Tag Archives: covid-19

The Effects of Covid School Closures Still Plague Our Kids

The Covid-19 pandemic left many parents, students, and educators wondering when schools should reopen. The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, was among those who argued in 2020 that reopening schools would be a safety risk for students and staff. She pushed for broader policy changes that the union had long favored. Other education leaders favored a faster reopening of schools. Many schools remained closed for months, even after vaccines became available. School Closures COVID-19 PandemicThe closures affected low-income, Black, and Latino students the most, but all children suffered: the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national emergency in children’s mental health. Many teachers were understandably frightened to return to work amidst the cloud of public misinformation, and teachers’ unions advocated for their members’ safety. However, despite emerging data that schools were not superspreaders, many U.S. districts remained closed well into 2021.

While teachers and schools worked tirelessly to provide online classes and other resources, the reality is that online learning is no substitute for in-person instruction. As a result, many parents have turned to private tutoring as a means of addressing the educational deficits that their children have experienced due to the school closures.

One of the key advantages of private tutoring is that it provides students with individualized attention and support. This is especially important for students who may have fallen behind during the school closures or who may have struggled with online learning. Private tutors can work with students to identify their strengths and weaknesses, develop a personalized learning plan, and provide one-on-one instruction and support to help them succeed.

In addition, private tutoring can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each student. This means that tutors can focus on areas where students need the most help, whether that be in a particular subject or skill. Private tutors can also adjust their teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles and preferences, making learning more effective for each individual student. It can help students to stay motivated and engaged with their studies. 

With the disruptions caused by school closures, many students have struggled with maintaining their focus and motivation. A good tutor can provide students with a sense of accountability and structure, helping them to stay on track and make progress towards their academic goals.

As we continue to navigate the challenges in the wake of the pandemic, it is important to prioritize solutions that will help students recover from the educational deficits caused by school closures. Private tutoring offers an effective way to address these gaps and set students on a path towards long-term success.

 

COVID-19 and the SAT: Will the Fallout Sideline the Class of 2021? Part 1 of 3

Covid-19 and standardized testing: First Scenario

Reports of rising cases of COVID-19 in the United States and the impact of the pandemic on the economy have monopolized the news. But what about our high school juniors fast approaching their College Application seasons? As it stands right now, the admission testing required by over 85% of American colleges and universities has been made unavailable to students since March. The SAT was cancelled in March for many New Jersey students whose high school testing locations were closed due to early cases of Coronavirus in the community. Two weeks later, once all U.S. schools had closed, the College Board, the private company responsible for the SAT, and ACT Inc. both suspended their next rounds of testing, the May SAT and the April ACT. This left hundreds of thousands of 11th graders across the country prepped for the spring testing, but with no tests to take. According to CDC recommendations and with New Jersey still three weeks away from the peak of the pandemic, it is a very real possibility that the June SAT and ACT will be cancelled as well.

So where does this leave our juniors with no Spring SAT’s and early admission deadlines as early as October 15, 2020? As I see it, we have three possible outcomes. The first hinges on the CDC and local governments giving the all clear by August for public high schools to reopen as testing centers. This would enable the August SAT to run as scheduled. In this scenario, the October test date would also run as scheduled giving college applicants those 2 test dates only to reach their career high scores before the Early Admission deadlines. Of course, in this scenario it is certainly possible that colleges will extend their deadlines for application as they are always the good guys in the process. For example after Hurricane Sandy, colleges extended application deadlines for all students in areas affected by the storm. Extended deadlines could give Early Admission applicants the chance to submit scores from the November and December SAT’s as well. The College Board will no doubt be looking for every opportunity to schedule make up dates to avoid issuing refunds for the canceled March and May tests, but the college application timeline itself will limit just how many they can schedule.

Marlee Napurano, BA Yale University, is Co-founder of WaveLength tutoring and test prep, a test preparation and college consulting company in its 19th year serving Monmouth and Ocean counties.

COVID-19 and the SAT: Will the Fallout Sideline the Class of 2021? Part 2 of 3

Coronavirus Standardized Testing SAT ACT

Covid-19 and standardized testing: Second Scenario

In the second scenario, if state clearance is not in place in time to permit the administering of the August SAT, it is entirely possible that colleges will not want their application season contingent upon students’ opportunity to take the SAT and ACT. In this case, colleges will waive standardized testing for that admission cycle, essentially going Test Optional nationwide for the class of 2021. In place of the SAT/ACT, the colleges will impose some other requirements such as a graded writing sample or extra essays. Either way, there will be additional hoops to jump through. Graduate school programs are already setting precedent for this scenario with universities poised to announce their waiving of GRE and GMAT scores for admission for Masters and MBA programs.

The impact of this scenario could, of course, be devastating for the College Board and ACT Inc.. Once we get used to something, we are likely to stick with it, and both testing bureaus could find their positions precarious for future admission cycles.  In an effort to avoid this, the testing bureaus may be driven to a third scenario.

Marlee Napurano, BA Yale University, is Co-founder of WaveLength tutoring and test prep, a test preparation and college consulting company in its 19th year serving Monmouth and Ocean counties.

COVID-19 and the SAT: Will the Fallout Sideline the Class of 2021? Part 3 of 3

COVID-19 college admissions standardized testing SAT ACT

Covid-19 and standardized testing: Third Scenario

The impact of Covid-19 is of course, devastating for the College Board and ACT Inc.. Once we get used to something, we are likely to stick with it, and both testing bureaus could find their positions precarious for future admission cycles.  In an effort to avoid this, the testing bureaus may be driven to a third scenario, in which they hustle to roll out the tech to administer these exams to individual students at home online. We have seen this technology on many platforms currently used in online college and graduate level courses, where testing is performed  in a room at home, but with a WebCam monitoring for a remote proctor and strict time constraints for completion all of which ensure the test taker is not collaborating with anyone else or using outside materials. It may be hard to imagine the manpower required to administer the SAT to thousands of students all in separate locations, but the alternative for the College Board could be the untimely death of the SAT, and they are certain to go down swinging.

So what should you take away from all this if you have a high school junior? The college admission process is sound, fair, and pre-dates the SAT by two-hundred years. American colleges are no strangers to surviving crisis: Yale University, for example, closed its campus for two whole years during the American Revolution (yep, that’s how long they’ve been around). Colleges will not persecute our kids for the Covid-19 damage done to admission test scheduling. They are on the forefront of efforts to preserve normalcy during social distancing, delivering admission decisions last week as usual and brainstorming creative ways to celebrate the achievements of seniors in lieu of traditional commencement ceremonies. This season’s college admission process will be different from the norm, but no more difficult. The hardest part will probably be getting your refund for your cancelled SAT.

Marlee Napurano, BA Yale University, is Co-founder of WaveLength tutoring and test prep, a test preparation and college consulting company in its 19th year serving Monmouth and Ocean counties.

Contact Marlee and Matt for a consultation and bring your goals within reach.

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