The College Board released the scores of the class of 2008, and the scores remained the same as the previous year, on average — a 502 in critical reading and a 515 in math.  Writing came in at 494.

While one can be happy that scores did not dip as with the ACT, the actual averages are disturbing.  The SAT divides questions into three levels of difficulty:  easy, medium and hard.  If one aces all the easy and gets a few medium questions, one will be above the average in all three categories.  Consequently, far too many of those taking the test are not able to answer the easy questions.  Conclusion:  critical thinking and written expression skills are sorely lacking across the country for college-bound students.

This article in U.S. News offers six strategies geared to the new SAT policy that allows students to hide scores of certain SAT results and only present to colleges the ones the students would like them to see (presumably the highest of the bunch).

Some of the ideas are solid and ones that I have preached for years — start early and practice regularly and often.  Other advice I like a lot less.  I do not think taking the test ten times is a good idea just because a student can hide scores.  As the SAT knows well, without intervening help at improving the skills tested on the SAT, repeat testing is not going to result in more than a gross 50 point change in score, the margin of error for the test.  Further, knowing that is going to be the case, why keep taking a test and getting a poor score?  Is that going to build confidence or the belief that a student will never succeed?

Another odd suggestion — only apply to schools that do not make you disclose every one of your SAT test scores, even those you told the SAT to hide.  If a school is your dream or your perfect fit, why not still apply?  Better yet, why not develop a test strategy that limits the number of times you take the test but shows improvement, which will look good to a college admissions officer?

Bottom line…the acting strategic in hiding scores will not mean anything if the scores never go way up.  Plus, why build a college application around “hiding” and gamesmanship?  Integrity is a critical value to learn at every stage in life, and we are not teaching integrity by moving away from full disclosure.  I think the student who has the integrity and the courage and the honesty to tell me all of the scores and the story behind it would score more points in my admission matrix.  In the end, colleges take real people, young men and women who can no longer hide behind screened applications, scores, grades.  A pre-fab application will not show that human side that makes the difference.  I am always shocked at how many students, parents and professionals underestimate the awareness and expertise of the college admissions officer.

This time of year of course finds thousands of young kids and teens populating summer camps.  Not necessarily the summer camps of yore — simpler times, regular woods and outdoor activities — and often of an “are you kidding?” variety, such as two weeks improving one’s golf game or tennis game with serious pros as your teachers.

But I like to wonder at this time of year, what do you do with that summer camp experience once you get home?  I like to see connections between experience and academic or critical thinking skills, as well as creativity.  So I suggest that parents encourage their kids to compile a creative montage of the summer events (digital phones and cameras make picture accumulation so easy today) — but the kicker is the kids have to explain the significance of each item in the montage and also must write a little essay, “what will this event mean to me when I look back at it in five years?”  That little twist adds the critical thinking dimension and brushes up a bit on the writing.  And also probably completes an early homework assignment, as most teachers still like students to write about…what they did this summer!

In what is believed to be the largest ever cheating scandal on an AP exam, 10 students admitted cheating on the AP Statistics and Macroeconomics exams, using cellphones to send text messages during the exam while the proctor slept!  As a result, 375 students have their exams up in the air at the moment in Southern California.  Read the whole story here.