Early start & honors classes needed for CSU and UC entrance - Guest Mom

In many states, the state funded University systems are highly competitive and a great venue for those who would rather not pay high private tuition.  While many parents think that graduating from high school is enough to be eligible to apply to these state schools, that is not the experience of many moms. In Race to No Where a Berkeley University admissions person explains she agrees the stress kids are under to be president of multiple clubs, perform outstanding in athletics, and have good character in volunteer work is tremendous.  In the next breath she explains that in order to apply to University of California Berkley the students need incredible extra-curriculars as well as above a 4.0.


How do you get above a 4.0?  You need to start early.  Perhaps 7th grade.  And in high school take the correct honors and advance placement (AP) classes.




GUEST MOM:


I am a surviving veteran of this process and now have a daughter in her sophomore year at a CSU (California State University). I can tell you that she is a happy camper both socially and academically.  I couldn't be happier that she is where she is at in school and I couldn't be happier than where she is at as a person.

We did private school from K-12 as we felt that when she started K that private would keep her safe and get her off to a great start and from there we would readjust. For many reasons we stayed at the school (but that's another story).  We learned by freshman year at high school that your child did need to be 'on-track' early.  If you don't get situated to take the Honors and/or AP classes you can't get the 5.0s needed to get your GPA up. The requirements for UCs (University of California) in 2010 were out of this world.  They state 3.0 but the reality is closer to 4.0, oh and did I forget to mention that your child must walk on water in the extra-curricular arena?  We attempted to petition UCSB and were told that the waiting list of students had GPAs over 4.0 and not to bother. 

Our experience was 2 years ago and the UC/CSU schools have had to cut costs and I'm sure that that means fewer students from California and more from out of state where fees are quite a bit higher.  Then there is the problem of fewer classes so it is very typical to have to go more than 4 years to graduate.  This means more costs for the end goal of a diploma and it also means more students eating up slots.

The stress that kids are under to over-achieve in school is absolutely crazy.  It no longer surprises me to hear about parents appealing to the teachers to give their child the A+ rather than the A they had received or all the organized cheating or the abundant use of drugs to stay alert. Kids aren't allowed to be kids any longer and it is truly sad. There is no doubt that going to a designer named school does help one get a job at graduation but the costs (mentally, physically & financially) of getting into some of these schools for the typical kid are out of this world. 

I think as parents it is really important to think about what is right for your child and that many years down the road that they will be thriving but also thankful for your guidance.

Linda

Why Massachusetts students can compete internationally

In my previous blog, the study cited states that although Massachusetts is #1 in math and science education in the USA, even their students will struggle to compete with countries such as China or Finland.


If you want your student to be as competitive as the Massachusetts students, try the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) study games on JogNog for free.  http://www.jognog.com/  In the store search on MCAS for study games grades 3-12.  http://www.jognog.com/press/mcas.html

Here is a recent article by the former Secretary of Education and Dean at Stanford as to why Massachusetts might be able to compete internationally.  Original site at Silicon Valley Educational Foundation cited below.


By Marshall (Mike) Smith
Read the entire article in the link below:


http://toped.svefoundation.org/2011/03/09/consistent-leadership-steady-improvement-the-massachusetts-way/

'The central idea here is that Massachusetts represents a proof point that suggests that other states do not need a radical makeover to become internationally competitive.'

Marshall (Mike) Smith has been the Education program director for the Hewlett Foundation, the Dean and Professor of the School of Education at Stanford, a Professor and Director of a research center at University of Wisconsin at Madison, and an Associate Professor at Harvard. In between universities he served in high-level policy positions in the Carter, Clinton, and Obama administrations.

Where does your state rank in education?

Recently there have been additional state rankings of education.  As far as math and science education Massachusetts ranks #1.  California ranks below average but misses the far below average category.  Massachusetts uses the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) to evaluate students at each grade level.  Go to http://www.JogNog.com to find grade level MCAS study games for FREE to see how your student stacks up against Massachusetts.  Once registered type in MCAS in the search field for study games grade 3-12.

 "According to a statement last week, Cottle said that although the SERI scores do not compare states to schools' performances in other countries, even the American leader -- Massachusetts -- would struggle to compete with countries like China or Singapore.  For years, the U.S. has lagged behind other countries in math and science. A 2009 study showed that American students ranked 25th among 34 countries, behind nations like China, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Finland."  Source note below


