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Admission Testing Symposium for Philadelphia-Area Counselors

BY COMPASS EDUCATION GROUP

We are regularly invited by schools and organizations throughout the U.S. to provide presentations on college admission testing. While our talks for students and parents are often billed as “Admission Testing 101,” the symposia we facilitate for college counselors could be considered graduate-level. We take a deep dive into the current landscape of admission testing, offering up-to-date, nuanced information on all the thorniest questions…while also enjoying a tasty lunch!

Examples of topics covered include:

  • How to successfully discourage students from starting too soon; correcting “more is more” assumptions around testing and prep; reviewing what data tells us about developmentally-appropriate testing timelines
  • Contextualizing the surplus of top scores on the SAT and ACT and what this means for selective college admission
  • Helping students choose between the SAT and ACT and understanding meaningful differences between the tests; analyzing practice test results to determine test preference and and estimate future improvement
  • Making sense of the shifting milieu of college testing policies: Subject Tests required vs. recommend vs. consider; SAT/ACT essay requirements and scoring variability; super-scoring and score choice restrictions and the implications for repeat testing
  • Specialty topics: requesting testing accommodations, decoding College Board’s Landscape tool (FKA “adversity score”)

We’ll share a detailed rationale and perspective around these questions and more, which you can put to use immediately to help encourage healthy testing-related behavior by students and parents.

Versions of this presentation have been well-received by counselors at conferences and group meetings nationwide, including:

  • ACCIS Summer Institute
  • NACAC and numerous *ACAC conferences
  • Interschool & Hilltop schools in New York City
  • LAISCC group in Los Angeles
  • BAISCC group in San Francisco
  • DMV group in Washington DC area, hosted by National Cathedral School
  • AIMS group in Baltimore, hosted by Friends School of Baltimore
  • SAIS group in Seattle, hosted by Lakeside School
  • PACCC group in Portland, hosted by Oregon Episcopal School and Catlin Gabel
  • Richmond/Norfolk/Charlottesville group, hosted by Collegiate School
  • MISP group in Minneapolis, hosted by Mounds Park Academy
  • The Raleigh-Durham school counselor group
  • Louisville school and IEC group, hosted by Louisville Collegiate
  • Nashville public/independent school group, hosted by Currey Ingram School

Date, Time, and Location

Wednesday, 11/6, 11:30am-1pm

Seasons 52
160 North Gulph Road #101, King of Prussia, PA

Please complete the short registration form below. Feel free to share this event page with colleagues who may be interested in attending.

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    School Name*

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    PRAISE FOR OUR EVENTS

    “Compass is my go-to source for clear, helpful, and thorough information about college standardized tests. Their style is polished and professional as well as accessible and fun. I find Compass to be in tune with and responsive to the needs of teenagers, educators, and parents.”

    Erin Johnston, Director of College GuidanceNational Cathedral School

    “From Compass' compelling presentations on the testing landscape (whether in overviews to families or in deeper dives to area counselors), to the staff's deft tailor-making of school-specific online resources, we have been thoroughly impressed with our Compass experience.”

    Brian Leipheimer, Director of College GuidanceCollegiate School (Richmond)

    “We are delighted to partner with Compass, as so many of our colleagues have done. The education and training Compass provides to our school and the counselor community are invaluable. Their excellent research de-stresses rather than raise alarms.”

    Katy Murphy, Director of College Counseling & Former NACAC PresidentBellarmine College Prep

    “What we value most about Compass is their integrity. We trust the services they provide -- private tutoring, practice testing, and public speaking -- and the intelligently responsive manner in which they offer them.”

    Sharon Cuseo, Upper School DeanHarvard-Westlake School

    “Each year we invite Compass to present to our 10th grade families about college admission testing. These events help our families feel confident, relieved, and well-informed. I am inundated by offers from test prep companies, but I always find myself coming back
    to Compass.”

    Canh Oxelson, Director of College CounselingHorace Mann School (NY)

    “I have worked with a number of test prep companies over the years, and I can confidently say that Compass is the best. They are true partners in helping to educate and support families through the standardized testing maze.”

    Jason Honsel, Director of College CounselingSt. Andrew’s School (DE)

    Meet Your Presenter

    Matt Steiner, MA

    SENIOR DIRECTOR

    matt@compassprep.com
    800.925.1250

    Professionally, Matt has a decade of experience in the field of test preparation, having worked as an instructor, consultant, and keynote speaker on the topic of admission testing. Matt and their colleagues at Compass are invited to speak at over 150 high schools and professional organizations each year, where they demystify college admission tests and allay anxiety about the testing process. Currently, Matt teaches graduate-level courses on admission testing for the counselor certificate programs at UC San Diego, UC Irvine, and UCLA.
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