasize the importance of looking at the high school experience in the context of a four-year plan and not simply as a one-year transition to high school. Information was provided about Naviance and various four-year plans of study related to post-secondary aspirations. Although the point was made that four-year colleges are not necessarily appropriate for all EOS graduates, some form of higher education beyond high school is in order to compete successfully for jobs in a global economy and to secure a middle-class lifestyle.

Both students and parents should be registered by now in Naviance with separate accounts. It's important to do so because this becomes the primary channel through which information is disseminated from the Guidance Department. Naviance is also an extremely useful tool that students and parents can use to gather data on a whole host of topics. It may be particularly useful now as students consider course selections for the 2011-12 school year. Course descriptions may be accessed through Naviance. Also available are four-year plans of study that are designed to be compatible with admission to colleges based upon competitive categories. It should be noted that these plans are not fixed. Rather, they are simply models from which students (and parents) can draw information as they construct plans of study during their high school experiences. Obviously, grades in these courses matter as well.

Also emphasized in these presentations was the importance of becoming involved in school-related activities. Studies show that extra-curricular involvement enriches one's high school experience and may actually help to improve academic performance as well. There isn't the need to choose several activities as much as there is to find those few (or one or two) in which an interest can blossom.

A video tutorial on the various features of Naviance is available to the right under "Tutorials". Take the time to learn more about this program and the information contained in it. For 8th graders and their parents, the full range of services is not available yet and won't be until students become 9th graders at EOSHS. Until then, this group can review sample plans of study by going to the Guidance Eboard available at www.eosmith.org/.

You'll find that it's time well spent.

Strategies to Use When Taking the SAT

2011-03-05T02:48:00.000-08:00

The Princeton Review is an immensely popular test-prep company that offers programs to customers who are facing standardized tests (SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT, etc.) and hope to score higher by purchasing services that companies like The Princeton Review provide. Kaplan is another popular provider. Anyway, The Princeton Review recently offered EOS students the opportunity to take a full-length practice SAT on a Saturday morning and then followed up with a presentation two weeks later that included a detailed analysis of each student's performance on this practice test. Student feedback on this whole experience was very favorable. If you're wondering, by the way, how many students took up the offer, 41 signed on - but 35 actually got up that morning to travel to EOS and spend almost five hours completing the test along with instructions, etc.

It's worth noting some of the "tips" offered in the follow up session that supposedly can help students increase their scores. Below are some of these suggestions;

instead of looking for the right answer, it may be more useful to look for the wrong answers and eliminate them. The thinking here is that by process of elimination you'll arrive at the right answer - or at least you'll be able to choose between two possibilities rather than among four.
read the italicized section before each reading passage in the Critical Reading section. It provides helpful clues.
if you face a reading passage that just doesn't spark your interest, it may be wiser to read each question FIRST and then search for the answer in the lines provided.
there are six basic rules you need to know in the Writing section - subject/verb agreement, verb tense, pronouns, parallelism, idioms, and comparisons.
when writing the required essay, it's not important which side of a position you take. What's more important is that you open with a strong statement expressing your position that is followed by three descriptive examples (each developed in a paragraph) and a concluding paragraph that ties it all together. It's your basic five paragraph essay.
you can earn a 600 on any of the the three sections simply by correctly answering all of the easy and medium difficulty questions.
answering 8 questions correctly and leaving 2 blank will result in a higher score than if you answer 8 questions correctly and get 2 wrong. This is because you lose a 1/4 of a point for each incorrect answer.

There are more, but this is enough for now. Like it or not, tests like these are a reality that you will likely face at some point in life. Even if college is not in your plans, you may still need to take an exam for licensure or certification in an occupational field. And, although more colleges are making the SAT optional, it rarely hurts to submit high scores. So, it makes sense to learn how to take these tests.

A reminder - the Guidance Department has purchased a test-prep program that is available on Naviance under the "Colleges" tab. It's a free SAT practice program. Use it if for no other reason than to familiarize yourself with the kinds of questions asked.

Keep in mind, too, the tips listed above.

Choosing Courses Is Like Choosing a Lifestyle

2011-02-14T17:41:00.000-08:00

The course selection process for 2011-12 is set to launch on Tuesday, February 15th. Students will be escorted to the Library Media Center by teachers in designated classes and the former will select courses in Power School. The entire process is scheduled to last until March 3rd. Selections are tentative and subject to approval in cases where prerequisites are established. Counselors will review course selections with each student, and students will have the opportunity to make changes through the close of this school year in June.

