How many people get perfect 2400 in SAT test?

According to this article, “Over 100 Score Perfect 2400 in New SAT”:

• as the 300,000 students who took the first sitting of the new test March 12, 2005 began receiving scores, the College Board reported that 107 scored a perfect 800 on each of the three sections – writing, critical reading and math. [That is 1 out of 2803, 0.000356%]
• Of the 1.4 million 2004 high school graduates who took the old SAT, 939 scored a then-perfect 1600 [That is 1 out of  1490, 0.00067%]

According to this article, “Michigan Teen Gets Perfect Scores On SAT, PSAT, ACT Tests” (April 27, 2009):

• The College Board has reported that roughly 1 in every 5,000 students taking the SAT gets a perfect score.
• The ods for the PSAT are 1 in every 1,000
• 17-year old Willa Chen, a senior at Canton High School in Canton, Michigan, has made history by getting a perfect score on all 3 of her exams (PSAT, SAT, and ACT).

According to this article, “Willa Chen scores perfect on her ACT, SAT and PSAT”:

• The College Board reports approximately one student in 5,000 taking the SAT gets a perfect score of 2,400, while the odds are a little better, one in 1,000, on the PSAT, The Detroit News reported.
• The other major college entrance test, the ACT, which comes from a contending organization, states the odds of a perfect finish are one in 14,000.

According to this article, “How many people have gotten a perfect score on the SAT”:

• Of the 1.5 million students who took the SAT in 2008, only 294 students earned a perfect score.

According to this article, “Four area students score 2400 on SAT — perfect” (September 5, 2009):

• Profile for: Tom Hui is a self-described video game lover. Michelle Liu calls herself a nerd. Marissa Pan simply likes books, and Tanya Nguyen prefers balance in her life.
• What do they have in common? All scored 2400 on the SAT, putting them in the elite company of 297 nationwide and 10 in Georgia earning perfect scores last year (2008).

According to this article, “Perfect score on the SAT?” (link to PDF file):

• 294 college bound seniors out of a total of 1,518,176 who took the test in the year 2008 got 2400
• 5683 college bound seniors out of a total of 1,518,176 who took the test in the year 2008 got 2300 or more

Technorati Tags: education,SAT,PSAT,ACT,perfect,score,2400,36

Education Funding

Is CA ranked 47th or 25th?

10 Facts About K-12 Education Funding

Interactive Map: Title I Education Grants

Comparing California (June 2008)

Analysis of the 2008-09 Budget Bill: Education – Per-Pupil Funding

Getting the Facts Straight on Per Pupil Spending in California (Posted on April 03, 2008)

The Census Bureau report strongly refutes the oft-cited "fact" that California is near the bottom in per-pupil school spending. The national average was $9,138 in 2005-06. California was at $8,486, with New York the highest at $14,884 and Utah the lowest at $5,437 – one of 22 states, in fact, that fell below California’s level.

In terms of school revenues, California was 25th among the states at $10,264 per pupil, just under the national average. It was above average in per-pupil income from federal and state sources and about $1,700 per pupil below average in local revenues, thanks to Proposition 13, the 1978 property tax limit measure.

Per-pupil spending rankings all relative

Why are the rankings so different?

Education Week adjusts per-pupil spending to reflect regional variations in cost of living, particularly teacher salaries, and the National Education Association does not.

Both start with similar spending in California during fiscal 2004-05. Education Week uses federal data, $7,905 per pupil; the NEA uses its own data, $7,942 per pupil.

Then Education Week applies a 1990 federal “geographic cost of education index” that drops California from 30th to 46th at $7,081 per pupil, well below the national average of $8,973 per pupil.

Spending more than $12,000 per pupil in Education Week’s ranking are New York, New Jersey, Vermont and the District of Columbia. Below California are Idaho, Arizona and, at the bottom, Utah at $5,463 per pupil.

Per-pupil spending in public schools (2001-2002)

National Per Student Public School Spending Nears $9,000 (US Census – May 24, 2007)

The nation’s public school districts spent an average of $8,701 per student on elementary and secondary education in fiscal year 2005, up 5 percent from $8,287 the previous year, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today.

New York spent $14,119 per student — the highest amount among states and state equivalents. Just behind was neighboring New Jersey at $13,800, the District of Columbia at $12,979, Vermont ($11,835) and Connecticut ($11,572). Seven of the top 10 with the highest per pupil expenditures were in the Northeast.

Utah spent the least per student ($5,257), followed by Arizona ($6,261), Idaho ($6,283), Mississippi ($6,575) and Oklahoma ($6,613). All 10 of the states with the lowest spending per student were in the West or South.

