More on the new SAT -

Three months after the SAT test with a new handwritten essay debuted, many universities are still grappling with how, when and even whether they will use the new scores.

A model of efficiency.

"I would advise writing as long as possible and include lots of facts, even if they're made up."

Dr. Les Perelman - Director Undergraduate Writing - MIT - commenting on how to prepare for the new and "improved" SAT essay section.

Well, well. It seems the college board has the same problem every HS English teacher in America has, too many papers and not enough time.

Dr. Perelman was stunned by how complete the correlation was between length and score. "I have never found a quantifiable predictor in 25 years of grading that was anywhere near as strong as this one. If you just graded them based on length without ever reading them, you'd be right over 90% of the time."

One "perfect" essay had the Civil War starting in late 1862.

So the question: Are the essays being read? Talk about bad PR.

I used a great book in Creative Writing this semester titled, "I Thought My Father Was God", and had the kids write two personal narratives based on the books requirements.

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality (and quanity) of work that the students wrote and shared.

It's nice when a plan for learning comes together.