For Parents of Gifted Children
Advanced Placement (AP) courses and tests offer college level material to students while they are still in high school. The 37 AP courses currently offered prepare students to take a standardized test of the knowledge and skills acquired in...
Issue 2 / Winter 2010 Makel, Matthew C. Model Program/Schools Schoolhouse Options
You may think that the recent update to the federal Higher Education Act (formally H.R. 4137: College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2008) won’t have much of an impact on you and your family until you have a child applying...
Currents Volume 9 / Issue 1 / Fall 2008 Legislation/Law Makel, Matthew C.
Ninety percent of middle-school students state they plan to attend college. However a deeper look into a study released by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and Phi Delta Kappa International reveals that only 66 percent actually go on...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 8 / Issue 1 / Fall 2007
By now we’ve all heard about the “achievement gap” that No Child Left Behind was enacted to address. But a survey of middle school students reveals an “information gap” between their educational goals and their ability to follow through...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 8 / Issue 1 / Fall 2007
In addition to the costs of taking college entrance exams, purchasing college guides, making campus visits, and paying application fees, many families are now budgeting for private college counseling. Test preparation used to be the extent of college planning. Now,...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 7 / Issue 3 / Spring 2007 Special Focus
Several movements are underway to re-evaluate the way colleges and universities are ranked. For many years, the standard has been the U.S. News & World Report annual “America’s Best Colleges” report. However, this ranking is often criticized for relying too...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 7 / Issue 3 / Spring 2007
Preparing gifted children for adulthood includes career planning; however, merely finding a job match should not be the goal. Likewise, focusing narrowly on academic ability and achievement is not adequate for making career decisions. The ultimate objective should be to...
Feature Greene, Meredith J. Volume 6 / Issue 1 / Fall 2005 Social-Emotional Issues
Kaplan, Sylvan, Peterson, and Princeton Review are just a few of the companies offering test prep courses for the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT Assessment. As students aspire to get into the college or university of their choice,...
Currents Volume 5 / Issue 4 / Summer 2005 Stephens, Kristen R. Tests & Testing
Nearly 40 percent of schools across the nation no longer use class rank. It seems to be losing value because of a variety of inequalities. In many cases, rank is decided by a minuscule margin. A student who finishes...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 5 / Issue 3 / Spring 2005
The College Board is gearing up to release the new version of the SAT Reasoning Test. Parents and students have expressed concerns regarding the change in format. Recently, the Duke Gifted Letter asked Brian O’Reilly, the executive director for...
Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 O-Reilly, Brian Testing, Testing, 1,2,3 Tests & Testing
Most high school students take the SAT as part of the application process for college. Very few achieve the highest score, 1600, and many are thrilled if their scores hit the 1300 mark. My daughter Alissa began the process...
Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 Mroz, Marci Parent's Platform Tests & Testing
The Duke Gifted Letter interviewed college admissions officers at several leading universities for insights into what students and parents should know about the college admissions process. They share their advice with us here. DGL: What major assumption do high-achieving students...
Burnett, Pam Chermonte, Debra Expert's Forum Guttentag, Christoph Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003 Lesesne, David Neubert, Page B. Todd, Keith Walker, Bruce
U.S. News and World Report, which publishes the annual “America’s Best Colleges,” is removing the controversial yield rate from their ranking method in response to concerns from educators. The yield rate is the percentage of applicants admitted to a...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003
And they can spot an application prepared with a pro’s help a mile away. Even so, about 6 percent of college applicants get professional help, and double that number will seek coaching services in the next decade. Why? Because...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003
To the chagrin of high school students and parents alike, applying to college has gotten more complicated. Colleges now attract students by offering them one of two early admission options (chances to be accepted to a college in the fall...
Volume 3 / Issue 3 / Spring 2003 Pfeiffer, Steven I. The Editor's View
What is the importance of the college visit, and what does it involve? The cost of going to college ranges from the price of a new car to that of a new house. You wouldn’t buy either without taking a...
Consultant's Corner Volume 3 / Issue 3 / Spring 2003 VonGruben, Jill F.
Beginning in March 2005, the SAT will have a very different look. Here at Duke University, and at other colleges across the country, freshmen entering in the fall of 2006 will be the first group of students affected by...
Volume 3 / Issue 1 / Fall 2002 Pfeiffer, Steven I. Tests & Testing The Editor's View
A debate is brewing over the use of the SAT I for college admissions. Richard C. Atkinson, a well-known psychologist and president of the University of California system, is leading the attack. He contends that the SAT I is...
Volume 2 / Issue 4 / Summer 2002 Pfeiffer, Steven I. Tests & Testing The Editor's View
You have guided your gifted children through many important accomplishments, and the next step is to help them prepare for college. There is good news: as college costs have risen, so have the monies designated for scholarships, many of...
Volume 2 / Issue 3 / Spring 2002 Karnes, Frances A. Special Focus Stephens, Kristen R.
The college visit can be an exciting experience for the prospective student and the parents, but don’t be surprised if you both experience a high stress level during the process. Knowing that the visits are emotionally loaded events can help...
Volume 4 / Issue 4 / Summer 2004 Parent's Platform Varnado, Peggy
A student’s demonstrated interest in a college is an increasingly important consideration in admissions decisions. The Chronicle of Higher Education, citing a recent survey of almost 600 colleges by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, reports that 56...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Currents Volume 4 / Issue 4 / Summer 2004
Gifted youth need to start planning for college before the eighth grade. Why so early, when most teens don’t start until their junior or senior year? Because they need to develop an academic plan for course selection in middle school...
The college admissions process gives rise to great excitement, adventure, and struggle for all kids. If your child has learning disabilities (LD) and/or attention deficit disorder (ADD), the process becomes even more challenging. Every family needs to ask prospective colleges...
Volume 1 / Issue 3 / Spring 2001 Special Focus Special Populations VonGruben, Jill F.
In rural towns, inner cities, and other communities with limited resources, gifted students often find that the selection of school courses does not meet their needs for variety and academic challenge. Many high schools have too few students enrolling in...
Volume 1 / Issue 1 / Fall 2000 Lance, G. Denise Technology Technology Matters Tests & Testing