Education spending, per pupil, apples to apples

More spending doesn’t equal more learning

Financial Aids Information – January 16, 2009

The 4 Rules of Paying for College in a Recession (U.S. News – Education)

1. Grades matter more than ever.

2. Early birds will get more scholarship worms.

3. Students should apply to at least a couple of affordable schools.

4. Students should apply to at least a couple of generous schools.

---

• 49 States Flunk College Affordability Test (U.S. News – Education)
  California, the only state that passed in the study, scraped by with a C minus
• How to Maximize Your Student’s Chances for Merit Aid (U.S. News – Education)
• How Can I Improve My Chances of Getting Need-based Grants? (U.S. News – Education)

Last Updated: January 16, 2009

Technorati Tags: educaton,financial aid,college,grant

A Guide to California’s School Finance System

California’s system for funding public schools has been in place for 35 years.

1968-78: California moves to a state-controlled finance system
1968 Serrano v. Priest
Lawsuit challenging the fairness of California’s system for funding K-12 education.

1972 SB 90
Established revenue limits, a ceiling on the amount of general purpose money each school district may receive.

1976 Serrano v. Priest
The California Supreme Court ruling that the school finance system was inequitable.

1978 Proposition 13
Constitutional amendment limiting property tax rates and increases.

Sources of Funding for Schools

• Federal government: about 11%
• State’s budget (business, corporate and personal income taxes, sales taxes, and some special taxes): about 61%
• Local property taxes: about 21%
• Miscellaneous local revenues (include such items as fees on commercial or residential construction; special elections for parcel taxes; contributions from parents, businesses and foundations; cafeteria sales; and interest on investments by local school districts): about 6%
• The smallest amount at the bottom is the California Lottery: 1.5% or about $125 per student annually

Public schools have no other revenue sources.

Distribution of the Money

• General purposes: two-thirds of total funding
• Special purposes or categories of students: other third

Each district’s income is based on:

• the average number of students attending school during the year (average daily attendance, or ADA)

• the general purpose (revenue limit) money the district receives based on ADA

• special support (categorical aid) from the state and federal governments, earmarked for particular purposes.

The California Legislature set revenue limits for each district in 1972.

The other large portion of a school district’s income is categorical aid from the state and federal governments. It is based on categories of children, such as students with disabilities; characteristics of the district, such as low-income families; or programs, such as class size reduction (CSR). The program can be voluntary, such as CSR for grades K-3, or required, such as Special Education.

Categorical aid can be a very small portion or more than one-third of a district’s budget, depending on the population of students served. The money must be spent according to the state or federal guidelines for the qualifying program.

Miscellaneous income is a small percentage of most districts’ budgets, but (with a few exceptions) districts have discretion over how to spend the money.

A State Centralized System

Proposition 13 (1978) effectively removed school districts’ ability to exert substantial control over their revenues.

Source:

• Guide to California’s School Finance System
• EdSource: Finance System
• School Finance Chronology
• EdSource: History
• School Finance Chronology
• An Introduction to Public School Financing in California

Last Updated: January 16, 2009

All You Want to Know About SAT / ACT TESTS

Image via Wikipedia

General Facts

• Most colleges accept either the SAT’s or the ACT’s.
• Juniors typically begin taking SAT’s or ACT’s during the second semester of their junior year.
• Students applying to the UC system and planning to take the ACT must sign up for the ACT with Writing because, unlike the SAT, students have a choice of taking it with or without Writing. The UC system includes the Writing test in their student application review process.
• Tests can be taken more than once.
• The UC and CSU systems will use the highest scores from either the ACT or SAT.
• There are strategies involved when taking these tests that students should explore, either with a prep class, resource book or on-line.
• Each testing company also offers free preparation booklets with sample questions and test content.
• The UC’s will accept college admission tests taken through December of the senior year.
• This is also true for the CSU system with the exception of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and San Diego State, who want them completed by October or November of the senior year.
• Students should check the testing requirements for private and out-of-state schools, as they may differ from the UC or CSU systems.

SAT

• Second semester SAT dates are in January, March, May and June.
• SAT Reasoning test includes Critical Reading, Math and Writing.

ACT

• Second semester dates are in February, April and June.
• ACT Assessment differs because it includes four sections: English, Math, Reading and Science Reasoning.