Students should give considerable thought to their selections, not only as they pertain to next year but in subsequent years as well. They should also consider the time commitments required to be successful in their chosen courses and weigh these against extra-curricular commitments made. Saying "yes" to some choices implicitly means saying "no" to others.

Keep these thoughts in mind when choosing;

Think about the kinds of options you'd like to have once you graduate from EOSHS. For example, what kinds of colleges might you like to attend? What might you like to choose for a major? Note - if you really don't know, then you should keep open your options by choosing a challenging course of studies. Too often, students eventually discover what they'd like to do only to discover that they don't have the necessary coursework to pursue the major.
Think about the options available at EOSHS. Then think about how much time remains to your high school experience. What makes sense to take in 2011-12? In 2012-13? What courses are available to take for college credits? How many would I realistically want to take? How much money could I save in higher education costs if I take these courses? What will I have to give up in terms of time and commitments elsewhere if I choose these courses?
Think about work commitments. Are you planning on working at a part-time job? How many hours do you intend to work each week?
Think about when your extra-curricular involvement is most time intensive. Is one semester busier than the other with respect to the involvement?

In the end, students are making lifestyle choices when they make course selections. Some courses require more effort than others. The reward for this effort may come in more heavily weighted grades or it may come in the form of college credits or it may come in the form of better options beyond high school. But it also may come at the expense of time spent with friends and family or at the expense of a part-time job or even at the expense of sleep. Risks and rewards are often related. They have to be evaluated as well.

Course descriptions are available on Naviance. Click on the "Courses" tab for this information. Four-year plans of study are also available in this tab. These plans are categorized by the competitive category of schools. Take sufficient time to review this information. Wise choices require this time.

Developing Mental Fitness

2011-02-12T07:21:00.000-08:00

We all know about physical fitness and what we can do in the way of exercises, diet, rest and the like in order to become more physically fit. But what about mental fitness - Is it possible for us to become more mentally fit? Can we actually strengthen our cognitive capacity, expand our mental muscle, and stretch our malleable minds? There is enough evidence to suggest we can. But, much like physical fitness requires intelligent and intense effort, so too does mental fitness require this kind of effort.

The past few posts have been descriptions of four basic temperaments - reduced from the sixteen "personality types" defined in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - that may resemble different kinds of individuals that comprise a student body. If you were asked to review these descriptions and then choose in order the pairs of students likely to be successful in a school environment, you probably could do it with reasonable accuracy. Ready?

Nicole Toth and Ned Truman are programmed for success in the way that school is typically designed. It's backed up by research (which, by the way, would impress Nicole and Ned). Here's how;

possessing an appeal for abstract concepts and ideas (N = Intuition) may contribute significantly to an individual's academic ability.
individuals with preferences in introversion (I), intuition (N), and thinking (T) may have a relative advantage in "school smarts" since their preferences match typical academic tasks.
academic tasks typically demand logical analysis and favor thinking (T) types.
the range of grade point average mean scores in one study involving over 3500 male college prep high school students from 27 Pennsylvania high schools extends more than one standard deviation from INTJ at the top to ESFP at the bottom.
in this same study, INFJ and INTJ had the highest grade point averages of the J types while INTP and INFP had the highest grade point averages of the P types. The IN (introverted intuitive) types had the greatest natural interest in ideas and symbols, and the ES (extroverted sensing) type had the least. The latter types had an interest in learning from "real life" experiences and had less interest in "book learning."

Of course, nothing is as clean and precise as research sometimes indicates. Still, preferences and tendencies may be revealed that could lead to interesting discoveries. It used to be "common knowledge" that intelligence was a fixed trait and captured on "intelligence" tests. Many have since challenged this notion, including Howard Gardner of Harvard (multiple intelligences) and Robert Sternberg of (formerly Yale) Tufts (triarchic theory of intelligence). Intelligence is much more than what may be measured by an intelligence test (or SAT, for that matter - by the way, The College Board actually changed the "A" in SAT from "aptitude" - implying innate intelligence - to "assessment" - denoting achievement). And intelligence is much more fluid, subject to change, than was once thought.

