Tips for Parents and Students During School Closures

We’re only 3 months into 2020 and schools are now closed, many for the remainder of the year, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. As a tutor who primarily works with students online, I’ve heard from parents and students about the difficulties they’re facing with the unanticipated switch to online/distance learning. It’s been a tough time for everyone, and as we’re increasingly homebound, I’d like to give some tips to parents and students to make online/distance learning more manageable..

Also, click here for a free organizer you can use to help minimize confusion over when and how to access class materials and turn in assignments.

Some of the more frequent complaints I’ve heard?

• Lack of the usual in-person coordination between teachers means work is often unevenly distributed during the week, with many hours of work assigned on one day and very little the next.

• Inconsistent delivery of assignments and materials. Some teachers are emailing while others use Google classrooms, etc. Some post daily while others post less frequently.

• Lack of clarity on how to turn in assignments. Inconsistency in delivery instructions.

• Lack of motivation on the part of students. Feeling like it “doesn’t count.” Boredom/fatigue.

Here are some tips for parents and students to make things more manageable. For younger students (and older students struggling with motivation), parents will need to be more involved.

1. Make a simple hard copy table or document (handwritten or typed) with the following information for each class:

   -Class name

   -Teacher’s delivery method for materials and assignments

   -Days/times when teacher will post or send materials/assignments

   -Student’s delivery method for completed assignments

   Click here to download a free organizer you can use.

2. Set aside certain times to check in for each class.

   These days we might be even more glued to our devices than ever, which is why it can feel overwhelming to have assignments coming in periodically throughout the day. If teachers are doing live video classes, students know when to be connected, but if not, they may feel that they have to constantly check online platforms and email for new assignments. That’s why I think it’s healthier and more efficient to set daily check-in times for each class.

   Based on when or how often teachers are posting or delivering materials, make a schedule of times to check online platforms, email, or to physically pick up materials from school, depending on your school and district.

3. Make a game plan for the day (and week, if possible) based on daily check-ins.

   Some students tend to let assignments pile up while others will try to do them all immediately as they come in. I think a more sane approach is to make a clear game plan for each day and for as many days in advance as possible. It’s mentally less draining to identify the tasks for the day and check them off than it is to be constantly connected and trying to do everything at once or to let work pile up and then panic.

4. Use Google, YouTube, Khan Academy, and other educational sites to reinforce difficult topics.

   Using outside materials to reinforce knowledge is always a good idea, but especially so when students are not getting the same amount of instruction or explanation as they would in the classroom. A simple place to start is with a Google search of the topic + “explanation” or “examples.” This of course requires more work and effort on the part of students, but my hope is that one very positive outcome of this situation will be that students emerge as more independent learners.

5. Take breaks. Exercise. Log off. Put devices away.

   All of us, teachers, parents, and students, are struggling with technological overload in different ways, and even more so now that we are unable to do some of the activities we love. With gyms/studios closed and sports and music programs canceled, most of us are on our devices more than ever.

   It’s so important to be mindful about our time spent on devices (as well as the content we’re consuming), and sometimes building in other activities is easier than trying to limit our scrolling of Instagram with nothing to replace that. While technology is helping us socialize safely via video calls and group chats, it’s crucial that students have other activities built in throughout the day to relieve stress and stay emotionally healthy.

The Right Way to Self-Study for the SAT and ACT

I think SAT/ACT self-study can yield great results for students who are disciplined, self driven, and consistent in their approach. For students who need more structure or have a short window before the test, the best option is to take an SAT/ACT prep course or schedule regular tutoring.

This is a general guide to self-study for the SAT and ACT without taking budget or time frame into consideration.

1. Assess

The first step in any SAT/ACT study plan is assessment. Students should take a full length exam and score it (if necessary to manually score) to determine where they stand prior to studying. Simulate real test conditions as much as possible to get the most accurate assessment of performance. The PSAT or Pre-ACT are pretty good predictors of SAT and ACT scores, respectively, but it’s best to take a full length SAT or ACT.

Khan Academy offers full length SAT’s online, plus students can link their College Board account with Khan Academy to input their PSAT and get personalized study recommendations.