SAT Subject Tests

• UC’s and many private schools also require SAT subject tests.
• The UC’s require two subject tests in two different subject areas. The subject areas include history, literature, math, science and language.
• Students should take the subject tests in May or June when they have almost completed a school year of the subject.
• For example, students enrolled in AP US History who are preparing for the May AP test will find they are well prepared for the May or June US History subject test. The same goes for AP Biology, Chemistry, and Math, etc.
• If a student chooses to take Math as one of the two subject tests, the UC system wants Math Level 2.
• For the Chemistry test, students should at least have taken Honors Chemistry, as it is a “time intensive and difficult” test.
• If Language is used as one of the subject test, the Language with listening for native, fluent speakers is only given in November. Language without listening is given during the other test dates.
• AP European History does not necessarily prepare students for the World History subject test, because the subject test focuses on non-European cultures.
• The UC’s will use the two highest subject test scores in their admission reviews.
• The subject tests take one hour, and students can take up to three on a single test date, although that’s pretty tiring.
• The CSU system does not require the subject tests.

Source: Mary Church, DVHS Career Center, mchurch@calhigh.net
http://www.dvhigh.net/ptsa/DVHSSept08newsletterver2.2.pdf

Last Updated: October 27, 2008

Books – Prepare for College

What Colleges Don’t Tell You (And Other Parents Don’t Want You to Know): 272 Secrets for Getting Your Kid into the Top Schools

What High Schools Don’t Tell You: 300+ Secrets to Make Your Kid Irresistible to Colleges by Senior Year

From Here to Freshman Year: Tips, Timetables, and To Dos that Get You into College

The Ultimate College Acceptance System: Everything You Need to Know to Get into the Right College for You

Last Updated: September 19, 2008

Is test score important?

No test score? No problem!

Currently, about 750 colleges and universities across the country are test optional, but Wake Forest is the most well known of the group.

Last Updated: June 3, 2008

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• Wake Forest Makes SAT Optional [via Zemanta]

How are US schools compare to those in other countries?

U.S. Schools: Not That Bad

America’s educational system is easier than those in China and India—but it’s still teaching valuable life lessons

• Indian students in the same grade as his teenage daughters were two or three years ahead in math, physics, biology, and even subjects like world history and English literature.
• It can take longer for Indians and Chinese to develop crucial real-world skills that come more easily for some Americans. Yes, U.S. teens work part-time, socialize, and party. But the independence and social skills they develop give them a big advantage when they join the workforce. They learn to experiment, challenge norms, and take risks.
• There is no doubt that U.S. education can and should be improved. In the global economy, skills are going to provide the competitive edge. But it will take more than math and science. Our children also need to learn geography, literature, language, and culture. Creativity and innovation come from a broad education and independent thinking. We need sociologists and historians as well as mathematicians.
• we need to create the excitement and demand that makes our children want to become engineers and scientists (BusinessWeek.com, 10/26/07). There is no shortage of these skills in the U.S., but these professions just aren’t cool. In India and China, engineers and scientists are regarded highly; here they are called nerds or worse.
• Our competitors are working very hard to be innovative and entrepreneurial like us. There are many things we need to fix—not just math and science education. We need to compete on our strengths, not theirs.

The Science Education Myth

Last Updated: June 3, 2008

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Why go to college?

May be a better question is, “What do you want to do for the rest of your life?“

In 1997, President Clinton referred to education as “the fault line between those who will prosper in the new economy and those who will not“.

A college education will offer you:

• Gain information and skills that you’ll use for the rest of your life
  • Expand your knowledge and skills.
  • Express your thoughts clearly in speech and in writing
  • Grasp abstract concepts and theories
  • Increase your understanding of the world and your community
• More Money/Future earnings
  Though money isn’t the only reason to consider a particular career, remember that a job that pays well offers more personal choices.
  • Statistics from U.S. Department of Education (2004):
    • A high school dropout earned $22,100/year.
    • A high school graduate earned $30,056.
    • A college graduate earned $54,704.
  • In 1998, male college graduate, aged 25 to 34, earned 63% more than his counterpart who did not attend college.
  • According to the 2001 U.S. Census:
    • college graduates earned $1 million more during their lifetimes than high school graduates
  • U.S. Census Bureau, 2004:
    • lifetime earnings for a person with a college degree is about 3 times that of a person without this education
    • $1.5 million versus $500,000
• More Job Opportunities or career choices
  
• More Freedom
  • living on a college campus with other students,
  • meeting people from all over the country and world,
  • studying abroad (see, it pays to learn a foreign language), and
  • choosing your own cool courses

Keep Your Options Open!

Thinking ahead doesn’t mean you have to know right now what you want to do “when you grow up.” It’s okay not to know yet.

*Note: The income is based on year round full-time workers. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2006 Annual Social and Economic Supplement

Source:

• WHAT CAN A COLLEGE EDUCATION DO FOR ME?
• Why Get a College Degree?
• Why go to College?
• Why go to College?
• 10 Reasons to Go to College
• Sure You Should Go to College?
• College Planning for Gifted Students: Choosing And Getting into the Right College

Last Updated: June 3, 2008

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