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Math
Skills
“It’s
something
about
the
way
you
break
the
math
down.
My
daughter
really
needed
the
one-on-one
attention.
Only
10%
of
her
freshman
class
passed
the
Math
TAKS,
and
she
was
one
of
them.”
-Mother
of a
Smiley
High
School
student
“Thank
you
so
much
Scholar
Ready.
If
you
didn’t
tutor
me
in
College
Algebra,
I
would’ve
missed
my
college
graduation.”
-Bonnie,
adult
student
A
student
glides
to
the
front
of
the
classroom
to
explain
the
math
homework.
Confidence
beams
from
the
student’s
face.
“Math
is
fun
when
I
understand,”
the
student
realizes.
The
teacher
gives
earned
praise
for
the
correct
answer.
What
a
difference
tutoring
makes.
As
Scholar
Ready,
we
instill
strong
Math
&
Problem
solving
skills
with
the
“3
U’s”:
- Understand the problem.
- Use accurate information.
- You’ve got to practice.
For
more
information,
click
on
your
subject
or
test.
We
offer
one-on-one
tutoring
for
the
following:
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Algebra
I
Click
here for
study
tips |
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Algebra-Success Link |
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Oops— did
you lose your balance? Your core, a series of muscles in
the body, helps you maintain balance and avoid
stumbling. Algebra is the core of school (and college)
math success. Flex your Algebra muscle to succeed in the
following 4 areas: |
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*Geometry:
Can you graph functions, solve equations, and find
distance and midpoint of a line? In Geometry, you will
apply these concepts to shapes. |
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*TAKS
Math: Students (in Texas public schools) must pass
the Exit-level math exam to receive their high school
diploma. Marva Ledwith, M.Ed, has taught math for over
15 years in public schools. She says: "If kids can
master the first 5 objectives, then they will do fine on
the test." |
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*What
are the first 5 objectives? Functional relationships,
Properties & Attributes of Functions, Linear Functions,
Linear Equations & Inequalities, and Nonlinear Functions
& Inequalities accounted for more than 1 of every 3
questions on the May 2007 exam. These objectives are
the Algebra curriculum.
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*College
entrance exams (SAT & ACT): You should take these tests
in spring of your junior year. Prepare before you take
the official tests; colleges scrutinize the scores. Many
students delay preparation because they are worried
about passing the TAKS. One of my clients, the mother of
a 12th grader, tells me: "He's a senior and I know
he should prepare for SAT, but I just want him to pass
the TAKS so he can graduate." |
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Geometry
Click
here for
study
tips |
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Algebra
II
Click
here for
study
tips |
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Pre-Calculus
Click
here for
study
tips |
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College
Algebra
Click
here for
study
tips |
"I have
a very
busy
life—
family,
church,
work,
and
school.
I knew
that I
needed a
tutor to
pass my
College
Algebra
class
and
graduate
from San
Jacinto
College.
My tutor
from
Scholar
Ready
was
readily
available
and took
time to
give
insights.
She
knows
her math
and was
very
dedicated."
—Barbara
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Technical
Math
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here for
study
tips |
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Calculus
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here for
study
tips |
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Math
Modeling
Click
here for
study
tips |
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Algebra
III
Click
here for
study
tips |
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Math of
Money
Click
here for
study
tips |
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Remedial
Math
Click
here for
study
tips |
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TAKS &
TAAS
Click
here for
study
tips |
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"When I got the phone call that said that my
son passed the TAKS, I slept so much better
that night. I'm going to tell everyone about
you." —
Kevin Carroll, parent |
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"I would like to thank Jennifer for all the
help she has provided for my son Jeronnie
over the years. He is a junior at
Channelview High School. Just received the
TAKS score and he passed. We are moving on
to the next level by taking the SAT test.
Thanks to Jennifer, once again he is ready,
after taking the SAT studies through Scholar
Ready."
—
Felecia Brown |
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Q: I keep hearing that students won't have
to pass the TAKS to graduate from high
school. When does this go into effect? -
Daphne W.
According Texas Senate Bill 1031, students
entering the ninth grade during the
2011-2012 school year will not take the
TAKS. The Texas Education Agency is
developing end-of-course exams in English
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and
Social Studies to replace TAKS. Don't
breathe a sigh of relief; the new tests will
be more rigorous. For example, the Math
section of the TAKS only tests portions of
Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. The
end-of-course exam covers the entire year.
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SAT
*Click
here for
SAT Prep
tips |
"Ms. Jennifer, I'm so glad that you are
preparing me for the SAT essay with timed
writings; I am able to translate these
skills to school work. In Advanced Placement
English, I have to write a well-developed
essay in 40 minutes. Without a doubt, I am
prepared for the rigorous demands of writing
well under pressure." —Maria L., a first
year
college
student
who is
starting
at the
University
of Texas
as a
sophomore
due to
Advanced
Placement
credit
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ACT
*Click
here for
ACT Prep
tips |
Jennifer, I scored high enough on the
Reading and English sections on the ACT to
apply to nursing school. Other students like
me (older students) were making 13 on the
ACT. I told them that they better call you.
Please send me some business cards to pass
out.
—Ruth Burleson, mother and wife who is
returning to school after a few years
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TExES
Math 4-8
Click
here for
study
tips |
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TExES
Math
8-12
Click
here for
study
tips |
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THEA &
COMPASS
*Why
take the
THEA?
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Q: I'm starting college in the fall. How can
I prepare for the THEA?