Status                     Rank      State      SERI

Well Above Average	1	Massachusetts	4.82
	2	Minnesota	4.06
	3	New Jersey	4.04
	4	New Hampshire	4.01
	5	New York	3.94
Above Average	6	Virginia	3.73
	7	Maryland	3.57
	8	Connecticut	3.28
	9	Indiana	3.28
	10	Maine	3.24
Average	11	Florida	3.13
	12	Illinois	3.08
	13	South Dakota	3.08
	14	Wisconsin	3.06
	15	Colorado	3.04
	16	Kansas	3.00
	17	Kentucky	3.00
	18	Vermont	2.93
	19	Georgia	2.88
	20	Washington	2.86
	21	Utah	2.85
	22	Pennsylvania	2.80
	23	Tennessee	2.67
	24	Ohio	2.64
	25	Delaware	2.60
	26	Michigan	2.60
	27	Oregon	2.58
	28	Wyoming	2.58
	29	Montana	2.53
Below Average	30	Idaho	2.47
	31	Texas	2.45
	32	North Dakota	2.40
	33	Missouri	2.39
	34	California	2.38
	35	Rhode Island	2.38
	36	North Carolina	2.34
	37	Hawaii	2.29
	38	Iowa	2.25
	39	Alaska	2.20
	40	South Carolina	2.20
	41	Arkansas	2.14
Far Below Average	42	Oklahoma	2.01
	43	Nebraska	1.97
	44	Nevada	1.93
	45	Arizona	1.91
	46	New Mexico	1.72
	47	Alabama	1.60
	48	Louisiana	1.59
	49	West Virginia	1.58
	50	Mississippi	1.11
National Average	--	--	2.82

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/11/state-education-rankings-_n_894528.html

Boosting Science Scores in Massachusetts

JogNog Launches the American Science Challenge to Boost Standardized Test Scores in Science

Science Teachers Use Competitive Video Games to Help Students Prepare for MCAS Tests

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JogNog is extremely compelling to the kids, because it incorporates the strong appeal of video games.

Lynnfield, MA (PRWEB) December 20, 2011

JogNog announces the availability of the American Science Challenge (ASC), a revolutionary program to boost students’ understanding of Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) science, technology, and engineering concepts.
Developed in collaboration with Regional Leaders of the Boston Museum of Science National Center for Scientific and Technical Literacy (NCTL), this new program leverages the JogNog educational game to engage students in an entertaining series of educator-developed quizzes. With JogNog reports, teachers quickly see a consolidated summary of the problem areas for their students and discover where to focus review efforts. This approach reduces the time spent by teachers for student assessment and test preparation.
Efficacy tests have shown JogNog takes less time than traditional test prep methods and produces better results. Moreover, nearly all students say they prefer using the JogNog video game over traditional studying methods and, because of this, they spend more time studying with JogNog than other conventional methods.
"Re-energizing science education in the United States is fundamental to ensuring the long-term competitiveness of our students and our country, and we’re excited to roll out the American Science Challenge specifically to help science teachers," said Stephen Smith, CEO and co-founder of JogNog.com.
“JogNog is extremely compelling to the kids, because it incorporates the strong appeal of video games. That is its major strength,” said Douglas Shattuck, Applied Technology teacher at Concord Middle School, and one of the American Science Challenge founders. "I've seen its effectiveness in instruction in a growing number of applications, including MCAS prep."
Teachers interested in using competitive video games to raise their students’ MCAS Science scores can sign up for the American Science Challenge here: http://www.jognog.com/study-guide/american-science-challenge.html.
About JogNog
JogNog provides competitive learning games that motivate students to study in an engaging and fun way. JogNog is specifically designed to meet teachers’ needs for teaching the state and national standard curricula for grades 2 through 8. JogNog incorporates the latest educational research in providing over 40,000 educator-created review questions to its players. For more information about JogNog visit, http://www.JogNog.com.

High School Graduates Can't Apply to UC or CSU

What may be very hard to believe is that there is a large percentage of high school graduates in California who are not able to apply to the University of California system nor to the California State University system.  These are the graduates who cannot apply, not those who did not graduate.

Why?  Because they may have graduated, but they did not take the correct courses at the correct time.

Here are the percentages by county in California of those who have graduated and can apply because they did take the correct course on time.

Marin  59.3%
San Francisco  53.9%
Santa Clara  48.9%
Alameda  47.5%
Contra Costa  47.5%
Santa Cruz  42.4%
El Dorado  41.9%
San Diego  41.7%
Los Angeles  41.3%
San Mateo  38.4%

As for the state average, only 35.6% of all California public high school graduates can apply to UC or CSU systems because they have met the course requirements.  Meaning, less than half of all California high school graduates are eligible to apply to a four year California university.  The remainder are able to apply to other schools and universities, just not the schools that are funded by the state of California.  Of course out of state tuition and private universities are more expensive.

In speaking with teachers and school administrators, they tell me that there is no baton that is passed between California universities and California high schools to make sure students are taking the required courses timely.  And with fewer guidance counselors than ever before, the possibility that more graduates who are hopeful to attend California state colleges and universities, will be turned away even though they have a California high school diploma.

sources: Silicon Valley Educational Foundation, CA department of Education 8/11

Data Quest
http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/stgradnum.asp?cChoice=StGrdEth2&cYear=2009-10&cLevel=State&cTopic=Graduates&myTimeFrame=S&submit1=Submit

Entrance into UC or CSU - what are the requirements?

California has two public university systems: Universities of California and California State Universities.  These two systems have the same course requirements to enter their Universities.

