The following infographic illustrates the degree to which Facebook and Google are becoming part of the admissions evaluation landscape. Kaplan Test Prep tracks trends in social media and admissions to ensure that students have up-to-date and accurate information on the issues that impact them. For the full press release, visit here.
And for tips on how to safeguard your social media footprint, visit here.
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)
Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571
New York, NY (March 19, 2012) – A newly published infographic (www.kaptest.com/socialmediainfographic) by Kaplan Test Prep, a leader in tracking the use of social media in the college, law school and business school admissions processes, shows the degree to which Facebook and Google are becoming parts of the admissions evaluation landscape. According to Kaplan’s most recent annual surveys, 41% of law school admissions officers said they have Googled an applicant to learn more about them, while 37% have checked out an applicant on Facebook or other social networking site. This compares with 20% of college admissions officers and 27% of business school admissions officers who have Googled an applicant; 24% of college admissions officers and 22% of business school admissions officers have visited an applicant’s Facebook page.
Additionally, not only are some admissions officers checking applicants’ digital trails, but what they find can be damaging to applicants. 32% of law school admissions officers who researched an applicant online said they discovered something that negatively impacted an applicant’s admissions chances, while 12% of college admissions officers and 14% of business school admissions officers found something online that negatively impacted an applicant’s admissions chances. (See infographic for explanation on why the greater scrutiny by law schools.)
“Since Kaplan Test Prep first began surveying admissions officers on this topic in 2008, we’ve seen the growing influence of social media in the admissions process. While social media is primarily used for recruiting, rather than evaluation, and traditional factors like standardized test scores, GPA and personal essays are still by far the most important admissions factors, it’s no longer uncommon for schools to check applicants’ digital trails as part of the admissions evaluation,” said Jeff Olson, vice president of data science, Kaplan Test Prep. “Our overall message for all students: Since the Internet has a very long memory, use good judgment and be careful what you post. “
For a list of the top 10 ways students can manage their social media footprint, visit: www.kaptest.com/socialmediatips. Additional Kaplan Test Prep research on the topic can be found at http://press.kaptest.com
Reporters who want to schedule an interview with a Kaplan Test Prep social media expert can contact Russell Schaffer at 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.
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1 CommentTeach! Strategies & Resources enables Teach For America’s teachers to align instruction with Common Core and meet expectations for college and career readiness
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)
Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571
New York, NY (March 15, 2012) – To help teachers transition from current classroom instruction to the Common Core State Standards,Kaplan K12 Learning Services and Teach For America are teaming up to provide teachers with instructional resources. Starting this month, all Teach For America teachers will have access to Kaplan K12’s Teach!® Strategies & Resources, an online toolkit with robust instructional and professional development assets to support teacher development as the new academic benchmarks shift from policy to practice.
Based in pedagogical best practices and aligned to state-specific and Common Core standards, Kaplan’s Teach!® Strategies & Resources is a Web-based platform with resources to support rigorous differentiated instruction, training and assessment. It includes an online library of more than 3,000 lessons, assessments, quizzes and videos that Teach For America teachers can easily search and filter by grade (2-12), subject area, state-specific standards, and/or Common Core State Standards, and find immediate, actionable tools for classroom use.
“The goal of the Common Core standards is to provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn to be successful in college, and at Kaplan K12, helping students prepare for college has always been at the heart of what we do,” said Justin Serrano, president of Kaplan K12 and College Prep. “Working with Teach For America, we can provide thousands of talented and dedicated teachers with practical tools and resources that help them bridge the gap between preparing their students for current state tests and implementing upcoming Common Core standards in the classroom.”
”We’re committed to ensuring that our teachers have the support they need during this time of transition, and we’re pleased to work with Kaplan to provide them with such a robust toolkit,” said Valerie Braimah, vice president, Community Learning and Engagement, Teach for America. “Our collaboration with Kaplan empowers our teachers to achieve the vision of Common Core standards, and help them accelerate both state test preparation and college readiness.”
Teach! Strategies and Resources is $1,900 for an annual school license for all teachers and $59 for an annual individual teacher license. For more information, please go to KaplanK12.com/Teach.
The Common Core State Standards are an effort led by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association to define the knowledge and skills in English language arts and mathematics that students will need upon high school graduation. Forty-five states have adopted the Common Core State Standards and are turning their attention to the critical work of how and when to implement the new standards.
About Kaplan K12 Learning Services
Kaplan K12 Learning Services (kaplank12.com), a unit of Kaplan Test Prep (kaptest.com), partners with schools to measurably propel student achievement and accelerate college readiness. Kaplan K12 offers state test readiness programs to help students meet and exceed state standards, and college preparation solutions that support students as they prepare for college entrance exams and the admissions process. Its solutions also provide teachers with robust Kaplan K12 resources and professional development support to impact achievement in their classrooms. Kaplan Test Prep is a division of Kaplan Inc. (kaplan.com), a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).
About Teach For America
Teach For America works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding individuals of all academic disciplines to commit two years to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity. Today, more than 9,000 corps members are teaching in 43 urban and rural regions across the country, while nearly 24,000 alumni are working across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education. For more information, visit http://www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/teachforamerica) and Twitter (twitter.com/teachforamerica).
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