GED Update

It's official: yesterday the Christie Administration announced that the NJ State Board of Education has approved the changes to the GED I discussed here on November 2. Beginning in January 2014, three providers will offer the adult education assessment exam in NJ.  There are currently 30 authorized testing centers, many of which are located on community college campuses.

Experiential Learning-- Intern with a Congressman

A recent email from my Congressman, Rush Holt, reminded me of one of the many perks of teen homeschooling: internships. Because homeschoolers are not bound by the hours of brick-and-mortar schools, they are able to intern during traditional working hours. 

Congressman Holt is currently accepting applications for Congressional internships in his offices in West Windsor and Washington, D.C. for the spring of 2014. According to his email:

Congressional interns are selected on a competitive basis and contribute in many ways to my work for central New Jersey, including aiding in legislative research, attending congressional hearings, helping address New Jerseyans’ problems with federal agencies, conducting community outreach, and helping with administrative duties.  Further information is available on my website, and the application deadline for the spring semester is December 12.

An up-close Civics credit plus a chance to check out a possible career path all rolled into one! Rush Holt isn't the only Representative to offer internships, so if this type of experience appeals to your teen and you don't live in NJ-12, why not look into opportunities with your Congressperson? Or keep the experience more local--look to your representative in the NJ State House or your town council. If your teen does pursue an internship, I hope you'll share the experience with us.

GED News

Every year, some homeschoolers choose the GED path to a high school diploma, but as I wrote back in July, that path is about to change. Not only is the Pearson VUE-GED getting a new look for 2014, but the NJ State Department of Education has proposed offering two alternatives: the ETS HiSet and the McGraw Hill-TASC.

Beginning in January 2014, the GED will be offered as a computer-based test (only those who qualify for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act may still take the test on paper). The HiSet and TASC will be offered on both paper and computer through 2016. All three tests include subsections on writing, reading, math, science, and social studies which must be passed to earn the state diploma. All three tests must align with Common Core by 2016.

To learn more about the exams' history and background, fee structure, testing specifications, and passing scores, see the NJ Department of Education's Discussion Summary.

If you take one of the exams, I hope you'll let us know which path you chose and what you thought of the experience. Good luck!

Heigh, Ho, Come to the (College) Fair!

If you're in the greater Philly/Central NJ or South NJ areas, next week presents 2 opportunities to ask hundreds of college admissions officers your questions about applying to and attending their schools. 

Philadelphia National College Fair

Pennsylvania Convention Center

Sunday, November 10

11am-3pm

Atlantic City National College Fair

Atlantic City Convention Center

Thursday, November 14

9am-noon and 6 pm-9 pm

Workshops on college athletics, financing, essay writing/letters of recommendation, the Educational Opportunity Fund, application process

These fairs are BIG. To make the best use of your time, I suggest

1. Check the "list of colleges attending" to narrow your focus to 10 schools
2. Do some research to find out the basics on schools of interest (e.g. school size, majors offered, admit rate) 
3. Prepare a short list of questions to ask each admissions officer. These should be questions that aren't already answered on the school's website. Two questions I like to ask are: What type of student is successful at your college? and What credentials do you want to see from homeschooled applicants?
4. Check the list of workshop times and remember to allow time to attend any workshops of interest
5. When you get to the fair, plot out the locations of each school of interest and take the most efficient route 
6. Take notes!
7. Consider registering in advance 
8. For more college fair tips, visit the National Association for College Admission Counseling website

Experiential Learning: Mock Trial

Last week was such fun: a beautiful fall weekend in New England, tours of 4 college campuses (2 of which, WPI and MIT, were personal tours from former homeschoolers who are current students), and a Harvard mock trial intensive with some of my team members. You can see some photos and read a little about the colleges on my Rapaport Consulting Facebook page. But here, I want to focus on Mock Trial.

Mock Trial Seminar at Harvard

For over 3 decades, the NJ State Bar Foundation, in cooperation with the NJ State and County Bar Associations, has sponsored the Vincent J. Apruzzese Mock Trial Competition for high school students. Mock Trial is the epitome of learning by doing. For example, mock trialers learn critical reading skills by reading and analyzing case materials. They learn persuasive writing and rhetoric by drafting and editing opening statements, closing arguments, direct examination questions and answers, and cross-examination questions. They learn about human behavior by searching for the motivations behind plaintiffs' and defendants' actions. They learn public speaking by rehearsing and delivering openings, closings, directs, and cross-examinations in front of a judge in a real courtroom. They learn about our judicial system by preparing for and participating in a trial. All this experiential learning can be translated into high school credits such as English (writing, public speaking) and Civics.

Some people mistakenly believe that mock trial is only for teens who aspire to law careers, but having coached for almost a decade, I can tell you that our team members have gone on to college to study diverse fields including: accounting, biochemical engineering, computer science, economics, government, music composition, music education, political science, psychology, and vocal performance. A couple of these students do intend to pursue law careers, but most of them have chosen other career paths.

If you're the homeschooling parent of a tween, I encourage you to introduce your child to Mock Trial by observing one of this year's competitions. 

Full Ride Scholarships to Marist College

For those who may not have seen this on my Facebook page, I wanted to let you know that Marist College,  through generous support from the National Science Foundation and Goldman Sachs, is offering 17 full tuition, room, and board scholarships to incoming freshmen intending to major in Computer Science or Information Technology and Systems. Marist's Dean has confirmed that homeschoolers are eligible for these scholarships! Please note that homeschooled applicants are required to take either the SAT or the ACT. If you decide to apply, I hope you'll let me know how you fare. Good luck!

College Admission Talk Recap

For those who couldn't attend the Sept. 17th talk at Princeton Learning Cooperative, here's a brief summary of the information shared by the admissions officers from Rutgers, Rider, and Mercer County Community College. Send me your questions!

Rutgers

• Applicants should submit a traditional-looking transcript plus an explanation of how learning took place. 
• Demonstrate a college preparatory program--reading, writing, math, science, social studies, plus 2 years of a second language--and that you took the most challenging courses available to you
• ACT or SAT required; either test is equally acceptable
• 60% admit rate
• GED was suggested, but is not required; the admissions officer's perspective was that a student might need the GED "down the road" so take it now for insurance. Of course, another way to think about this is that one could always take the GED if needed so there's no urgency to take it pre-emptively. 
• At this time, NJ is still debating whether to continue to offer the GED and/or a different exam
• CLEP credits are not accepted
• C or better from college classes taken on other campuses earns you Rutgers credit
• High school students are eligible to take Rutgers classes while still in high school only if they can demonstrate that they've exhausted the course possibilities at their high schools
• No minimum age to take a class, but you must be 16 or older to live on campus
• Courses cost $400/credit plus fees

Mercer County Community College

• Open enrollment
• SAT 540/530 or higher or ACT 21 or higher exempts you from placement test
• High school students are eligible to take classes at Mercer
• CLEP credits accepted
• Visit NJtransfer.net to learn how/whether credits will transfer to 4-yr colleges
• Homeschoolers who are not enrolled in an accredited high school (e.g. Clonlara) are ineligible for NJStars
• $142/credit

Rider University

• Applicants should submit traditional-looking transcript
• Syllabus may be required for some courses listed on the transcript
• Must demonstrate graduation from high school--this can be self-certified
• Interviews are offered and suggested for homeschoolers
• Some CLEP credits are accepted
• High school students are eligible to take Rider courses
• College level writing is very important for success in college
• $550/credit