Do Rankings Have Too Much Influence in College Admissions?

Available for Interview: Kaplan Test Prep Expert

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 (January 31, 2012) – A top admissions official at Claremont McKenna College, a prestigious school in California, admitted to inflating the school’s SAT scores in order to help boost its standing in the national rankings.  While this may be the most egregious example of a school seeking to game the rankings, it’s hardly the only one.

“There’s no question that rankings have had a negative effect on colleges, as they drive many schools to focus on statistics around perceived status,” said Jieun Choe, executive director of college prep and K-12 programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “The reality is that there are a number of ways schools have been able to influence their rankings-related statistics – whether it’s going SAT-optional to boost their SAT scores, or getting rid of an early admissions policy to increase applicant volume.”

“Realistically, the top echelon of schools hasn’t really changed over the past several decades, and beyond that, among competitive schools there’s no difference in quality when a student goes to the 22^nd ranked school versus the 28^th ranked school in the country.  From a student perspective, rankings should play a minimal role in considering where they want to apply.”

To talk to with a Kaplan Test Prep expert about the role of rankings in the college admissions process, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com  or 212.453.7538.   Also visit Kaplan Test Prep’s virtual pressroom at http://press.kaptest.com and follow on Twitter: @KapTestNews.

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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A Myriad of Scholarships Prove That Students Don’t Necessarily Have to Be at the Head of the Class to Bank Scholarship Money – But it Doesn’t Hurt Either

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 (January 30, 2012) – To win a share of the billions of dollars available in college scholarships, you don’t necessarily have to be a 4.0 student or have scored a perfect 2400 on the SAT or 36 on the ACT – though that helps too.  There are many unusual, little-known scholarships available for students of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles, but who may not have the strongest academic records. Here are just a few:

• The Parapsychology Foundation’s Annual Eileen J. Garrett Scholarship is designed to assist a student who plans to pursue the academic study of parapsychology.  The organization says applicants must demonstrate a previous interest in parapsychology and included writing samples on the subject with the application form.  Boo!
• The Klingon Language Institute’s Kor Memorial Scholarship may be a Treky’s dream come true.  According to the organization, the purpose of the scholarship is to recognize and encourage scholarship in fields of language study. Familiarity with Mr. Spock’s Klingon language is not required, but they do prefer creative and innovative applicants.
• Duck Tape’s® Stuck at Prom® Scholarship Contest challenges students to create and accessorize their prom outfits with duct tape, then wear them to prom.  Participants take snapshots of themselves with their dates at the prom and then an online, public poll decides the winner. Quacking on the dance floor isn’t a requirement to compete, but speaking of quacking…  
• The Chick and Sophie Major Memorial Duck Calling Contest takes place every year in Arkansas – in sunshine or in fowl weather. During its nearly 40 year history, the contest has awarded more than $60,000 in scholarships to young duck callers who have gone on attend 32 different colleges.
• Vegetarian Resource Group awards two $5,000 scholarships to high school students who have promoted vegetarianism in their high schools and/or communities. Applicants should NOT beef up their résumés.
• Tall Clubs International offers $1,000 scholarships to tall students who meet the organization’s requirements: minimums of 5’10” for women and 6’2″ for men.  Note: 5’10” and 6’2” WITHOUT heels.

“How to pay for college is a huge concern for many families, but luckily there are billions of dollars in private scholarship money available for almost every kind of student,” said Jieun Choe, executive director of college prep and K-12 programs, Kaplan Test Prep.  “We strongly encourage students to look for scholarship opportunities before their senior year – and look at searching and applying for scholarships as a part-time job, as it can really be worth your while.  You can actually start banking scholarship money as early as freshman year of high school. The more money you have by the time college acceptance letters come, the more options you’ll have since your ability to pay will be less of an issue. ”

For videos on the financial aid process and scholarships, visit www.youtube.com/KaplanSATACT.

To arrange an interview with a Kaplan Test Prep expert about scholarships and the financial aid process, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.

