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College Board Resources

Dear Parent,

You and your child can use the junior year to lay the groundwork for

a successful college application season next year. In this issue,

learn more about standardized testing and college loans. Find out

how your child can explore career options and become a better writer.

WRITING SKILLS PAY LIFELONG DIVIDENDS

You’ve heard it before: writing skills are crucial for success in the

classroom and the work world. That’s why the SAT(R) made a commitment

to writing with the new test in 2005. Now, after 110 colleges completed

independent studies on the new test, we have the results: the new SAT

test works even better than the old test, and the writing section

works best of all in predicting college success across all groups

and ethnicities.

It’s never too late to learn how to write well. In fact, writing

is a skill that improves rapidly with consistent practice. And believe

it or not, teens are writing more than ever. In instant messages and

text messages, they’re rediscovering the pleasure and power of the

written word. The trick is to help them transfer that appreciation

to academic writing.

How can you help? Encourage your child to read widely and often, and

be open to discussions about the reading. Encourage journaling, blogging,

joining book groups, and participating in the school newspaper or

literary magazine.

Keys to effective writing