254. Using The Common Data Set
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Release Date: 10/22/2021
569. HOW TO PERSIST TO COLLEGE GRADUATION
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Getting into your best fit school usually feels like the prize at the end of a long and grueling journey, but the next step in the undergraduate adventure has really just begun. Will you emerge victorious, degree in hand? Amy and Mike invited college consultant Beth Howland to share insights into how to persist to college graduation. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is the difference between retention and persistence and how is each related to graduation rates? What are the most common reasons students leave college? How should families think about college...
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568. HOW STUDENTS USE GENERATIVE AI
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The artificial intelligence genie is out of the bottle, and there’s no way to put it back in. All we can do is learn to live with AI as productively as possible. No surprise, today’s youth are leading the charge from middle school to college. Amy and Mike invited ed tech expert Annie Chechitelli to describe how students use generative AI. What are five things you will learn in this episode? How are students using generative AI? What are positive and productive ways to use generative AI? What are less-productive ways to use generative AI? Are current detection tools keeping up...
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567. GETTING READY FOR THE AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Computer Science is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Edward Lee to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Computer Science A exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Computer Science A exam? How do AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles differ? What are the highest...
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566. GETTING READY FOR THE AP LITERATURE EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Christy Shriver to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Literature exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Literature exam? What are the different approaches required by each essay? What strategies lead to higher scores on the AP Literature exam? How should students...
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565. GETTING READY FOR THE AP CALCULUS AB OR BC EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Shayda Moshirvaziri to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Calculus AB or BC exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Calculus exam? How important is a calculator on the AP Calculus exam? What are the highest priority topics for this exam? What are the best prep...
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564. GETTING READY FOR THE AP GOVERNMENT EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educator Dan Corrigan to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP United States Government and Politics exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Government and Politics exam? What are the highest priority topics for this exam? How should students prepare for the AP Government? What...
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563. GETTING READY FOR THE AP PHYSICS 1 EXAM
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
The Advanced Placement exams represent some of the most challenging subject-specific standardized tests a high schooler might ever take, and AP Physics 1 is no exception. Amy and Mike believe that every test warrants smart, serious preparation, so we invited educators Jennifer Boughton and John D’Alessandro to share valuable strategies, insights, and resources for getting ready for the AP Physics 1 exam. What are five things you will learn in this episode? What is tested on the AP Physics 1 exam and how does it differ from the other physics APs? How important is a calculator on the AP...
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562. TESTING POLICIES AND EDUCATIONAL EQUITY REVISITED
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Theories that standardized testing impeded equity in admissions decisions drove the pandemic-era test optional movement. With a few years of real-world data, we can now examine the accuracy of those theories. Amy and Mike invited student advocate Dr. Yoon Choi to revisit the review of testing policies and educational equity. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. What does the research say about testing and equity? 2. How do standardized tests help predict college readiness? 3. Why do many states and school districts in the U.S. use the SAT and ACT tests as part of their...
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561. POWER DYNAMICS IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Students and their families anxiously awaiting acceptance letters often feel helpless throughout the college admissions process. Little do they realize how quickly the advantage can shift in their favor. Amy and Mike invited educator Debra Landesberg to explore the concept of power dynamics in college admissions. What are five things you will learn in this episode? 1. Why are power dynamics worth considering in the admissions process? 2. Who holds the most power before applications are submitted? 3. Who holds the most power once applications are submitted? 4. Who holds the most power once...
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560. BUSTING MYTHS ABOUT HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE
Tests and the Rest: College Admissions Industry Podcast
Some rumors about the costs of college are true. For example, some colleges this year will establish record highs in tuition and fees. But does that mean you can trust everything you’ve heard? Amy and Mike invited educational consultant Ann Garcia to bust some pervasive myths about how to pay for college. What are five myths that are busted in this episode? Myth #1: We're not poor and our student isn't an athlete, so we're stuck paying full price for college. Myth #2: I have a 4.6 GPA so I will get merit scholarships wherever I apply. Myth #3: My Student Aid Index/EFC is what it will...
info_outlineIn a system where selective colleges benefit from as many applicants as possible even as acceptance becomes rarer than ever, smart applicants need to do more than take public statements at face value. Prepare to delve into the data! Amy and Mike invited educator Shane Bybee to explain how to use the Common Data Set.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What is the Common Data Set?
- How and by whom can the Common Data Set be accessed?
- What kind of information does the CDS hold?
- Why should college applicants seek this information out?
- What are the limitations of the CDS?
MEET OUR GUEST
Shane Bybee of Bybee College Prep has spent over half his life teaching. Along the way, he has worked with thousands of different students teaching everything from remedial 7th grade English/Language Arts to Dual Credit English IV and AP Language and Composition and even remedial Algebra I. Every year, no matter the subject he taught, his students outperformed the campus average on standardized tests. He has written curriculum, presented topics at the state convention for English teachers, and created professional development sessions for colleagues and school districts.
While earning a master's degree in Educational Leadership and getting certified as an administrator, he started Bybee College Prep. He did research into how schools could help more students achieve National Merit recognition. His research grew into a tutorial service that has helped dozens of students reach National Merit Semifinalist status.
As an educator, he is certified to teach Gifted and Talented students and has completed courses for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. He has also served on test item review committees multiple times for the companies that write standardized tests and helped write online curriculum used by major test preparation companies. He understands what goes into crafting these tests.
Shane is also the co-founder of Parent University and host of the Let’s Talk College Podcast.
Shane has appeared on this podcast in episode 25 to discuss When Gifted and Talented Students Struggle and again in episode 195 as the subject of a Test Prep Profile.
Find Shane at [email protected].
LINKS
Texas A&M Student Data and Reports
College Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics
RELATED EPISODES
THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN THE COLLEGE PROCESS
HOW IECS AND TEST PREP PROFESSIONALS CAN WORK TOGETHER
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.