Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast artwork

Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast

538 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago - ★★★★★ - 37 ratings

Welcome to THE college admissions industry podcast! Join Mike Bergin and Amy Seeley as they discuss the latest issues in testing, admissions, learning, and education with leading experts.

Tests and the Rest is perfect for school counselors, educators, test prep professionals, college consultants, and just about anyone engaged in the college admissions process. You can subscribe to this podcast or stream it online via any podcast app, including iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio.

YOUR HOSTS
Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros.
Between the two of us, expect over 50 years of industry insight, expertise, insider news, and a bit of sarcasm.

Courses Education Self-Improvement sat testprep act admissions college counseling education guidance psat
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Episodes

558. IEC PROFILE: Hanna Stotland

March 28, 2024 10:00 - 18 minutes - 11.4 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Hanna Stotland, who flunked out of high school, got a G.E.D., and went on to graduate from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. Since 1999, she has been an independent admissions consultant specializing in educational crisis management, including Title IX, substance abuse and mental illness. Her recent professional presentations include conferences of the Inde...

557. IEC PROFILE: Carolyn Mulligan

March 27, 2024 10:00 - 16 minutes - 10.8 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Carolyn P. Mulligan, who attended Bucknell University, where she graduated with a degree in English Literature. She has been proud to have been a counselor for many years at the Bucknell College Admissions Summer Workshop. She worked in public relations in NYC.  She helped to open the Museum of Holography in Soho and worked for the Jamaica Tourist Board.  Carol...

556. IEC PROFILE: Alyson Campbell

March 26, 2024 10:00 - 17 minutes - 11.2 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Alyson Campbell, a member of Estrela Consulting, a boutique college planning firm in the greater Cleveland, Ohio area. She has worked in various aspects of higher education and consulting over the past decade including college athletics and college admission (Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH), application review (The Ohio State University), and now as an IEC ...

555. IEC PROFILE:Tracy Sullivan

March 25, 2024 10:00 - 17 minutes - 10.9 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Tracy Sullivan. Tracy, co-founder of College 101 Admissions Consultants, lives in Wrentham, MA with her husband Jim, who is a scientist (very helpful during COVID-19!).   A graduate of Providence College, Tracy built a successful career in both sales and as a serial entrepreneur. A mom of two college graduates, Tracy continues to cheer her kids on as they pursue ...

554. HOW COLLEGES ADMIT BY MAJOR

March 19, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 17.5 MB

Applicants often look at the requirements and selectivity of a school as standard for every one of its courses of study, only to find that certain programs are WAY harder to get into than others. Amy and Mike invited educator Lisa Marker-Robbins to explain how colleges admit by major. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does it mean to apply to a school by major? What factors need to be taken into account when considering certain majors? What can families do to kno...

553. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE GRE IN 2024 with educator Vince Kotchian

March 12, 2024 10:00 - 26 minutes - 17.3 MB

The GRE General Test may be the world’s most widely used admissions test for graduate & professional school, which makes the assessment important to anyone considering graduate, business, or law school. Amy and Mike invited educator Vince Kotchian to share details on what to know about the GRE in 2024. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does the GRE test and how has it changed over the years? What should students, tutors, and counselors know about the shorter GRE? ...

552. RESOURCES FOR THE DIGITAL SAT

March 05, 2024 11:00 - 30 minutes - 19.2 MB

A new test creates new opportunities and requires new study aids. Now that the SAT has gone digital, where should students and educators be looking for prep and practice material? Amy and Mike invited educator Laura Whitmore to explore the options for resources for the digital SAT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What materials do you recommend that your students use for the Digital SAT?  2. When and how should you use the official Blue Book practice tests?  3...

551. HOW TO CHOOSE A COLLEGE COUNSELOR

February 27, 2024 11:00 - 29 minutes - 18.3 MB

Considering how exponentially complex the college admissions process has become in the last decade, the decision to work with an independent college counselor makes sense. The bigger question is, “Which one?” Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Julie Kim to explore considerations on how to choose a college counselor. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. How do you know if you need a college counselor? 2. What are some of the most important traits to look for ...

