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- 💯 Major SAT & FAFSA changes dropping soon
💯 Major SAT & FAFSA changes dropping soon
PLUS: A new, powerful tool to easily learn coding
Fiveable Team
October 04, 2023
🌞 Hey there, Fiveable fam! Let’s get into our top study hacks, news flashes, and compelling stories this week. 📘
📲 Content Corner
A weekly roundup of the best study hacks, tools, and insights to boost your academic game.
🧠 Ever wondered how our brains make memories? Dive into the secrets with a neuroscientist's cool analogy.
🧑💻 Meet Coddy, a revolutionary platform that’s making it easier to learn coding.
⏰ How to manage a demanding schedule with the maker vs. manager concept.
🤯 This interactive webpage shows you the size scale of the universe, from quantum foam on the small side, all the way up to the entire observable universe!
📅 Join us tonight for two live study sessions for AP World History 🌍 and AP Biology 🧬 covering Unit 3, and starting at 7pm ET. See you there!
📣 Homeroom Headlines
The SAT structure is undergoing a revolutionary change next year, focusing less on speed and more on knowledge retention and understanding.
Historically, SATs have been criticized for favoring those who can work quickly over those who may take more time but understand the subject deeply.
New modifications mean the test will be shorter and aim to minimize time pressure, allowing 97% of students to complete all questions in a section with up to seven minutes to spare.
What this means for students: This shift in the SAT structure means students can now focus more on understanding and answering questions correctly rather than racing against the clock.
This development could also influence a change in classroom quizzes and exams, inspiring educators to be more thoughtful about how they test.
In essence, students can expect a more equitable and less stressful testing environment, emphasizing the complexity of thought over the speed of response. It’s about time!
FAFSA is experiencing a delay for the 2024-25 school year, moving its opening from October to December 2023.
This delay is due to modifications for “FAFSA simplification” and alterations to financial need calculations.
The Department of Education aims to launch a more streamlined and user-friendly application by doing two things:
1. Reducing the number of questions from 108 to 36
2. Changing the metric used for need-based aid from Expected Family Contribution (EFC) to Student Aid Index (SAI).
What this means for students: Students and families can anticipate a simplified, less stressful experience, with the opportunity to unlock crucial financial aid, including college grants, work-study programs, and federal student loans.
It is critical for prospective college students to be aware of the altered opening date to avoid missing out on potential financial resources.
Early applications are encouraged to meet all school, state, and federal deadlines and to optimize eligibility for state-based and federal financial aid.
An innovative program in New York City’s public high schools is offering students the unique opportunity to apprentice at major companies, earn a substantial income, and acquire practical work experience while still in school.
Students leave school at 1pm on weekdays to participate in apprenticeships, earning between $15 to $25 per hour, and often secure full-time positions post-graduation in fields like computers, business, and finance, earning salaries between $60,000 to $100,000 a year.
This program is also branching out into fields like teaching, nursing, and radiology, providing a diverse range of career paths.
What this means for students: This groundbreaking initiative signifies a shift in educational paradigms, offering a valuable alternative for students who may not be inclined towards college but still seek lucrative and fulfilling careers.
It emphasizes practical, career-ready skills and financial literacy over traditional academic pursuits, addressing the skills shortage and talent gap prevalent in various industries.
The program can be a game-changer for students, allowing them to explore and decide their career paths early on, gain real-world experience, and earn while learning, all while presenting the potential for employer-paid college tuition.
Students from over 50 high schools, coordinated by the Sunrise Movement, have initiated the ‘Green New Deal for Schools’.
It’s a nation-wide campaign demanding climate justice education, green job pathways post-graduation, climate disaster planning, and eco-friendly infrastructural updates in schools.
This initiative is poised to feature various forms of advocacy including teach-ins, walkouts, and petitions to school boards and districts.
Students are advocating not only for climate resilient infrastructure, but also educational content that addresses the climate crisis and its global impacts, despite facing opposition in states where climate education is misrepresented or omitted.
What this means for students: This initiative symbolizes an empowering movement for students to bring climate education and eco-friendly changes to the forefront of school policies and curricula, reflecting a growing awareness and concern about climate change.
Students participating in or supporting this movement are likely to develop a deeper understanding of climate justice, environmental conservation, and grassroots activism.
Additionally, students stand to benefit from improved school facilities and increased resilience against climate disasters, through the proposed infrastructure upgrades.
😌 The Wellness Workshop
Kidding aside, we did a deep dive into Tai Chi for this week’s Wellness Workshop.
Now, maybe you’ve heard of this gentle exercise from China. 🇨🇳
But what you might not know is that there’s a growing body of research proving how beneficial it can be for wellbeing.
Harvard Medical School is even touting the benefits of it!
Here’s a quick summary:
Tai Chi is a gentle, low-impact mind-body exercise that originated as a Chinese martial art. It involves slow, flowing motions and deep breathing.
It improves muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and aerobic conditioning.
Research shows it has physiological and psychosocial benefits that can help reduce depression and anxiety symptoms. 🔍
While also improving mental and physical wellbeing, and quality of life.
Another big benefit? Tai Chi can be done from anywhere, and takes as little as 5 minutes a day to reap the benefits.
Curious to give it a try?
⭐ Student Spotlight
This week our student spotlight is on Janiya Baker from Homestead Senior High School, Florida!
At only 16, Janiya is making history in Miami-Dade County by becoming the first student to leap from ninth to twelfth grade in a single year! Not just a senior, she also holds the highest GPA in her class.
Janiya’s dedication to education and her remarkable achievements have made her a beacon of inspiration to her peers and many others.
Source: Miami’s Community News
"My education is very important to me," she said. "It comes before any activity. If my education isn't right, I'm not doing anything else."
With aspirations to major in business and create her own fashion line, Janiya is certainly a young leader with a bright future ahead! 👏
Know a student making waves in your high school?
Reply with their story – we’d love to share what they’re up to in a future spotlight!
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🌟 Signing off for now, Fiveable fam! Have a great week! 🌟