Major SAT Policy Change Ignites Debate on Implications for Students and Admissions Process
StudyPoint, national in-home tutoring leader, calls for calm as change allows students to focus on bigger picture as they look ahead to college
June 26, 2008
Boston, MA, June 26, 2008 - The SATs spark deep emotion among students past and present, and the recent policy change by the College Board to let students pick which SAT scores to show colleges beginning in March 2009 is primed to provoke serious discussion. StudyPoint, the Boston-based leader in personalized in-home tutoring and test preparation, believes this move will enable students to put their best foot forward when it comes to standardized testing and should not affect how students strategically approach the SAT exam.
The SATs have long been synonomous with stress as students struggle to gain any advantage possible in what can feel like the final hurdle between them and the college of their choice. StudyPoint, which offers the unique perspective of interacting with young test takers on a daily basis in the 17 cities it services, aims to reduce that stress by pairing the latest educational technologies with hand-picked local tutors to create highly personalized programs for each student. But even with the best test preparation, it can be difficult for students to manage the anxiety that comes along with the SATs and the idea that one bad test day can ruin an otherwise bright academic career.
"I believe the change in SAT policy should dramatically reduce the stress of this exam," noted Richard Enos, StudyPoint founder and CEO. "Combined with timely and innovative test preparation programs such as StudyPoint, we believe this move will allow students to focus on the bigger picture as they embark on the college application process, which is already stressful enough."
While the possibility has been raised that the new policy may provide students with incentive to go overboard with multiple retakes, the College Board has reported that the average increase from the first SAT retake is 40 points. Given that, test preparation companies such as StudyPoint believe there is no reason to panic and encourage students to continue to follow sound strategies for success when approaching the exam.. With data showing an average SAT increase of 171 points for students who participate in StudyPoint's tailored programs, Enos recommends a reasonable preparation and testing timeline that begins with a prep program in January of junior year, followed by a March test run and May SAT.
About StudyPoint
Founded in 1999, StudyPoint offers the most personalized and effective in-home academic tutoring and test preparation available. Our dynamic and experienced tutors help improve grades and confidence with a unique approach focused on the needs of our individual students. StudyPoint tutoring is available nationally in these metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Ft.Worth, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Houston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Denver, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Seattle. Learn more at www.studypoint.com or call 1-888-82TUTOR (1-888-828-8867).
For More Information
Emily Golin for StudyPoint
617.877.5758
emilygolin@gmail.com
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