Laurie's Tutoring Blog

Here’s my short list of favorite strategies for the ACT:

English

1. When you learned to speak English, no one gave you a set of rules. You learned by listening. You can hear the correct answer as well! If it sounds wrong, it is. Find the choice that sounds the best.

2. The folks at ACT like sentences that are clear and concise. Look for the shortest, clearest way to say something.

3. The same goes for commas. If a comma is underlined or in the answer choices, exaggerate the pause that a comma signals. If it sounds right, it is. If you wouldn’t pause, don’t use a comma. As a general rule,...

School’s Out for Summer-A Good Idea?

The school day in the United States is the shortest among its international peers. The world’s average school year is 200 days; the average school year in the United States is 180 days. Does that account for low academic achievement compared to those nations as well?

Since the 1980s, educators have debated the question of whether increasing the length of the school day and year would have a measurable impact on student achievement in the United States. Scholars and academics disagree, and will continue to do so.

So what’s a parent to think? Most teachers...

In case you've been snoozin', you can view your score on the April ACT at ACT The writing results will be posted in a week or two, so keep checking back.

Congratulations to all my ACT prep students! You worked really hard and your results show it. I'm proud of all of you.

For those who will be taking the ACT at Libertyville High School on Wednesday, I have one word of advice--relax. Finish your homework, eat a great dinner, and get some rest. Not only is cramming useless, it can increase your stress level and hinder your performance on the test. So read a book, watch some TV, take a bubble...