— Serious student |
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Whew, this is a big question. The THEA has
three parts: reading, mathematics, and
writing. I'll start with a general overview
of the test and the math section. |
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Pick up
The Official THEA™ Test Study Guide
(ISBN: 0-89056-022-6). It's written by
National Evaluation Systems, the people who
write the THEA. At the back of the book,
there is a practice THEA that I want you to
take under timed conditions. (Talk with your
testing center coordinator about time
limits; they vary.) |
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Do not use a graphing calculator or the
calculator on your cell phone. Neither are
allowed. One of my clients was so shocked
when he arrived at the test with his TI-83,
that he struggled through all three sections
of the test. Get a basic calculator. (Click
here to see how basic it should be.)
Once you finish your practice test and check
your answers, follow these steps: |
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1. Decide your test date and commit to a
study routine. |
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2. Highlight or circle any terms that you
didn't understand on the practice test. Yes,
you lucky guesser, you answered some of the
function questions correctly, but do you
truly understand slope and quadratic
equations? |
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3. Practice questions (using a regular
calculator) similar to those you missed on
the test. |
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4. Use a textbook to practice linear,
quadratic, and rational functions and
exponents. I recommend Algebra 2, Texas
Edition (ISBN: 978-0-6185-9555-6) by
Larson, Boswell, Kanold, and Stiff. |
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5. Remember, this test is about your next
level. Seek help if you need it. |
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Reading
section.
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Did you take the SAT or ACT? THEA's reading
section is a simpler version of the ones
that you saw on the SAT. The vocabulary is
easier, but don't be fooled: the
questions are riddled with distractions.
Here are five steps to scoring well on this
section: |
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1. Read the passage. |
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2. Read the first question. |
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3. Stop!!! Cover the answer choices. Most of
them are distractions. |
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4. Return to the passage for the answer.
Hunt for the answer in the text; the answer
is always there. Generate your own response
to the question. |
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5. Now, uncover the answer choices. Find the
choice that matches your response. |
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Writing section.
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40 multiple choice questions and 1 essay
make up the THEA writing section. Great
news: The better you perform on the essay,
the less you have to worry about the
multiple choice section. |
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Essay scores range from 2 to 8. If you score
6,7, or 8, then you pass the writing
section. Period. Before you start to prepare
for the test, visit the THEA people at
http://www.thea.nesinc.com/TA10_readscore.asp
for more important scoring information.
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At this point, you're probably asking, "Miss
Jennifer, how can I automatically earn a
6,7, or 8?" Email me at
jdledwith@scholaready.com for a surefire
template to use for essay excellence. |
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By the way, you still need to study for
the multiple choice part. Grab the THEA
study guide and review Standard American
English (correct grammar) and organization.
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Q:
My son just took the TAKS. Thank God he
passed, but he struggled through it. In the
fall, the plan is for him to go to Prairie
View. We just got a letter saying that he
has to take some THEA test so that he can
take his college classes. Why are they
making my son take another exam? I thought
the TAKS was it.
— Mrs. MAD |
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Imagine a dictionary just for Texas
education speak. You know, a book where the
word "hurrication" describes the two weeks
vacation Gulf Coast students endure after a
long night of hunkering down. Now, turn to
the T's. Do you know
what is next to TAKS in this dictionary?
Definition 1 reads: Texas Assessment of
Knowledge and Skills. Definition 2 reads:
a
test to get out of a public high school. |
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Attending college is a privilege that
everyone who leaves high school will not
experience. College is tougher than high
school. The classes are more rigorous. Your
son's rigidly structured grade school
environment is gone; freedom has arrived.
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Before your son sits in a college math or
English class (or in some cases a reading
class), school officials want to know the best level for
him to begin his collegiate studies.
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Definition 1 for THEA reads: Texas Higher
Education Assessment. In English,
that means a test to determine his level of
college readiness. This exam tests English,
math, reading, and writing skills. THEA
determines if your son will have to spend
time and money on remedial work. |
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PSAT
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While the PSAT is not mandatory to attend
college, it should be a required test for
every high school freshman, sophomore, and
junior in your household. The PSAT, also
known as the Pre-SAT and the National Merit
Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) serves
the student with three opportunities: |
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1. Practice for the real SAT: The
critical reading, math, and writing sections
on the PSAT and the SAT are similar. Your
child's PSAT scores will break down specific
weaknesses in each section of the test. With
this information, your super busy teenager
can effectively prepare for the SAT. |
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2. Attention from colleges and
universities: Colleges pursue students
with high PSAT scores like banks pursue
consumers with high credit scores. In hopes
of attracting scholars, colleges entice
National Merit, National Achievement, and
National Hispanic Scholars with incentives
not offered to the plain student. |
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3. A chance to win a full ride to college:
Check with your child's high school
counselor to ensure that your student can
take the PSAT in the ninth, tenth, and
eleventh grades. While the ninth and tenth
grade exams are just for practice, eleventh
grade is where it counts in your college
planning wallet. |
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All high school juniors compete for
the National Merit Scholar Award.
Additionally, African-American juniors
compete for the National Achievement
Scholars Award and Hispanics compete for the
National Hispanic Scholars Award. |
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Because of my high PSAT score, I became a
National Achievement Commended Scholar and
earned a substantial scholarship from the
University of Oklahoma. One of my classmates
from OU is a National Merit Scholar. He used
the money left over from his university
scholarship to buy Rose Bowl tickets. |
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GRE |
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HSPT
Click
here for
study
tips |
"Jennifer, thank you for giving me a
heads up on my son's ADD. When I started
reading about some of the traits, they
described my son to a tee. Socially
outgoing, compensates for academics by
excelling in athletics, and poor performance
on tests. I'm glad that I got the doctor to
test him. Combined with the extra tutoring
and medicine, he passed his HSPT Exam." —
Mother
of a
ninth
grader
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