Homeschooling Agoura Hills, CA

A great number of individuals are searching for alternatives to public education system. That should not be a surprise since the public education system in the United States is rated 25th in the world in science and reading and 38 in mathematics. To a lot of mom and dad’s homeschooling seems as a clear alternative. The issue with this is that if you search the Internet for homeschooling programs the info you will find is sometimes not very useful. Everybody looking for homeschooling curriculum needs to consider attending a homeschooling tradeshow like those provided by Great Homeschool Conventions. At our event you’ll find a wide range of homeschooling curriculum. You’ll be able to take lessons and interact experts like Dr. Kathy Koch, Matt Walsh, and others. The objective of our gatherings is to equip you parents with quality homeschooling programs needed to embark in a successful homeschooling journey. If you’re not finding resources about homeschooling in Agoura Hills, CA, we invite you to attend one of our trade shows.

Find Homeschooling Materials in Agoura Hills, CA

One would think that with so many families in search of homeschooling info in Agoura Hills, California more details will be available. Many Agoura Hills are now aware that the state of California is against homeschooling. As California’s AB 2756 proposition shows. Although homeschooling is not new it came to the forefront of American culture in the early 90s as a way for Christian families to infuse their believes into their kids education. After two decades of criticism no one was expecting. That is, children who’re homeschool are more successful in life, make better choices, and have higher sense of values and respect for their peers. Regardless of false propaganda homeschooled kids enjoy online learning, friendships, and additional activities as the other public school student but without many of the drawbacks, like standardized lesson plans and gun violence. Today a lot of parents have raised the question I’m wondering if homeschooling is the answer to the US education crisis. At GreatHomeschoolConventions.Com we simply want to make you aware that you are not alone on this journey. For more info about what GreatHomeschoolConventions.Com has to offer please visit our blog.

Agoura Hills Homeschooling Curriculum Blog

The SAT vs the ACT: The Real Truth

If college is in your child’s future, what should you choose: the SAT or the ACT? Here are the facts, pros, and cons of the SAT vs. the ACT!

Which One Would You Take?

The SAT or ACT? Well, twenty years ago, making the choice was easy as pie. Back then, it all boiled down to where you wanted to go to college: you sat the ACT for colleges in the North and Midwest, and the SAT for the rest of them (colleges in the South, and on both the East and West Coasts).

Nowadays, basically every university in the United States accepts both SAT and ACT results. Even if a school prefers one over the other, admissions officers usually convert the scores interchangeably.

Why Are These Tests Needed?

We need these standardized tests so that we can compare the abilities of students across the country—fairly. For example, a 4.0 GPA at one school can mean something entirely different to a 4.0 earned at another school. How else can we make up for obvious differences between student knowledge, teaching aptitude, degree of difficulty across different curriculums, and just plain old marking biases?

That’s where standardized tests like the SAT and ACT come in, as they help compensate for these differences by leveling the playing field. Interestingly, a student’s scores also help predict what kind of academic success they’ll have in their first year in college.

The SAT and the ACT

The creators of both the SAT and ACT were guided by very similar philosophies: to design an instrument to assess a student’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The similarities go much deeper.

In both tests, students will find questions that are objective and have only one correct answer. Sections dedicated to math, vocabulary, and reading comprehension assess the learners’ “innate abilities.” Tricky and confusing phrasing is purposely used to determine skill level.

This also has the effect of checking how a student performs under pressure and their ability to identify exactly what is being asked of them. It isn’t necessarily measuring comprehension on a specific subject, but of course does cover basic high school material. What the examiners are more interested in is how well a student can critically think through a problem—considering they are given roughly one minute per question—and then move on.

Now that the SAT has been redesigned, the format is very similar to the ACT. When the new president of the College Board was appointed, he hired ACT writers to create the redesigned SAT. The resemblance between the instruments is good news to any college hopeful. Both have four long sections, require a student to understand basic test-taking techniques, and need them to answer the questions quickly. The best score a student can receive on the SAT is 1600 and 36 on the ACT.

SAT	ACT
Reading	Four answer choices	Five answer choices
Writing	Grammar, style, and analysis	Grammar, style, and analysis
Math	Trigonometry, Geometry, Algebra; contains geometry formulas	Trigonometry, geometry analysis, no grid-in questions
Science	No Science section	Science questions similar to the SAT reading section
Essay	Analytical response required; duration 50 minutes	Persuasive writing required; duration 40 minutes
Scores	Scores are not averaged	Sections are averaged
Annual Frequency	Offered seven times per year	Offered six times per year
Permitted Attempts	Unlimited	Limited to twelve attempts
Best Possible Score	1600	36
Website	www.collegeboard.org	www.act.org

What is crystal clear is that learning critical thinking skills will benefit students whether they sit either or both tests. And there are plenty of other standardized exams where these skills are completely transferable. These include the popular PSAT/NMSQT test, which when taken in a student’s junior year could yield incredible scholarships like full tuition, free room and board, graduate school money, study abroad stipends, and more. The list of other exams that will benefit from learning test-taking skills include AP, Subject Tests, GRE, CLEP, LSAT, ISEE, and so on.

When you boil it down, the SAT and ACT largely examine the same aspects of a student’s capabilities, in similar ways, yielding similar results that can be converted to suit the institution you or your student is applying for. The question I find people are asking now is this: “if they are so similar, is there a benefit in taking both tests?” The answer is “yes.”

Despite the incredible similarities, it does seem prudent to consider doing just that. Whereas both tests fulfill the same role in the admissions process of college, some colleges do give a better scholarship based on their preference for using the results of one test over the other. Nowadays, many students are considering taking both the SAT and ACT so they can stack the cards in their favor, showcase their abilities, and receive more money.

If you’re looking for a program that will help you or your student ace the SAT (and other standardized tests that could make a huge difference to your future) then take the time to check out the College Prep Genius programs. Thousands of students swear by Jean Burk’s system and you will too!