Posts By: Melissa Slive

In a recent article from the BloombergView, Francis Barry argues that states should have a regulated list of requirements for incoming teachers. At this time, many states have different certification requirements, making it difficult for teachers to move from state to state. Barry believes that states and schools should be more focused on ability and… Read more »

In a recent article in CNN Money, Ivana Kottasova discusses a study done by The London School of Economics, which found that when schools ban phones, their students improve immensely. The researchers, Richard Murphy and Philippe Beland, found that after phones were banned, school test scores improved by 6.4% and by 14% for underachieving students…. Read more »

In a recent Op-Ed piece in The New York Times, Richard C. Atkinson and Saul Geiser, discuss their opinions on the new SAT and college entrance exams in general. The new SAT will focus more on material taught in the classroom, and less on “puzzle” questions that need “tricks” to answer. The vocabulary questions will… Read more »

This summer study advice is ONLY for students planning on taking the current SAT, offered in October, November and December of 2015 and January of 2016. Summertime Vocabulary Fun! Parents ask me all the time, “What should my child be studying over the summer?” Well, the answer is simple: vocabulary! Summer is the perfect time… Read more »

As students are transitioning from the college entrance exams phase of admissions to the application phase, one thing is on everyone’s mind – the price. However, Bernie Sanders, the Senator of Vermont and a Democratic candidate for President, thinks that tuition shouldn’t be anyone’s mind. Senator Sanders has announced that he will be introducing legislation… Read more »

A few months ago we sent you some key math vocabulary words. Understanding math terms is essential for acing the math sections of the ACT and SAT. Please e-mail us if you missed the first math vocabulary newsletter and would like us to send it to you. Here are some more important terms: CONSTANT A… Read more »

If I had a nickel for every time a student has complained during a tutoring session that, “Ugh….these readings are SO BORING…,” I would be a very rich woman. Believe me; I get it. Who wants to read about black holes or Mark Twain at 8 am on a Saturday morning? I know the passages… Read more »

Sitting on the train this week, I overheard a group of mothers discussing the recent SAT. Of course I couldn’t help but eavesdrop! One mother was complaining that her daughter ran out of time because her daughter was confused about how to answer the math grid-ins. (One math section has 10 questions that are not… Read more »

No heroic adventure of epic proportions is complete without a bad guy. An ugly, terrible, maniacal villain. In the quest for standardized testing achievement, “being” is that bad guy. “Being” is the villain because he looks like a good guy. He is going to sound like he fits ever-so-nicely into a sentence, but this is… Read more »

Want to get the last laugh in the SAT or ACT reading section? Pay close attention to the last line – better yet, underline this line. Chances are the last line is the key to the reading because this line concludes the author’s message and contains the extremely important MAIN IDEA. In fact, the entire… Read more »