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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Kaplan K12 Will Provide 5 Days of Free Digital Learning Resources for
Students, Parents and Educators

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 (January 30, 2012) – Kaplan K12 Learning Services, in partnership with the Alliance for Excellent Education, is pleased to announce its participation as a partner in the first-ever Digital Learning Day campaign. This national campaign is designed to celebrate innovative teaching and highlight practices that make learning more personalized and engaging for students, exploring how digital learning can provide all students with the opportunities they deserve—to build the skills needed to succeed in college, a career, and life.

“At Kaplan K12, we are committed to closing the achievement gap by making quality learning accessible, serving students through the academic best practices of differentiated instruction and blended learning, as well as through innovative technologies designed to meet individual needs,” said Justin Serrano, president of Kaplan K12 Learning Services. “Digital Learning Day is well-aligned with our mission, and we applaud its transformative nature in bringing together all stakeholders and supporting innovation that changes policies, shifts attitudes and supports wide-scale adoption of promising instructional practices.”

“Digital Learning Day is more than just a day,” said Gov. Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. “It is about building a digital learning movement that provides teachers with better tools to truly provide a quality education for every child. Simply layering on technology alone will not move the education needle very much. Effective technology combined with great teachers and engaged students have the potential to transform the world of learning. The time has come to ensure that every child has access to the engaging experience that comes with powerful teaching and rigorous content available through digital learning. The teachers are here, the technology is everywhere, and the students are ready and able. Now it’s time to put it all together.”

In celebration of Digital Learning Day, Kaplan will launch 5 Days of Digital Learning, an initiative to share resources that support the goals of Digital Learning Day. Starting on February 1, Kaplan will make available a number of learning resources for students, parents, and educators, including SAT and ACT digital flashcards, ebooks, and online events. Each weekday, Kaplan will reveal its new digital learning gift on its Facebook page, Getting Into College Today, cosponsored by StudentAdvisor. These resources will be available for free throughout the month of February.

About the Alliance for Excellent Education 
The Alliance for Excellent Education is a Washington, DC-based national policy and advocacy organization that works to improve national and federal policy so that all students can achieve at high academic levels and graduate from high school ready for success in college, work, and citizenship in the twenty-first century. For more information about the Alliance for Excellent Education, please visit http://www.all4ed.org.

About Kaplan K12 Learning Services 
Kaplan K12 Learning Services (http://www.kaplank12.com), a unit of Kaplan Test Prep (http://www.kaptest.com), partners with schools to measurably propel student achievement. 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. (http://www.kaplan.com), a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).

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The Daily Pennsylvanian (University of Pennsylvania): “Potential MCAT makeover may bring major changes”

The North County Times: “City debuts free SAT prep test”

The Record (College of of Saint Benedict and St. John’s University): “Law schools looking at Facebook”

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 (January 27, 2012) – Kaplan Bar Review, a leading provider of full-service bar preparation, is expanding its bar review program to students preparing for the state bar exams in Arizona and West Virginia in time for the July 2012 exam and Washington State for the July 2013 exam.  With this expansion to 28 states, plus Washington, D.C., Kaplan Bar Review will be available to nearly 85% of the entire bar-taking population.

“Kaplan Bar Review’s expansion of full-service bar review to Arizona, Washington State and West Virginia continues to build on our strong momentum of 2011, which saw a significant increase in the number of law school students enrolling in our comprehensive programs,” said Steven Marietti, Esq., vice president and general manager, Kaplan Bar Review.  “Kaplan Bar Review is unsurpassed in providing resources and a curriculum that help students apply their knowledge in the manner that the bar exam will test it.  Our unlimited essay grading, exam-like multiple-choice questions, and daily regimen of assignments that guide students with specific tasks designed to improve their areas of weakness, all contribute to our high success rate in helping our students pass the bar exam.”

In a July 2011 bar exit survey of 1,973 bar examinees, at 24 randomly selected locations, who took bar review in states where Kaplan offers full service bar review, examinees who prepared with Kaplan rated Kaplan higher than examinees who prepared with BarBri in five key categories, including exam likeness of the MBE (Multistate Bar Exam) practice questions; essay grading; amount of individualized guidance; amount of student support; and overall course value.

