From the office of Yolanda Doering

Testing Coordinator

 

 

 

Every September we do the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) for the elementary and ITED (Iowa Test of Educational Development) for 9^th and 10^th grade. These are the testing forms used conference wide, published by Riverside Publishing Co.  

 

The ITED provides objective, norm-referenced information about a high-school student’s development in the skills that are the long-term goals of secondary education & skills that constitute a major part of the foundation for continued learning. The nine tests that comprise the complete battery are: Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Language (revising written materials), Spelling, Mathematics (concepts and problem solving), Computation, Analysis of Science Materials, Analysis of Social Studies Materials, and Sources of Information.

 

The results of these tests will be mailed to parents no later than December.

 

 

 

A comprehensive study that will assess the impact of select variables on the academic performance of elementary and secondary students attending Adventist schools across the North American Division. What impact does Adventist Education have on the academic performance of students?

This is school year, 2008-2009 is the last year for this test in College View Academy. This test is part of a five-year study being done by the North American Division Department of Education and the Riverside Publishing Co., in cooperation with La Sierra University, for students 3-11 grades. For more information please visit www.cognitivegenesis.org. The results of this study will ultimately affect the education of each Adventist student in North America.

 

This is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarships. The results of the National Merit Scholarships will come out in the spring. I will give the practice bulletin to all juniors and interested underclassmen that have requested it and paid the $20. The bulletin is not worth $20. However, this helps me keep track of who has paid and encourages the kids to pay ahead of time and commit to studying for the test. Everyone must be paid before the test day. I will not be taking money the morning of the test. That would alter the schedule.

 

Parents, I need help with getting the students here on time and with a good breakfast in them. We need to start promptly, so have them be ready with water bottle, #2 pencil, calculator, tissues and whatever else they need. This is an important test and I don’t want any interruptions. They will be done by lunch. Students will go to afternoon classes as usual.

 

 

 

This is a senior test but I encourage juniors, and sophomores to take it also. Students may take this test as many times as they want to improve their score. Our testing site is Union College so that we can take it on Sundays. There are many opportunities during the year to take this test.   See this year’s schedule of test dates below. We are publishing the national dates which are Saturday dates, but remember we test on the following day. I have practice bulletins and a few registrations forms in my office. ACT encourages students to use online registration. The cost of the ACT is $31 for the regular test, and the new test, ACT plus Writing, is $46. The writing test is not required, but I highly recommend that your student take it, particularly the younger students since they have many more chances to bring that score up. Writing is finally getting a place of importance in the American college testing world. I don’t need to tell you how much your student would benefit from good writing skills in college, and for life. 

 

You can register online at www.actstudent.org

 

 

 

This is typically a senior test and we again test at Union College. There are several opportunities to take this test. See this year’s schedule of test dates below. Remember these are Saturday dates and we test on the following day. The cost is $45.00 for the reasoning test. There are subject tests also, which I can give you information for, if you need it. I have registration booklets in my office.

Again, preparing for the PSAT, ACT, and SAT definitely helps the student get a higher score. There are numerous ways of doing this: Your public library has books that you can check out and do many practice tests; the bookstores sell different books with CD-ROMs to help you prepare for these tests; Cliff’s Notes has books to practice each test; the Internet has multiple options from any search engine. There are many other providers of this material such as KAPLAN 800-KAP-ITEM; Peterson’s 877-837-8773, or locally, Baylor Test Prep 475-PREP, and Lincoln High School workshops (436-1301, ext 325) for 6 and 7 weeks for SAT and ACT respectively, for under $100; Huntington Learning Center at 28^th and Pine Lake, offers good preparation courses for these tests starting with a diagnostics test to identify the areas the student needs help with. Their number is 423-0635.  The internet offers you a number of resources for all of these tests. A quick one to get started without much difficulty is www.testprepreview.com. You will then click on the link for the test you want to prepare for. 

 

The ACT is the common test required by schools in the Midwest. The SAT (Reasoning) is required in the schools in the East and West. Most of the large colleges and Ivey League Schools require the SAT as well, and sometimes both the SAT Reasoning and Subject tests.  Ultimately, the policy of each school is different and the prospective student needs to be aware of what entrance test is required.    Please get informed. 

You may also register online for the SAT at www.collegeboard.com. 

 

You will need the CVA school code, 281320 and the Union College Test Center number 024801 for Sundays testing, at the time of registering for either the ACT or SAT.

 

 

 

October 25                 September 19                                               Sept 20 - Oct. 3

December 13            November 7                                                   Nov 8 - 20

February 7                 January 6                                                       Jan 7 - 16

April 4                         February 27                                                   Feb 28 – March 13

June 13                      May 8                                                              May 9 -22

 

 

 

October 4                               September 9                                                 September 16

November 1                           September 26                                               October 10

December 6                          November 5                                                   November 18

January 24                             December 26                                                January 6

March 14                                February 10                                                   February 24

May 2                                      March 31                                                        April 9

June 6                                     May 5                                                              May 15

 

There is a chance that a student who missed even the late registration could take the test on stand-by basis at Union College. Late registration fee still applies, and he/she would have to contact the counselor’s office prior to test date.

 

 

 

We do this during senior year. This is a 20-30 minute test that will help the student with their college decisions. I am doing this in conjunction with the Career Center at Union College. These are $15 per student, but Union College has been gracious enough to pick up this tab for us.