GPA of 3.0 for UC
GPA of C for CSU

High School Course Requirement Minimums:

• History/Social Science - 2 years
• English - 4 years
• Mathematics - 3 years, 4 years recommended
• Laboratory Science - 2 years, 3 years recommended
• Foreign Language - 2 years, 3 years recommended
• Visual & Performing Arts - 1 year
• College Preparatory Electives - 1 year

Navigating Grocery Stores for Healthy Choices

Whenever you shop and make choices for your family, your grocery store collects data.  One of the most famous data mining discoveries was done collecting your data so that stores could sell more products.  They discovered that on Thursdays fathers were sent to the store to pick up diapers but while they were there they also picked up beer.  By Thursdays, moms had run out of diapers and since dads were in the stores anyway, they picked up some beer.  Stores decided to place the diapers closer to the beer to make dads trip more efficient.  In addition they added some quick snacks that dads would choose such as chips and dip, pretzels, and some other salty beer drinking foods.  With this arrangement everyone was happy.  Dads spent less time in the store, got beer even though they also had to get diapers and the stores got more sales because of the close proximity of diapers, snacks and beer.

Grocery stores have thin margins and are willing to work the angles in order for you to buy more.  Sometimes this works in your families favor.  Sometimes not.  Just be aware.

RETAIL

What Your Supermarket Knows About You

As the recession lurches on, retailers have adjusted their marketing tactics to appeal to your hoarding instinct

By MARTIN LINDSTROM | @MartinLindstrom | October 21, 2011 | 25

inShare37

CHUCK KEELER / GETTY IMAGES

Lindstrom's latest book isBrandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy.

The global financial crisis of 2008 hit consumers hard. Two years later, and they’re still reeling. Spending is down across the board, and even the more affluent are watching their pennies. In this fearful climate, retailers are applying ever more scientific and psychological tactics to lure them back. This was made clear to me on a memorable day in 2010 when I visited the laboratory outside of Chicago of one of the world’s largest consumer goods manufacturers.

After driving for nearly two hours, I reached my destination: a huge, imposing warehouse, with no outward signage, and a vast parking lot full of cars. A friendly receptionist checked my identity, had me sign all sorts of paperwork, and directed me through a door labeled Control Room. It was massive, and resembled images I’ve seen of NASA’s operations area — row upon row of people staring intently at hundreds of screens, only they were monitoring shoppers pushing carts around the aisles of a supermarket that had been designed to test their responses to different marketing strategies. “Take a careful look at this lady,” said one of the monitors, pointing to a middle-aged woman on the screen. “She’s about to enter our latest speed-bump area. It’s designed to have her spend 45 seconds longer in this section, which can increase her average spend by as much as 73%. I call it the zone of seduction.”

(LIST: 12 Things We Buy in a Bad Economy)

This particular section of the market was different from the usual aisle. For a start, it had different floor tiles — a type of parquetry imparting a sense of quality. And instead of the cart gliding imperceptibly across nondescript linoleum, it made a clickety-clack sound, causing the shopper to instinctively slow down. The shopper’s speed was displayed at the top of the screen, and as soon as she entered the zone, her pace noticeably slowed. She began looking at a tall tower of Campbell’s soup, and then plucked a can off the top. Bingo! The sign in front of the display read: “1.95. Maximum three cans per customer.” Before the shopper slowly sauntered off, she had carefully selected three cans for her cart.

Sophisticated as we may be, there’s no getting away from our more primitive survival technique of hoarding food to see us through lean times. So when we come across a deal that appeals to this ancient instinct, dopamine is released in our brain, giving us an instant rush of pleasure. My guide explained the exercise: “Yesterday we ran exactly the same offer, with two distinct differences. There was a dollar sign in front of the price, and no ‘Maximum 3 cans per customer’ line. We also gave the shoppers smaller-sized carts and changed the floor tiles.” These seemingly small changes translated into big differences. On the first day of the experiment, only 1 in 103 purchased Campbell’s soup. Today, however, it seemed that 1 in every 14 succumbed — a sevenfold increase.

(LIST: 12 Things You Should Stop Buying Now)

Over several months of experimenting with signage, the team noticed that using a dollar sign in front of the price decreases our likelihood of making the purchase. The dollar sign is a symbol of cost, rather than gain. Removing the sign helps the consumer sidestep the harsh reality of outstanding bills and longer-term financial concerns. No doubt the larger cart and the changed floor tiles also played their part, but what was most surprising was our need to hoard. The dictum allowing only three cans per customer that sealed the deal.

The next time you go grocery shopping, take a look at the signs, the type of floor, and even the carts. Everything has been designed with an eye towards getting you to grab those three cans of something that was not on your list. The more attention you pay to the details, the more aware you’ll become of how you’re being manipulated. One thing is for certain; whoever made those three cans will be watching you just as closely.

MORE: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Groceries at Drugstores

Lindstrom is a marketing consultant and the author of Brandwashed. The views expressed are his own.

Read more: http://ideas.time.com/2011/10/21/what-your-supermarket-knows-about-you/#ixzz1ekRgZhQb