550. STATE OF TEST OPTIONAL ADMISSIONS IN 2024

February 20, 2024 11:00 - 28 minutes - 17.1 MB

In the wake of the 2020 global pandemic, every U.S college and university announced test-optional or test-blind admissions, leading some pundits to predict that the influence of standardized test scores in admissions decisions was over. Based on recent announcements from a suite of public and private schools, nothing could be further from the truth. Amy and Mike invited educator Brian Eufinger to share the state of test-optional admissions in 2024. What are five things you will learn in th...

549. TEST PREP PROFILE: Jeffrey Dalton

February 16, 2024 11:00 - 16 minutes - 10.5 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Jeffrey Dalton, who graduated from New York University in 2006 with a Bachelor's in Linguistics and Languages. After college, he taught English in Lahore, Pakistan for 4 years where he helped middle school students develop their literacy in English. After returning to the USA, Jeffrey worked for 2 years as a Math and Verbal tutor for SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT i...

548. TEST PREP PROFILE: Anna Moss

February 15, 2024 11:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Anna Moss, the founder of Mind the Test LLC, a tutoring company that empowers learners by teaching test prep and academics paired with lifelong research-based study skills. After earning a BA in Linguistics from the University of Chicago and a certification in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, she taught English and SAT/ACT prep all around the world for ...

547. TEST PREP PROFILE: Ari Freuman

February 14, 2024 11:00 - 18 minutes - 11.8 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Ari Freuman, the Founder and Lead Tutor at Ivy Tutor. He began his tutoring career in 2013, serving students in New York City and Northern New Jersey. As a tutor, Ari recognized how difficult it was for parents to find effective SAT and ACT tutors like himself. To address this need, Ari assembled and trained a team of dynamic and inspiring tutors, creating wh...

546. TEST PREP PROFILE: Nikki Rooks

February 13, 2024 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Nikki Rooks, a lifelong learner with a love for helping students build confidence and achieve their academic goals! After changing majors a few times, she graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with undergraduate degrees in mathematics and computer science. Nikki worked in the IT field for 5 years before deciding to pursue her passion for ed...

545. TEST PREP PROFILE: Paul Oberman

February 12, 2024 13:15 - 15 minutes - 10.4 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Paul Oberman, who has been involved with education since 1989 as a teacher, principal, and head of school. He has been at boarding schools and day schools, Catholic schools and Jewish schools and non-denominational schools, single gender schools and coed schools, progressive schools and conservative schools. He has coached all of the mainstream sports: spring...

544. FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE BETTER FAFSA

February 06, 2024 11:00 - 29 minutes - 18.7 MB

The most massive revision ever to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid burst into the new year like a brick through a window–everyone is talking about it, but nobody is happy. Amy and Mike invited financial aid advisor Ed Recker to review the latest news and timelines to date along with our first impressions of the better FAFSA. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How has the “soft launch” of the Better FAFSA® gone? What has been the feedback about the user exper...

543. COLLEGE READINESS ADVICE FROM A COLLEGE PROFESSOR

January 30, 2024 11:00 - 29 minutes - 17.5 MB

Too many students think that getting into a college implies a guarantee that they’ll be successfully getting out with a degree. Reality suggests otherwise, but teens can tilt the odds in their favor even while still in high school. Amy and Mike invited educator Michael Ermann to share college readiness advice from a college professor. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does readiness mean in the context of college? What is one of the most important traits in a coll...

542. SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Anti-Boring Learning Lab

January 26, 2024 14:30 - 19 minutes - 12.9 MB

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT: Anti-Boring Learning Lab The community of educators obsessed with sharing the science-backed study skills and executive function strategies every student needs to thrive with educator Gretchen Wegner. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the story behind the Anti-Boring Learning Lab? How does the Anti-Boring Learning Lab work? Who are the ideal clients for the Anti-Boring Learning Lab?  What kinds of outcomes do clients experience?  What sh...

