The Importance of School Repair and Maintenance in Making a Better Learning Environment

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The school is our second home. We spend almost half of our waking hours inside the school when we were still students. On average, we spend a third of our lifetime inside the walls of the classroom. Just as our upbringing have a lot to do with how we live our lives, our school and education also has a deep impact on how we view the world.

However, just as we are tested by time and circumstances, bringing the best and the worst in all of us, time can also take its toll on the classrooms, the hall ways, the cafeteria, the gymnasium, and other school buildings which brings back fond and not-so-fond memories. The roof of the gymnasium had the look that it's about to fall in at any moment and the rooms badly need repainting as well as the administrative offices. And then, of course, the architecture and design of some of the buildings are so outdated, it seems like stepping into the past.

School buildings and infrastructures are exposed to all weather conditions there is – sun, rain, snow and other elements. It is therefore important that there is a regular school maintenance and repair schedule, a yearly plan to keep the space in good running order. There are rooms to be renovated, drains to be unclogged, walls to be repainted, flooring to be redone, and roofs to be fixed. There are so many details that need to be considered.

There are many companies which offer these services and help the school look its best as well as provide the students the comfort and amenities. Aside from providing education and learning to the students, it is also the school's obligation to make the education and learning process as pleasant as possible. And by that it means that school facilities are in working order since this is an important aspect of quality education.

School repair and maintenance may not be as evident to the public as the utter lack of some school facilities such as insufficient number of computers for each student or the shortage of teachers and instructors. What many fail to take into consideration is that school infrastructure is a vital component of learning.

Can you really concentrate when you can not take your eyes off the peeling paint of the classroom ceiling? Is it safe to practice at the gym on a rainy day when there are leaks on the roof? Will you enjoy going to school when the school buildings look like a dilapidated movie set from the 1940's?

Not really an inviting venue for learning, is not it?

Looking after the school through regular maintenance and repair will not only be pleasing to the eye but more importantly, an area more conducive to learning.

However, this entails the problem of funding. Most public school systems lack the budget to put up with the small and the much needed repairs so that the damage pile up and accumulate over the years and it hits everyone all at once that the school has been reduced to something close to a group of old -fashioned, rundown and substandard buildings. If we want to improve the quality of education in our schools and raise the standards of our graduates, we must take the time and the funding to improve the quality of the school infrastructure itself.

This is not as easy as it sounds. The issue has been in contention for quite some time as it is and no compromise is seen to be happening in the near future, especially with the global financial crisis. At this point in time, improving school infrastructure is not seen to be a priority.

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Source by Jo Alelsto

Importance of Notice Boards for Schools

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If you run your own school you need to make sure that you provide the best education to your students and for that you will need to think about some out of the box ideas that make learning interesting for your students. Children always prefer to have some entertainment while they are studying and therefore you need to provide them with some education that looks like entertainment. In recent times schools have started using notice boards as the ultimate way to provide education.

The best thing about notice or information boards is that you can use it the way you want it and therefore you can use it as a learning tool for kids. You can paste information about different seasons so that kids can know more about seasons. Normally, kids never find seasons interesting because we teach them in theory, but you can make teaching interesting when you can put up some interesting pictures of summer, monsoon and winter season on the board. Kids can take a look at the pictures and understand seasons in a better way than they did through theory class.

These boards are equally good for science projects because you can put up different pictures and projects on the boards. You can ask the students to make some interesting projects that will be put up on these boards and that could make them work harder because they would be glad to see their projects on the notice board. You can post scientific diagrams and information that they find hard to remember so that they can see it on daily basis and learn about something that they ought to know.

Notice boards can also bring out the creativity in students if they are good at artwork. Every kid enjoys when his or her creativity is appreciated and you can do that by using notice boards. School students are very excited to see their artwork being put up on the notice boards. This provides them some encouragement and happiness that they have the potential that is not visible to other school students. Hence, you can always put up some interesting artwork for the students so that they can inspire from it and perform better. You can even come up with some interesting facts and put them on the board so that they can learn more from it. Hence, notice boards are very important to schools in different ways.

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Source by Jyotsna Ramani

Will Cyber ​​School Affect My Chances of a Good College?

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"Mom, Dad I'd like to do cyber school next fall."

Ok, now everyone guess what their first concern was … Bueno!

"How will that affect college?"

Good question! This is another one of those tough questions to answer because there are a bunch of different colleges and cyber schools with different ideologies, standards and opinions.

I first took this question to my school counselor. She let me know that it should not be a problem for most colleges because I had been a good student before. Then I went to some friends of mine who have been schooled online their entire lives. They told me essentially the same thing. It was very reassuring, but I've found in my 16 years of life that it's best to build a body of knowledge for most things because you will never know when it will come in handy, like face painting or unicycle riding (I haven ' t totally mastered the second yet).

Googling this subject found me a lot of sights about cyber colleges. Interesting, but not quite what I am looking for …. aha! A site called college confidential has the answer to this question in an article called "Cyber ​​School and College Admissions."

His overall point is that being schooled online should not hurt your chances at a good college. Before it was looked on with more skepticism, but now virtual school's popularity is quickly growing, and gaining respect also. Most colleges today will have a separate page for cyber schooling requirements.