So, each type/temperament has its strengths. Each has its weaknesses as well. Without getting too technical (and long-winded), suffice it to say that all of us possess the potential for developing the strengths inherent in each temperament. Obviously, it requires effort - intelligent and intense effort. We can become intellectually stronger, more flexible in our thinking, and we can cultivate the stamina sometimes required in challenging situations. Repeat - it takes intelligent and intense effort, in the same way that it requires this kind of effort to become more physically fit. Of course, there are limits to what one may be capable of doing simply because of one's genetic makeup, but there is also a range within this makeup where one can move along a continuum. The ideal would be for each person to move to the upper limits of this range. Repeat - it takes intelligent and intense effort to do this.

Students who complete "Do What You Are" (high school version of the MBTI) in Naviance receive a detailed description of their strengths as well as their "blindspots." It's very useful information that can serve as a workout plan to make one more mentally fit. Repeat - it takes...

Fourth Pair of Students - Sensing Perceivers

2011-01-22T10:10:00.000-08:00

Sal Price and Sara Penny are two pretty independent individuals. They describe themselves as inventive, experimental, and curious. They seem to have a knack for discovering what no one else knows. They love to try things differently (like not following directions all the time) and their risk-taking ability sometimes leads to interesting discoveries. It also gets them into trouble when things don’t go right. Sal and Sara love challenges especially ones that fall outside of normal boundaries. Both of them like to work with gadgets. Sara prefers to draw and do sculpture. She also likes doing yoga and jazz ballet. Sal, on the other hand, spends lots of his time working on computer and electronic equipment, tinkering with and fixing faulty parts. They admit to liking situations that allow for creativity and independence. They like to do things their way. They will also tell you that they can be very unpresictable, changing their minds in an instant. If they become interested in a project, they can spend hours at a time working on it. They also get bored very easily on things that don’t hold their interest. Sitting still is difficult for them, and they seem to be juggling lots of ac tivcities all at once. They tend to be impulsive, starting things without necessarily thinking through the consequences. And they tend to be more interested in the work that goes into a project than the actual end result. Also, they don’t always finish what they start, largely because they end up finding something else that grabs their attention. Sara and Sal have excellent problem-solving skills, although they don’t always know how they logically arrive at their solutions. They have a talent for seeing things in different ways. In terms of time, they see all time as free for play unless it has to be applied to work situations. Sal and Sara are free spirits who live each moment as it comes, and they can change their directions as well as their minds quite easily.

Third Pair of Students - Intuitive Thinkers

2011-01-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

Nicole Toth and Ned Truman are no nonsense individuals who seem to love the world of ideas. Each is an avid reader and they actually like reading about a wide variety of topics. Knowledge and information are food for thought for Nicole and Ned, and it is not unusual to find either of them buried in a long novel. Because they like to read, both of them seem to have extensive vocabularies. Words come easily to them. When it comes time to taking on a project at school, Nicole and Ned spend lots of time gathering as much information as possible about the topic, and they often times find themselves completing the project on the day that it is due. This is the case because both of them have a strong need to be thorough in their research. They like to debate points of disagreement (in other words, argue for the sake of arguing) and they don’t seem to have much patience for people who cannot follow their train of thought. Ned and Nicole have excellent analytical skills, and they are very logical in the way they go about things. Whereas Sally and Sam prefer to know the facts, and Nancy and Nick like to express their feelings, Ned and Nicole need to know the causes and effects – the “why” behind the facts. They are very skilled at connecting new material to that which they have already learned. And they tend to establish high goals for themselves. Generally speaking, both Ned and Nicole keep their emotions to themselves and will only share them with a few trusted people. All in all, they expect their work to be challenging and their teachers to be prepared as well as in control, and they are bothered by students who waste time or fool around in class.