541. NAVIGATING THE COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ADMISSIONS

January 23, 2024 10:00 - 29 minutes - 20.6 MB

The various flavors of computer science and engineering majors tend to be among the most popular and potentially lucrative for incoming students. No wonder they’ve also become some of the most selective programs to get into! Amy and Mike invited college dean Jennifer Stephan for guidance in navigating the competitive landscape of computer science and engineering admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How competitive are Computer Science (CS) and engineering admis...

540. HOW TENNIS AND TEST PREP ARE SIMILAR

January 16, 2024 11:00 - 28 minutes - 18 MB

Billie Jean King described tennis as a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility. In a lot of ways, taking a high-stakes exam feels the same way. Amy and Mike invited educator Scott Greenspan to explore how tennis and test prep are similar. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What makes tennis such a perfect analogy for testing? 2. What can aspiring test takers learn from tennis? 3. In what ways are tennis players and...

539. HOW CAN TUTORS USE AI?

January 09, 2024 11:00 - 26 minutes - 17.1 MB

Every innovation in technology eventually impacts education, yet artificial intelligence already seems poised to transform the way people learn and teach at every level. Amy and Mike invited technology expert Amit Jain to explore how tutors can use AI. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How have Large Language Models (LLMs) solved the decades-old problem of Natural Language Processing (NLP)? How is AI helping curate and personalize content for individual students? How ...

538. ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT READING & WRITING

January 02, 2024 11:00 - 27 minutes - 16.5 MB

The digital SAT may look like the future of standardized admissions tests, but the exam continues a long tradition of verbal priorities. The more things change, the more they stay the same! Amy and Mike invited educator Lori Goldstein to talk all about digital SAT Reading & Writing. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How is the SAT Reading & Writing section structured? How important are vocabulary skills on the test? What makes SAT Reading questions so difficult? What...

537. WHAT DO TRULY TEST OPTIONAL COLLEGES FOCUS ON? 

December 26, 2023 11:00 - 37 minutes - 20.6 MB

Admissions factors in college applications often boil down to grades plus tests and then the rest. What happens when the influence of standardized scores is minimized or entirely excluded? Amy and Mike asked U of R Vice Provost and Dean of Enrollment Management Robert Alexander and educational consultant Aly Beaumont the million-dollar question: what do truly test-optional colleges focus on?  What are five things you will learn in this episode? How do you know if a school is truly test-op...

536. ALL ABOUT THE AMERICAN MATH COMPETITION

December 05, 2023 11:00 - 27 minutes - 17.7 MB

Mathematics is one of the fundamental tools for understanding the universe, nothing less than the science and study of quality, structure, space, and change. That doesn’t mean, though, that we can’t make a contest of it, especially if doing so can uncover a generation’s brightest math minds. Amy and Mike invited Vida John to explain all about the American Math Competition.  What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1.  What is the American Math Competition, and who runs it? ...

535. MAKING TIME VISIBLE

November 28, 2023 11:00 - 26 minutes - 16.8 MB

Bill Watterson observed that there is not enough time to do all the nothing we want to do. With the right scheduling habits, though, maybe there can be. Amy and Mike invited educator Rebecca Rauscher to share best practices for making time visible. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does it really mean (concretely) to “Make Time Visible”?  Why is this such a big issue for students more so today than ever before?  What are some strategies and ideas for making time ...

534. CHOOSING BETWEEN THE DIGITAL SAT AND THE ACT

November 21, 2023 10:50 - 34 minutes - 20 MB

Now that college admissions is moving back into a test-preferred environment, students don’t have to struggle with the choice of whether or not to take a college entrance exam but rather which one. Amy and Mike invited educator Susan Powers to weigh the important factors in choosing between the digital SAT and the ACT. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why should students give thought to which test they want to take? How are the ACT and digital SAT different? How does...