2. Understand and analyze results/identify weaknesses

Section scores and subscores will tell a story about students’ current levels of preparedness. For example, a student who takes a full length SAT and gets a 700 in math and a 500 in reading and writing clearly has to focus his or her efforts on the reading/writing sections.

Within sections, both the SAT and ACT provide score information for the different categories of questions. Students should spend some time going over their scores and looking at the specific categories of questions within each section. Students should also spend some time becoming familiar with the test format and how the test is scored.

If other testing issues arose, such as time management, students should take note of them as well.

3. Identify goal scores based on admissions criteria of the schools students plan to apply to.

Determine what kind of improvement is needed overall and across different sections of the test.

If students have a long window to study, score improvements of 300-400 points on the SAT and 10-11 points on the ACT are possible (I’ve worked with students who’ve improved this much!). The shorter the time before the test date, the harder it will be to get large score improvements, but solid score improvements are still very much possible. Set a reasonable but challenging goal.

4. Get SAT/ACT prep materials and extra materials to cover weak areas, as needed.

Get materials with tons of practice problems, and content review materials for any subject areas that were especially weak. Here are the materials that I believe are essential to prepare for the SAT/ACT:

• College Board Official SAT Study Guide 2020 Edition or 2018 Edition

• Official ACT Prep Pack 2019-2020 Edition or Prep Guide 2019-2020 Edition

The College Board and ACT both make free practice questions available on their websites as well. Khan Academy also provides excellent free SAT study materials, including practice questions divided by topic. In addition, there are many other high quality study materials and online courses available, budget permitting.

The large test prep companies such as Kaplan and Princeton Review also offer workbooks and other SAT/ACT prep materials.

I’ve created the following resources specific to SAT/ACT vocabulary, grammar, and math that may be helpful for students:

• Vocabulary for the SAT/ACT with tons of activities for better retention

• Homophones and frequently confused words (often tested on the SAT/ACT)

• Guide to SAT/ACT Grammar

• SAT Math: 100 Practice Questions with Explanations

• Homophones/Frequently Confused Words 1-10 (FREE)

• SAT Math Formulas (FREE)

5. Based on the weaknesses identified, goal scores, and the prep materials available (depending on budget), create a study plan.

First, students should map out the time until the test date and break that time into weeks or months, whatever makes the most sense depending on the time period. Next, they should determine what they think they can accomplish during week 1/month 1 and each additional time period.

For example, students with low math scores would first need to spend a good amount of time reviewing math content. Unless a student scores over a 600 (or 25), he or she should review the content first and then start doing practice. If there’s still a year before the exam, students can spend a month reviewing math and any other content they might need to review. With only a couple of months to study, students can spend a week or two reviewing content.

Within the time period allotted for content review, students should break down the content further into chunks so that they have a day by day and week by week plan.

The ideal SAT/ACT study plan will have students doing something every day, even if it’s only for 15 minutes. The importance of consistency in studying for these tests can’t be overstated.

It’s far better to do 30 minutes a day of practice questions than 3.5 hours one day a week. That’s the same amount of total time spent, but there’s much more bang for the buck with the 30 minutes a day plan. The brain needs time and familiarity to assimilate everything that is learned in preparation for the SAT/ACT, and 3 hours one day and then nothing for 6 days just doesn’t cut it.

6. Practice, analyze answers, and learn from mistakes. As the test date approaches, do more timed practice using the actual SAT/ACT pacing for each section.

After doing any necessary content review, the majority of students’ study time should be dedicated to doing practice questions, analyzing why they got them right or wrong, and filling in any content gaps as necessary.

If there’s a year to study, students might spend a couple of weeks just working on one subject and really mastering it. With only a couple of months, students should spend no more than a few days doing practice questions in just one subject area.

As the test date approaches, students should mix the practice questions so that each test section gets some attention almost every day. The key is not to let any area get rusty before the test date.

7. Within the study plan, map out dates to take timed full length tests.

Students should plan to take as many full length practice tests as they can, with at least a few weeks in between each full length test. Over the course of a year, students can easily take at least 4-6 timed, full length tests. If students have only a couple of months, they should try to take a full length test every 3-4 weeks. Also, they should set aside time to do regular timed sections in any weak test areas.