A Second Pair of Students - Intuitive Feelers

2011-01-14T04:45:00.000-08:00

Nick Franco and Nancy Feinstein are much different from Sally and Sam. Nick and Nancy like to approach each day like it’s the first day of the rest of their lives. They are really enthusiastic about life, love to connect with people in meaningful ways, and are incredibly tuned in to their own feelings as well as the feelings of others. Generally speaking, Nancy and Nick take each day as it comes, not caring to follow a routine but instead going with the flow. They seem to like using their imaginations and coming up with creative and unique ways to do things. At school, both of them really like classes where there are lots of opportunities to interact with others, and they like teachers who tell stories/jokes and do different things each day, never knowing what to expect. Whereas Nick and Nancy don’t care much for details, they do like work that allows them to be creative and to work closely with others. Each of them likes teachers who like them. They like teachers who seem to care about them on a personal level. And they tend to like having opportunities to express their feelings about work as well as their personal lives. Detailed facts and the same daily routines bore them. As a rule, they take each day as it comes, and they actually enjoy surprises and being spontaneous (unlike Sally and Sam). And they would rather work on two or three things at once in order to break up the routine of boring work. Nick and Nancy are sensitive individuals who try to be aware of other people’s feelings, like to express their feelings, are very flexible, and love to organize events because it means connecting with other people.

Four Pairs of Typical Students - Which Pair Most Resembles You?

2011-01-08T03:21:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in the previous blog post, the Guidance Department is moving towards the development of Student Success Plans for each EOS student. Part of this plan includes completion of a personality assessment, patterned after the very popular Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), called "Do What You Are". The assessment is available in Naviance and students receive a detailed report upon completion of the assessment. Below is a description of one pair of students. Notice the initials for each and you'll see that they are SJ. This just happens to be a category of "type" as defined by the MBTI. It should be noted that students certainly don't fall into neat categories (nor does anyone else, for that matter), but instead exhibit tendencies. In subsequent posts, three other "types" will be described. If you're a student reading this, you may want to compare yourself to each type and determine which most closely resembles you. If you're a parent, you may wish to do the same.

Sally Johnson and Sam Jones are very much alike in the way that they approach each day. Both of them like to plan ahead so they pretty much know what to expect and they can do what needs to be done. Each, clearly, does not like to be surprised. As students, they are very organized – each of them, in fact, has a calendar that lists appointments, important dates, long-term projects to be completed, and daily “things to do”. Sally and Sam like to follow a routine, prefer to be given specific directions on how to do things, and generally complete their work in a neat and orderly manner. Rarely, if ever, are they late on assignments. As a rule, they like to get their work done first so they can enjoy their free time. And they tend to like teachers who are prepared, organized, specific about what students need to know, ask direct questions, and provide direct answers. In other words, teachers who “stick to the facts” are good teachers in the eyes of Sally and Sam. On the other hand, they don’t really care for teachers who ask students “what if” questions, nor do they like teachers who "appear" unprepared, go off the subject being discussed, give unclear directions, and who don’t seem to “control” their classes. Their strengths as students seem to be an excellent ability to recall details, remember facts, follow directions, stay on task until work is completed, and follow the rules. Conversely, they often struggle with open-ended discovery projects, are frustrated by teachers who change plans, and don’t react to things being out of place. Indeed, both Sally and Sam admit that they put their clothes out the night before and have everything ready for the next morning. All in all, they are practical and realistic individuals who like to have control over what takes place in their lives and prefer to know what to expect each day.

Planning for Student Success

2011-01-04T16:01:00.000-08:00

A little over a year ago, the CT State Board of Education adopted a rather ambitious position statement on measuring student success. What follows is an excerpt - "The State Board of Education defines successful students as those who can read, write, compute, analyze information, think critically and creatively, solve problems, communicate effectively, and use technology. All students should also enjoy and perform in the arts and athletics, and understand history, science, and other cultures and languages. Each student must share ample responsibility for his or her learning and behavior, be able to persevere at complex tasks, work well with and be helpful to others, and contribute to the community. All students must graduate from high school and be prepared to continue their education, become productive members of the workforce and function in the global economy. Ultimately, students must become engaged citizens and lifelong learners who lead healthy and productive lives." Of course missing from this position statement are the benchmarks that define success in each of these areas. Without it, who is to say when success has been reached? How would we know? That is apparently left for high schools to decide.