533. HOW IMPORTANT IS GPA IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS?

November 14, 2023 11:00 - 28 minutes - 17.1 MB

We all know that the first and most influential item in a college application is the academic record, right? But, at a time when everything else in the calculations of selective colleges seems uncertain, can we be so sure the role of grades hasn’t changed as well? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Susie Watts to explore just how important GPA is in college admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Will a low high school GPA keep you out of college? Will a...

532. ALL ABOUT DIGITAL SAT MATH

November 07, 2023 10:30 - 34 minutes - 20.9 MB

Since its inception, the SAT has challenged math conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. What, if anything, has changed on the new digital adaptive test? Amy and Mike invited educator Mike McGibbon to talk all about digital SAT Math What are five things you will learn in this episode? What aspect of the new test will affect preparation and performance the most?  How much will Desmos and other aspects of the digital delivery system matter? How does the digital SAT's math con...

531. WHEN IS DUAL ENROLLMENT A GOOD OPTION?

October 31, 2023 10:00 - 24 minutes - 15.2 MB

Earning valuable college credit while fulfilling high school requirements sounds too good to be true, and yet many teens do exactly this every year. Why don’t more? Amy and Mike invited educator Dr. Amanda Sterk to explore when dual enrollment is a good option. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What exactly does dual enrollment mean? What are the benefits of dual enrollment? Do many students pursue dual enrollment opportunities? Are dual enrollment credits always tra...

530. HIGH SCHOOL INTERNSHIPS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

October 24, 2023 10:00 - 28 minutes - 17.5 MB

We often hear that internships are a smart option for teens whether they have clear career aspirations or not. What we don’t hear are all the details about where, when, how, and why. Amy and Mike invited business development consultant Robert Khoury to review everything you need to know about high school internships. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. How valuable is an internship to a high school student? 2. What makes an internship significant? 3. What are the ...

529. HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE

October 17, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 16.9 MB

That old truism about needing to have money to make money wasn’t necessarily coined with college in mind, but unlocking the long-term economic benefits of higher education definitely involves an investment upfront. Amy and Mike invited college finance experts Dave Peterson and Dan Cieniewicz to share insights on how to pay for college. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What sources do you recommend utilizing to pay for college? What do the changes to the FAFSA mean for...

528. BREAKING THROUGH TEST SCORE PLATEAUS

October 10, 2023 10:00 - 27 minutes - 17.1 MB

Students, parents, and even teachers sometimes fall prey to the misconception that academic improvement follows a perfectly linear path with each performance a marked improvement over the last. If only! Amy and Mike invited educator Shahar Link to explore strategies for breaking through test score plateaus. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How can you tell the difference between a score ceiling and a plateau?  What are the most reliable ways to break through score pla...

527. DOES GROWTH MINDSET MATTER?

October 03, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 15.6 MB

Few concepts in education and performance psychology are as universally accepted as that of the power of a growth mindset. Does that mean the research is conclusive and settled? Not exactly. Amy and Mike invited journalist Jill Barshay to dig into an unexpectedly controversial question–does growth mindset matter? What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What is growth mindset? 2. How new is the concept of growth mindset? 3. What is the research evidence for growth mind...

526. ADMISSIONS NOTES FOR THE HS CLASS OF 2024

September 26, 2023 10:00 - 28 minutes - 16.6 MB

Every year, timeless verities related to getting into college–or even what colleges a student can get into–give way to painful, new truths and exciting, new opportunities. Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Rebecca Stuart-Orlowski to return to the show with admissions notes for the HS graduating class of 2024. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What does it truly mean to build a balanced college list?  What's a good way to help manage expectations for students ...

