Can you imagine a young
James Harden, dreaming of a future NBA career, saying “I’m just going to wait until I get to college to start playing basketball”? What about a 16-year-old Tom Brady saying “Coach, these drills aren’t important. Besides, throwing passes in practice is boring. I’ll throw touchdown passes when I need to in the championship game”? It’s crazy to think that anyone becomes skilled without putting in the practice.
Yet, that’s exactly what happens every year as students
start applying to colleges and taking the SAT. They figure they will wait until the “big game” to put their skills to use, arguing that practicing those skills is boring and unnecessary. Unfortunately, a lot of students end up on the bench as a result.
One of the most important skills that students need is critical reading. Nearly all courses in most college majors require hours of reading each week, meaning that becoming a capable reader has the greatest impact on
college and career success. But the U.S. Department of Education reports that, in 2015, only 37% of the nation’s high school seniors were proficient in this skill. Similarly, many students report difficulty answering critical reading questions on the SAT, a test used by
colleges for admissions and scholarship consideration. Clearly, the time to get in the game is before it starts.
In 2015, only 37% of the nation’s high school seniors were proficient in critical reading.
Becoming an MVP takes practice and time. Becoming a skilled reader requires the same. There are several things your student can do to improve:
Read more to find out how your student can become an SAT MVP