Anyway, the EOSHS Guidance Department is moving towards an objective that will see every student with a plan for success. Called the Student Success Plan (SSP), it will be an electronic portfolio that will be constructed over a four-plus-year period. It will begin in the latter part of 8th grade and conclude near the end of each student's senior year. This SSP will include cognitive and affective data that should help students determine readiness for success with postsecondary options and it should help them to choose their options wisely. Each student is required to complete Geography - the study of places,etc. in this world of ours. Consider this SSP exercise an informal course called "Biography" - the study of oneself and the position s/he holds in this world. The SSP will be comprised of the following;

8th Grade - tentative four-year plan of study, goals to achieve in high school
9th Grade - reading assessment, transition survey, self-confidence inventory, personality assessment, revision of plan of study
10th Grade - career interest profile, American Dream exercise, resume, revision of plan of study, CAPT
11th Grade - PSAT/Accuplacer, postseconday plan, resume, reflection, SAT, revision of plan of study
12th Grade - SAT/Accuplacer, postsecondary plan, resume, transcript review, application process

Most all of these plans will be stored in Naviance and available for viewing from any computer and at any time. More information about these plans will be presented in blogs to follow. One previous post already included information about the transition survey. The next blog will address the issue of self-confidence, or the "Little Red Engine That Could".

Results of Ninth-Grade Survey of Reading Skills

2010-12-18T03:11:00.000-08:00

Back near the start of this school year, 272 ninth-graders completed a reading survey that was administered in their English classes by EOS Reading Specialists. The survey was comprised of the following components - 1) a Student Self-Report of Academic Skills designed to gather information about preferred styles of learning, attitudes, interests, and goals, 2) spelling dictation of 25 words representing phonetic and orthographic patterns or conventional rules, and 3) a nationally-normed assessment called the Nelson-Denny Reading Test that took timed measures of vocabulary and reading comprehension. The objectives were to establish individual baseline performances, to identify student needs, and to make recommendations where appropriate. The data was grouped by academic levels and some of the information contained in the detailed report prepared by Ms. Sandra Popeleski, EOS Reading Specialist, follows in the bullets and paragraphs below;

108 students in English 9A, representing 39.7% of the population tested, completed the survey, while 137 students in English 9B and 27 students in English 9B Team did the same.
Percentile scores on the Nelson-Denny in Vocabulary for 9A students ranged from 38 to 99, with the mean percentile settling on 86.1. For comprehension, the range was 24 to 99, with the mean being 79.9. Finally, the range for Total Reading was 29 to 99 and the average was 84.1.
Percentile scores for 9B students in Vocabulary were in the range of 4 to 99, with the mean being 62. For Comprehension, the range of scores fell between 6 and 99 and the mean percentile was 56.3. The Total Reading range was 6 to 99, with the mean being 59.6.
for the 9B team population, the range in Vocabulary was 7 to 82 (mean=43), 10 to 57 in Comprehension (mean=31), and 16 to 70 in total Reading (mean=36).
99% of the students in 9A earned at least a 64 (goal for incoming ninth-graders) on the 8th-grade Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) - the DRP average for this group was 84 - while 69% of B-level students (for whom scores were available) reached at least the benchmark DRP of 64.

There has been growing concern in recent years about the amount of - or lack thereof - time that children (and adults, for that matter) spend reading on their own. EOS students were asked back in 2008 on the High Student Engagement Survey administered to 1170 students about how important it is to "read and study for class". Forty-five percent of students in mostly "A" level courses felt it was a top priority or very important while 21% in primarily "B" level courses and 24% in largely "G" level classes, respectively, viewed it as very important or a top priority. When asked in this same survey how much time they spend each week reading for themselves, almost half the A-level population reported spending an hour or less while over half of B-level students and almost two-thirds of the G-level group spent fewer than 60 minutes (a third said they spent no time at all).

For more on what the trend with reading looks like in this country over the past several years, head over to Learning Matters (http://eosguidancematters.blogspot.com/) for a summary on "Reading at Risk" conducted by the Census Bureau in 2002 at the request of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Results of EOS Six-Week Transition Assessment

2010-12-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

Ninth-graders were asked to complete an on-line survey in Naviance that was designed to solicit feedback on their transition to EOSHS. The survey was constructed by the Guidance Department and it was administered after six weeks had passed from the start of school. Below you will find some of the questions asked and students' responses in aggregrate form.

My transition from middle school to high school can best be described as:

Hard                    2.5%
Challenging   12.0%
Okay                 52.3%
Easy                  33.2%

Now that you've seen your grades after six weeks in school, what do you think about your progress?

I worked hard and am proud of my accomplishments.            28.6%
Overall I'm satisfied but I know of areas to improve.                62.7%
I performed below my potential.                                                          8.7%

Were you surprised by your grades?