525. USING BRAIN SCIENCE TO HELP YOUR TEEN NAVIGATE THE COLLEGE PROCESS

September 19, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes - 16.2 MB

Every aspect of being or raising a teenager is complicated by the emotional, irrational, and idiosyncratic responses inherent to all of us. Luckily, psychologists have been piecing together some strategies for bringing order to our typical chaos. Amy and Mike invited counselor Samantha Straub to explore using brain science to help your teen navigate the college process. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What distinguishes the teen brain from the adult brain? What are th...

524. HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN HIGH SCHOOL

September 12, 2023 10:00 - 24 minutes - 14.6 MB

Grades 9 through 12 represent one of the most influential periods in a person’s life, a time of dramatic change and growth during which many teens determine the trajectories of their lives. Amy and Mike invited educator Flo Brett to share what parents, educators, and counselors should know about how to be successful in high school. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What difficulties do students typically experience in their transitions into high school? What are the ke...

523. WHY THIS COLLEGE, WHY THIS MAJOR?

September 05, 2023 13:05 - 29 minutes - 18 MB

With all the focus on the primary personal statement, we often overlook the importance of supplemental essays in the college application. Amy and Mike invited IEC Jodi Rosenshein Atkin to explain the best ways to answer the matched questions, “Why this college, why this major?” What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. Why are supplemental essays so important in college applications? 2. Why is the "Why this college?" supplemental important? 3. Why is the "Why this major...

522. HOW THE DIGITAL SAT IS SCORED

August 29, 2023 10:00 - 31 minutes - 19.6 MB

Every time a sophisticated educational assessment changes, every aspect has to be reconsidered and possibly changed. The digital adaptive SAT is no exception, and one particular aspect of that test has transformed substantially. Amy and Mike invited educator Brenna O’Neill to explain how the digital SAT is scored. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does multistage adaptive scoring work on the digital SAT? Does every question count the same on the dSAT? What is Item...

521. TEST PREP PROFILE: Keith Brown

August 25, 2023 10:00 - 15 minutes - 10 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Keith Brown, Ph.D. With a strong foundation in standardized tests such as ACT, SAT, and PSAT, Keith is committed to guiding students toward academic excellence. His teaching journey commenced at CalTech, where he earned an MS and Ph.D. in Biology, amassing extensive tutoring experience exceeding 4000 hours. Having served as a Teaching Assistant, he has master...

520. TEST PREP PROFILE: Maria Harmon

August 24, 2023 10:00 - 13 minutes - 8.54 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Maria Harmon. With an MIT degree and love of all things STEM, Maria knows the value of curiosity and its power inside and outside the classroom. She attended a vocational high school, studying under electricians for 4 years. Her Environmental Engineering degree led her to visit farmers in India, get dirty with waste-pickers in Nicaragua, and chase volcanic sm...

519. TEST PREP PROFILE: Kartik Sarda

August 23, 2023 10:00 - 17 minutes - 10.5 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Kartik Sarda. At 25, Kartik's journey is a promising one, marked by an intriguing blend of entrepreneurship, education, and creativity. It all began at Streamline Learning, where Kartik spent three years juggling roles, from tutoring to handling their digital marketing and product development. His entrepreneurial spirit then led him to found two startups: S...

518. TEST PREP PROFILE: Josh Kutchai

August 22, 2023 10:00 - 16 minutes - 10.4 MB

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced professional in the test prep industry? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Josh Kutchai, a private SAT/ACT and curriculum tutor. Josh teaches all sections of the SAT and ACT as well as curriculum mathematics up to and including calculus BC. Josh grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he spent a lot of time playing basketball and piano. He then moved to New Jersey to attend Princeton University, where he majored in mathematics a...

517. COLLEGES THAT OFFER THE BEST SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID

August 18, 2023 10:00 - 24 minutes - 14.8 MB

The promise and potential of higher education remain popular in good economic times and bad. Even more popular is the prospect of not paying full price for a degree! Amy and Mike invited educator Dr. Kuni Beasley to reveal some colleges that offer the best scholarships and financial aid. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Why does college cost so much and what are the best ways to lower out-of-pocket costs? How can families find low-cost colleges? Which colleges offer ...

