Hello AP/IB Boosters!
Contents
SAT II Subject Tests
Most students and parents are familiar with the SAT test (also referred to as the "SAT I" test) with its verbal and math components. But few parents (and students) in our community have knowledge of the "SAT II" subject tests until their son or daughter applies to certain colleges in their senior year.
The following is an excerpt from the College Board’s web site on the SAT II(s).
"Subject Tests, one-hour, mostly multiple-choice tests, measure how much students know about a particular academic subject and how well they can apply that knowledge.
The 22 Subject Tests include: Writing (with an essay), Literature, U.S. History, World History, Math Level IC, Math Level IIC, Biology E/M, Chemistry, Physics, French Reading, French Reading with Listening, German Reading, German Reading with Listening, Spanish Reading, Spanish Reading with Listening, Modern Hebrew Reading, Italian Reading, Latin Reading with Listening, Japanese Reading with Listening, Korean Reading with Listening, Chinese Reading with Listening, and the English Language Proficiency Test.
Many colleges require or recommend one or more of the Subject Tests for admission or placement. Used in combination with other background information (your high school record, scores from other tests like the SAT I, teacher recommendations, etc.), they provide a dependable measure of your academic achievement and are a good predictor of future performance."
As stated in the 2003 College Board’s College Handbook, some of the colleges that REQUIRE one or more "SAT II" exams include: The University of California (Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz), Caltech, MIT, Amherst College, Dartmouth, and Princeton. Some of the colleges that RECOMMEND the "SAT II" exams include: Stanford, Georgetown University, Cornell, Vanderbilt University, Whitman College and others.
For example, the following is from the 2004 UC Berkeley Freshman Admission’s document:
"The SAT I or ACT and three SAT II: Subject Tests are required for admission. The SAT II: Subject Tests must be completed in Writing and Mathematics Level I, IC or IIC. The third SAT II: Subject Test must be taken in one of the following areas: English literature, foreign language, science or social studies. It is recommended that Engineering applicants take the SAT II: Mathematics Level IIC Test and a third SAT II: Subject Test in a physical science. It is crucial that you complete all tests no later than the December examination dates of the year in which you file your application."
The "SAT II" exams are best taken soon after the relevant courses. Students should not wait until their senior year.
Here is the College Board link with important information on dates and fees:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees.html
National Robotics Contests for Middle School Students
"Sports for the Mind! Kids, Lego, Mars and Robots come together on Saturday, December 6, 2003 for the first annual Washington State FIRST Lego League Tournament at Newport High School in Bellevue, WA. Over 200 Washington children will compete in teams using autonomous robots that they have created in the last eight weeks using Lego parts and a programmable Lego brick. The robots will attempt to perform several Mars inspired missions in each 2½ minute round.
FIRST Lego League (FLL) is an international program for children ages 9-14 (9-16 in Europe) that combines a hands-on, interactive robotics program with a sports-like atmosphere. The mission of the FLL International program is to provide an inspirational learning experience for children celebrating science and technology, by combining educational context with hands-on challenges that empower children to create their own theories and solutions.
Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST and inventor of the Segway, commented on the concept of the FLL program as -"We need to show kids that it's more fun to design and create a video game than to play one."
In addition to building and programming robots, each team creates a research project relating to Mars missions and develops an imaginative way to present that research to a panel of judges. The volunteer judges and referees for the tournament (most from western Washington) bring a variety of scientific and educational expertise to the arena.
The challenge theme this year is Mission Mars, which coincides with the anticipated Mars arrival of Mars Express in December 2003 and Mars Spirit in January 2004. Students participating in this year’s challenge eagerly anticipate these landings and have a vested interest in the actual Mars missions after spending weeks trying to create a robotic solution for their own simulated Mars mission tasks.
This intense, one-day event runs from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Newport High School in Bellevue, WA. The event includes several special robotic demonstrations during the day, the Lego robot competition rounds, research and technical judging, music, and a final award ceremony. The event is free and open to the public."
http://www.wetoc.org/fll2003/NASA Mars Rover Simulation:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mer/gallery/video/animation.html
National Robotics Contests for High School Students
"The FIRST Robotics Competition is an exciting, multinational competition that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense and competitive way. The program is a life-changing, career-molding experience—and a lot of fun. In 2004 the competition will reach more than 20,000 students on over 900 teams in 27 competitions. Our teams come from Canada, Brazil, Great Britain, and almost every U.S. state. The competitions are high-tech spectator sporting events, the result of lots of focused brainstorming, real-world teamwork, dedicated mentoring, project timelines, and deadlines.
Colleges, universities, corporations, businesses, and individuals provide scholarships to our participants. Involved engineers experience again many of the reasons they chose engineering as a profession, and the companies they work for contribute to the community while they prepare and create their future workforce. The competition shows students that the technological fields hold many opportunities and that the basic concepts of science, math, engineering, and invention are exciting and interesting."
http://www.usfirst.org/In 2003, NASA awarded startup grants for this program for the following schools in Washington State:
Chief Sealth High School, Seattle Lutheran High School, Nathan Hale High School, West Seattle High School, Eastlake High School, The Overlake School, Issaquah High School, Franklin High School, Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, and Roosevelt High School.
http://robotics.nasa.gov/2003_sponsorships.htmWe would like to see one or more of the Everett School District high schools participating in this type of event. It is included as item 9 in our recommended 12 step improvement program for Jackson High School and the Everett School District.
http://www.apibboosters.org/GoalsAndObjectives.html
Announcing AP Italian Language & Culture
The following article was submitted to the Jackson High School PTSA Newsletter and printed in the December 2003 edition. It is reprinted here for the benefit of you not receiving this PTSA newsletter.
AP Italian Language & Culture, First Exam in May 2006
Excerpt from the College Board's AP Central Web Site
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com"The development of AP Italian Language and Culture is the first step in a commitment by the College Board to further multiculturalism and multilingualism in secondary school education. Last June, the Trustees of the College Board approved in principle a plan for four new AP courses and examinations in world languages: Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. The Trustees also committed to evaluate support for potential new AP offerings in other areas of history and ethnic or cultural studies (such as African-American history, Latino studies, and Asian studies)."
Increasing the number of World Language options is one of the items in our 12 step improvement plan. http://www.apibboosters.org/GoalsAndObjectives.html
Thank you,
Todd Aagard
Chairperson
AP/IB Boosters
Advanced Placement Opportunities for
All Students