No, the grades were what I expected.                                                               41.9%
Yes, I was surprised by my grades in one or two classes.                         46.9%
Yes, I thought my grades would be different in most of my classes.   11.2%

What ideas do you have to improve your grades? (sample of responses below)

Keep doing my work and hand in my homework.
I'm going to get more organized so I know when assignments are due.
Change my study habits from middle school because there are different things we need to know now.
I think I need to make better use of study halls.
I need to ask questions when I don't understand something instead of skipping over it.
I think I need to work on time management and know how long to work on each subject.
I go to the math tutor twice a week and also use panther tutoring once a week.
I want to be more willing to ask my teachers for help so I don't get left behind.
Use flash cards.
Actually do my homework.
Pay more attention in class.
Remember to write down all the assignments I have to do.

Now that you have been in high school for almost two months, what suggestions do you have for making the transition to high school smoother for future ninth-graders? (sample responses)

Don't worry and just do your best and work hard.
Make sure you start off organized and do your work each day.
If you have questions about anything, whether it's school-related or not, the last thing you should do    is not ask someone. All the counselors, teachers, administrators, upperclassmen, etc. are so amazingly nice and they are there for you.
It's been great just the way it is and I don't want to change anything.
Join a club so you can meet new people and make new friends.
They should not be afraid to ask for help and they should plan ahead to balance any schoolwork with sports, friends, and family.
Buy a planner and write down your homework.
I think it is important for them to know that they will probably get lost but not to worry because they will eventually find their way. Ask for help if you need it.

What is your current post-high school goal?

Attend a two-year community college                                                        4.1%
Attend a two-year college and transfer to a four-year college         8.3%
Attend a four-year college or university                                                   77.2%
Attend a vocational or specialized school                                                  1.2%
Enter the military                                                                                                  2.5%
Go to work                                                                                                                6.6%

Would you like to receive tutorial support from a peer tutor in any of your subjects?

Yes                              25.3%
No                               74.7%

How is your social life at EOSHS thus far?

Great - Very Satisfied                                                       50.8%
Good - Satisfied                                                                   46.6%
Not So Good - Having some difficulties                      2.1%
Poor - I could use help with this.                                    0.4%

Currently, about how many hours each day do you spend on homework?

More than 3 hours                                               7.5%
2-3 hours                                                               31.5 %
1-2 hours                                                               46.9%
less than 1 hour                                                   12.9%
None at all                                                               1.2%

PSAT Results

2010-12-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

PSAT results were returned to us this week on the EOS students who completed the test back in October. The test was administered on a Saturday this year (there are two test dates annually, the other scheduled on a Wednesday) and participation differed from the past two years when EOSHS used the Wednesday test date. Fewer 11th graders took it this year while, conversely, more 10th graders sat for it. PSAT is the acronym for Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test. The "P" could also quite easily mean "Practice" because it's what the test essentially serves as for most students who take it. Those who score in the top half of the 99th percentile are named National Merit Semi-Finalists and enter into a scholarship competition ($2500) with other students in this category. Below you will find data on the test results.

Class of 2012

Participants            173
Females                      99
Males                           74

Average Critical Reading Score = 52.9 (65% scored 50 or higher)
Average Math Score                       = 53.1 (58% scored 50 or higher)
Average Writing Score                  = 52.0 (59% scored 50 or higher)
An SAT equivalent score can be be derived by multiplying each PSAT score by 10. So, 52.9 = 529, etc. The average score for each category on the PSAT is 50 and 500 for the SAT.

College Majors (selected by students)

Undecided...17.7% (Female = 16%, Male = 20%)

Health Professions/Sciences...12.2% (Female = 17%, Male = 5.7%)

Engineering...9.8% (Female = 2.1%, Male = 20%)

Visual & Performing Arts...7.9 % (Female = 10.6%, Male = 4.3%)

Psychology...6.7% (Female = 10.6%, Male = 1.4%)

Business Management...6.1% (Female = 4.3%, Male = 8.6%)

Education...6.1% (Female = 9.6%, Male = 1.4%)

Biological Sciences...4.3% (Female = 4.3%, Male = 4.3%)

Social Service Professions...0.0%

Students should receive their individual score reports in the mail this week along with the test booklets they used when taking it. The Guidance Department chooses to mail these scores home rather than distribute them in classes so as to protect the privacy of this information. The test booklets accompany the score reports so that students can use this information when preparing for the SAT.