516. WHY STUDENTS SHOULD GET TO KNOW THEIR TEACHERS

August 15, 2023 10:00 - 23 minutes - 15 MB

At every level of education, teachers serve irreplaceable roles as purveyors of knowledge, curators of culture, and gatekeepers to priceless opportunities and understandings. So why do students seem to so desperately avoid their instructors? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Dale Troy to enumerate the compelling reasons why students should get to know their teachers. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How does knowing your teachers–and having them know you–open...

515. TOP TIPS TO PASS YOUR STUDY VISA INTERVIEW

August 11, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 15.9 MB

In many ways, higher education can be considered one of the top U.S. exports, especially when you consider just how long the line of prospective international students is. Amy and Mike invited visa expert Ben Arterburn to share top tips to pass your study visa interview. What are five things you will learn in this episode? Who needs a visa to study in the United States? What is the main reason someone is denied a visa? What is the biggest mistake visa applicants make? How can a visa ap...

514. WHY STUDENTS SHOULD STUDY IN THE UNITED STATES

August 08, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes - 17.4 MB

The U.S. media has been delivering heavy doses of news and commentary about the state of our higher education system for years. Interestingly, the topic draws a lot of attention internationally as well as domestically. Amy and Mike invited educator Kathryn Suwa to make the case to students around the world about why students should study in the United States. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are some of the key benefits of pursuing higher education in the United S...

513. DIVERSITY AND THE COLLEGE ESSAY

August 04, 2023 10:00 - 24 minutes - 15.4 MB

The written portions of applications to selective colleges have always evoked a lot of stress to say all the right things under limited word counts. How much more pressure are students crafting their essays under in light of the ruling against affirmative action in higher education? Amy and Mike invited educator Dominique Padurano to discuss the latest insights into diversity and the college essay. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the expected influence of the ...

512. NAVIGATING COLLEGE AND ADMISSIONS AS AN LGBTQ+ STUDENT

August 01, 2023 10:00 - 30 minutes - 19.5 MB

Success in college depends on more than just finding the right academic fit–you have to find an environment where you can be yourself in all the ways that are important to you.  Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Robert Powers to share insights into navigating college and admissions as an LGBTQ+ student. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What are important factors to consider when trying to find the right fit as an LGBTQ+ student? What are the different campus...

511. ANSWER TRAPS ON STANDARDIZED TESTS

July 28, 2023 10:00 - 29 minutes - 19.2 MB

The difficulty of individual multiple-choice questions depends on far more than just the questions themselves, as any test taker who has struggled to differentiate between several tempting choices can attest. Amy and Mike invited educator Vinny Madera to share his research on answer traps on standardized tests. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is an answer trap, and why do they exist? What is a distractor answer choice? What are common types of math distractor ch...

510. THE W-CURVE MODEL AND NEW COLLEGE STUDENTS

July 25, 2023 10:00 - 29 minutes - 17.9 MB

New college students invariably arrive on campus flush with optimism for all the good times, academic successes, and healthy relationships ahead. If only life proceeded that smoothly… Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Lee Norwood to explain the W-Curve Model and new college students. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the W-Curve Model? How do the five stages of the W-Curve Model map levels of student comfort at school? Why should new college students...

509. WHO LOSES WHEN WE ABOLISH ENTRANCE EXAMS?

July 21, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes - 15.9 MB

Admissions decisions for selective educational programs require as much useful data about applicants as possible, particularly regarding academic skills and ability. Is it possible that opponents of standardized testing seek something other than a fair and transparent selection process? Amy and Mike invited educator Daniel Buck to explore who loses when we abolish entrance exams.  What are five things you will learn in this episode? How widespread has the elimination of entrance exams bee...

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