In 2010 (the most recently fully recorded year), 68% percent of bar exam takers (54,448 out of 79,953) passed nationally, although pass rates varied by state.  In Arizona and Washington, the pass rates were slightly above the national average at 73% and 71%, respectively; West Virginia’s 65% passage rate was below the national average.

About Kaplan Bar Review

Kaplan Bar Review (www.kaplanbarreview.com) provides full-service bar review programs in 28 states (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia) and Washington DC, making its courses available to approximately 85% of the U.S. Bar-taking population.  Additionally, Kaplan Bar Review offers supplemental preparation for the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE).

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The International Business Times:  “Your Online Branding Strategy When Applying to Grad School”

The DePaulia (DePaul University): “Increasing number of applicants fired by Facebook”

Online Prep Program Cited For Comprehensive Study Materials,
Level of Parental Involvement, Accessibility and Affordability

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 (January 23, 2012) –The National Parenting Center (NPC) awarded Kaplan’s SAT on Demand course its Seal of Approval, citing the online test prep program’s comprehensive study materials, involvement of parents in their child’s progress, accessibility and affordability, among other attributes.

The NPC’s Seal of Approval is a peer-to-peer review program to recognize and highlight products and services that have been met with a “thumbs up” by parents.  The evaluative process gauges consumer reaction to products currently available to both parents and their children such as toys, games, books, videos, websites and educational products.  Each is reviewed on a number of factors including price, packaging, design, stimulation, desirability, age appropriateness and instruction.

According to the National Parenting Center, “This (Kaplan Test Prep) SAT prep program is so comprehensive that parents could not believe what they were able to give their pre-SAT child for a fraction of the cost of traditional prep classes. There are various learning sessions and videos that help to reinforce the material. These are followed up with tests so that you and your child can monitor your progress.  Testers told us that the videos feel like you are learning from a teacher and the quizzes are actually something they looked forward to, eager to demonstrate their understanding and grasp of the lesson.”

“We are thrilled to earn the Seal of Approval from parents, as it recognizes our continuing efforts to provide the most effective, high-quality test prep resources available and to help parents be involved in their children’s academic progress,” said Justin Serrano, president of K-12 and college prep programs, Kaplan Test Prep.  “Kaplan Test Prep’s SAT on Demand, which is integrated into all of our SAT courses, is a result of our efforts to leverage advances in technology, a growing body of research on instructional best practices, and feedback from thousands of students and parents to create a product that enables students to achieve the scores they need to get into the schools of their choice.”

The NPC Seal of Approval follows on the heels of another prestigious recognition, which saw Kaplan’s SAT On Demand course cited as the top high school “Test Tool Website” in ComputED’s 2011 Education Software Review Awards (EDDIE Awards).  EDDIE winners were selected from around the world and judged on academic content, potential for broad classroom use, technical merit, subject approach and management system.

Kaplan’s comprehensive and interactive SAT On Demand course allows students to go at their own pace and on their own schedule with a personalized path through the curriculum, available 24/7.  It is powered by Kaplan’s exclusive Smart Track^TM system, which analyzes student performance and prescribes a customized learning plan.  Kaplan’s SAT On Demand integrates focused content review, test-taking strategies, and the practice students need to achieve their target SAT scores.  It includes: a custom study plan based on their diagnostic performance; two full-length SAT practice tests; over 50 hours of engaging video instruction on every tested topic on the SAT; step-by-step problem solving exercises; and 1,000+ practice problems.  The course also features Smart Reports™, which is essential in keeping both students and parents up-to-date on progress with performance reporting right down to the question level.

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.

*SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product. ACT is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc. PSAT/NMSQT is a trademark jointly owned by the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which were not involved in the production of, and do not endorse, this product. None of the trademark holders are affiliated with Kaplan.

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The Heights (Boston College): “MCAT Will Be Lengthened In 2015 To Include More Subjects”

The Battalion (Texas A&M University): “Changes to MCAT render test longer, more difficult”