In the next post on this blog, I will share information about an SAT prep program available for free on Naviance. We are nearing completion of a video tutorial on how to navigate the many features offered in Naviance. Check back in a few days for this information. And, when you have a moment, click on another blog that the Guidance Department is maintaining. You can access it at http://eosguidancematters.blogspot.com/.

Using Course Planner in Naviance

2010-11-29T05:14:00.000-08:00

As you know (if you don't, you really should), Naviance is a relatively comprehensive web-based program that the Guidance Department uses in addressing issues related to the three components of a developmental guidance program - social/emotional, academic, and postsecondary issues. Students complete surveys on-line, conduct research on career and college options, prepare for the SAT, and plan for their futures in a variety of ways. One such way is through a component of Naviance called "Course Planner". Here's how it works.

Students (and parents) can access "Course Planner" by logging in to their accounts and clicking on the "Courses" tab in the menu bar. From there, four-year plans of study may be reviewed simply by clicking on course plans. Several plans are available and each is based upon the kind of schools - defined by competitiveness (how difficult it is to be accepted - the lower the percentage of students accepted, the more competitive it is) - that a student may wish to pursue. By clicking on any one of the plans, you will see the types of courses available to choose from that will comprise a four-year plan of study compatible with the kinds of competitive schools for that particular category. For example, a student interested in attending a highly competitive school would click on that plan and see that the vast majority of courses from which to choose would be at the "A" level. What is not taken into consideration are the grades that a student earns in these courses. Rather, the strength of the four-year plan is based upon the rigor of one's course selections.

A design flaw that Naviance has not yet corrected relates to the schools of interest that are listed below the "meter" that measures rigor. A plan that may be appropriate for admission to ECSU may not be sufficient for acceptance to UConn, even though Naviance is indicating otherwise. For more accurate feedback, students should speak with their counselors. Still, Course Planner may be very useful in the course selection process when taking into consideration postsecondary aspirations.

There are other very useful features that Naviance offers. I'll be releasing a screen-shot video tutorial in the next week or so that will show you how to navigate around the program. Stay tuned for more information.

Early Opportunity Scholarships (EOS)

2010-11-24T06:27:00.000-08:00

Here's how students can earn scholarships of a different sort by taking on the challenges offered right at EOSHS.

EOSHS has been, for several years now, offering University of Connecticut (UC) courses through the Early College Experience (ECE) Program. The ECE Program, formerly known as the Cooperative Extension Program, offers several UC courses to high schools in CT provided that instructors teaching these courses are certified by the UC department offering the course(s). For example, Advanced Economics at EOS is the equivalent of Economics 1202 on campus and is taught by an instructor (Mr. David O’Connor) who has been approved – based upon academic credentials – by the Economics Department at UC. With twenty-six UC courses in the EOS curriculum (the most offered among all high schools in CT – the average for CT high schools is 5.7 courses), eligible students are granted the opportunity to earn college credits while simultaneously fulfilling high school graduation requirements. An additional point worth mentioning is that EOSHS ranks #1 in the state among all high schools when comparing the number of ECE courses offered that fulfill the four general content areas in the UC requirements for graduation. It’s not uncommon for students to complete 10 college credits while enrolled at EOSHS. Many earn more than 20 credits, and some have acquired as many as sixty.

To put this in perspective, a typical yearly course load in college is thirty credits. At UC, a year’s tuition is about $10000. So, performing the math, thirty credits equal $10000. For EOS students, the cost is $0. This is, in effect, a $10000 scholarship (excluding the costs of books which are provided for free to students – an additional $1500 in approximate savings) for any EOS student who earns 30 credits prior to graduation. The savings could potentially triple to $30000 or more when these credits transfer to a private college or university. There are on average about 25 students who earn at least this many before receiving their EOS diplomas. Also not included, by the way, is the money saved on room and board expenses. It doesn’t necessarily mean that a student would have to complete college in three years instead of four. Rather, the fourth year could be spent on graduate studies.

The following are some numbers that may provide a better understanding of these “early opportunity scholarship” grants – they represent numbers for the 2009-10 school year;

26 UC courses are offered in the EOS curriculum

142 seats were taken in ECE Science courses

155 students were enrolled in UC Math courses

33 successfully completed ECE English

60 earned credits in UC World Language courses

211 seats were occupied in UC courses offered by the Social Studies Department

1933 total credits were earned by EOS students

$502,580 is the total value of these credits earned by EOS students

And this does not include the credits earned (for free) by the 38 students in courses they completed on the UC campus.

Most all of these courses are transferable to all of the in-state public institutions and to most out-of-state public institutions as well. Several private colleges and universities will also accept these credits, depending upon each school’s transfer credit policy. For more information about the ECE Program, click on http://ece.uconn.edu.

Ther has been some debate about the relative merits of ECE courses when compared to Advanced Placemet (AP) courses. EOSHS does offer five AP courses (AP U.S. History, AP Statistics, AP Studio Art, AP Chemistry, and AP Computer Science). With the exception of Computer Science, the other AP courses are also offered as ECE courses. So, students may still earn college credits without needing to take the AP exams. Credits are awarded in AP courses solely on the basis of performance on the three-hour AP exams administered in May while credits for ECE courses are given based upon final grades earned in the courses (students must earn at least a "C"). Although the most highly selective colleges do not cast an unfavorable view upon schools with few AP courses (EOSHS, for many years, had none in its curriculum, choosing instead to offer the ECE courses), these schools do expect applicants to enroll in at least one or two and take the AP exam(s) if schools do offer them. AP courses have been the subject of much debate in recent years as critics have felt that these courses cover content that is "a mile wide and an inch deep", and the pace of the course does not offer in-depth, inquiry-based learning.

Anyway, AP courses or not, students at EOSHS have several opportunities to start college while still enrolled in high school. And, in many cases, the courses offered at the school are much smaller than the large introductory classes offered on the UC campus. The Region 19 School District has made an investment in this program. It makes sense that students consider making an investment of their own time and energy in pursuit of these early opportunity scholarships.

In another post, I will describe the opportunities available to students through the partnership that EOSHS has with Manchester Community College.

Financial Aid

2010-11-19T01:57:00.000-08:00

Several individuals have been inquiring about financial aid and, more specifically, scholarships that are allegedly "out there" like untapped oil reserves. So, this entry will attempt to address the money issue related to the cost of higher education.

Let's start with a brief description of what financial aid looks like. This aid typically is "packaged" in a combination of three sources - grants (free money provided by the schools), loans (money for "rent", usually subsidized by the federal government and with low interest rates), and work-study opportunities (employment on campus). Combined, this "package" is supposed to meet the gap between what a family is expected to pay (called expected family contribution - "EFC") and the sticker price for attendance at a particular school. So, for instance, if school X costs $50,000 and your EFC is $25,000, then the financial aid package should amount to somewhere in the vicinity of the difference ($25,000). On the other hand, if School Y costs $25,000 (usually a public institution), then there may be no financial aid package provided - unless merit money is offered. Not all schools offer full coverage of the difference. In this case, families may tap into home equity or other sources (including personal bank loans) to close the gap. Grants, by the way, come in two forms - money based upon demonstrated need and money that is merit-based (earned by virtue of a student's academic achievement and/or SAT scores that meet established criteria set by the schools).

How is the EFC determined? Well, most every school requires families to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This application is submitted to the government, not before January 1 of the year one's child is expected to enter college, and the information is based upon the previous year's tax records. Some schools also require families to submit the CCS Profile available at The College Board web site (http://www.collegeboard.com/). Either or both form(s) are then sent to the schools to which one's child has applied and the Financial Aid Office at each school then calculates a financial aid package. It's not a precise science and, thus, aid packages may differ by school. It's not unusual for these aid packages to differ according to the degree to which each school would like the student to matriculate.

Local scholarships are available and these are generally announced sometime between March and June. The Guidance Department lists scholarship opportunities on the Naviance site. This may be accessed in the "Parent" portion of the EOS web site. As for those other scholarships "out there", FastWeb (www.fastweb.com) is one web site that is reputable. There are several scams that fool too many people looking for "free" money. One such site is http://www.fafsa.com/. DON'T USE IT. THE SITE YOU SHOULD USE IS http://www.fafsa.gov/. For more links, see below at the bottom of this page. There may be "oil" to discover, but you may also need to do lots of drilling down into the data mine to unearth it.

In my next post, I'll write about scholarship opportunities available right at EOSHS. There are several ways to reduce the high cost of higher education. You may be surprised that some are closer than you think.