For example, Penn State offers a web page of requirements for home schooled students. Home school students are basically required the same things as kids who go to public schools. Home schooling is not the same as cyber schooling, but it is usually grouped in the same categories and looked upon similarly.

Personally I am happy to know that my choice to be in online school will not have a negative effect on colleges, but I am not sure that I will be going to college in a couple years.

I have decided to go into ministry when I am older. I think in my case it would be better if I could gain more experience working with other than going to a college, not that I am ruling out colleges. My biggest gripe with colleges is the insane amount of debt they give you.

So what could I do instead?

Well James Altucher has about 8 alternatives to college. They are to:

1. Start a business

2. Travel the world

3. Create art

4. Make people laugh (teaches how to communicate with people, and can be used for things like writing)

5. Write a book

6. Work in a charity

7. Master a game

8. Master a sport

I can see none of these alternatives being hurt by virtual school. In fact in online school most of these can probably be started during all of the free time that is gained!

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Source by Kelly Gillaspy

Pros and Cons of iPods in School

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It's no news that iPods have quite a following and can be literally found everywhere. But, is it right to use it in the classroom? (Educators everywhere sigh collectively and shake their heads in disapproval.)

Quite obviously, students lean more (if not entirely) towards allowing iPods in school whilst most educators ban them unequivocally. Let's see how it all weighs out and get an insight for ourselves, whether our children should / should not carry them to school.

Cons:

a. Teachers are bothered that students might be too distracted and unable to listen to them as they conduct their lessons in class.
b. Students might download pornography or inappropriate media and bring them to school, where other students might be affected.
c. iPods may be used as a tool for cheating. Some teachers have overheard students planning to download formulas for math exams and the like.
d. iPods might be a target for theft.
e. Some educators are concerned that students become isolated and antisocial. Instead of tuning into other people, they are left tuned into themselves.
f. Students can become so engrossed in listening to music that they may completely tune out what going on around them, causing unnecessary mishaps.
g. Students might be playing their music too loud and could cause damage to their hearing.

Pros:

a. Students find that listening to music calms them down and thus become better at school work.
b. It gives students something to do when there is downtime at school; or while riding the bus to or from school. (Watch a movie or an educational video , Perhaps?)
c. Students are able to show their individuality by the kind of music they listen to.
d. Students disagree that they will become antisocial; in fact, they believe it is a good way to connect with their peers, by sharing their music with them (as there are two headphones to split with a friend.)
e. iPods can be used to record lectures in class and listened to when reviewing for exams. This is also favorable when the teacher talks too fast; you can just rewind and listen again.

f. There are available educational podcasts that students can tune in to that can aid them in their learning.
g. Students can install educational applications such as dictionaries, bibles, and calculators thus eliminating added bulk to their backpacks / lockers.
h. Audio lessons can be listened to before class thus allowing the students more time to work during class.
i. It could be more beneficial for teachers (whose been teaching the same lesson over and over) to record and podcast their lesson. That way they will not miss including important points in their topic.
j. Recorded lessons can be shared with students that are absent.
k. Podcast lessons are much more accurate rather than reviewing from notes.

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Source by Cel Pimentel

4 Important Steps in Starting a Barber School

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The demand for barbers and beauticians will continue to increase over the next several years. This industry will always be in high demand as long as men, woman, and children grow hair. Individuals with a barber's license from an accredited school will always have the potential to earn top dollar with in this industry. With the demand for barbers, beauticians and stylist continuing to grow, so will the demand for schools where a potential barber can enroll and attain ample knowledge and training in order to become licensed.

The First Step: Creating a Business Plan & Raising Capital

Taking the time out to write an in depth business plan for your barber school. With this step it is imperative that you include a description and mission statement of the school. Include your marketing strategy, researched facts regarding other barber schools in the immediate area and any information on the schools insurance coverage. It is important to provide all documentation highlighting the financial records and needs. These needs should include how much capital you will begin with when the school starts and how you plan to raise the additional needed funds.

The Second Step: Raising Capital

By contacting your states Department of Education you will be able to apply for government grants and loans that are available. This is an important step to begin the process of getting the money you need to raise your start up capital. Working with a bank to complete and submit your loan applications is a must, unless you have all the money you'll need to get started.

The Third Step: Attaining Insurance Coverage

Begin this step by speaking to local insurance providers. Be mindful that you will need to purchase enough insurance to cover damages (fire, flood & theft), as well as sufficient liability coverage. Speak with your insurance provider about employee coverage, such as workmen's compensation, disability and unemployment benefits. Doing this will guarantee your school has ample coverage your students and instructors.

The Fourth Step: inventory

Communicate with different beauty wholesalers to get the best priced equipment for you. Comparing the costs of styling chairs, work stations, hair products, mirrors, scissors etc., will be beneficial to you when making sure you purchase enough inventory to supply sufficient training

Once these first 4 steps are complete you will be able to breathe a little easier. Nobody said this was going to be easy; however anything you work hard enough to attain will posses huge advantage when it's all said and done. Being the owner of your own barber school will be extremely rewarding if you give it your absolute best. Providing individuals with the knowledge they'll need to succeed in a field they love will make all the hard work worth it in the end.

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Source by Ashante Wilson

Pros and Cons of Private Christian Schools

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Christian schools are a type of private school specifically catered to people of the Christian religion and because of this there are great debates on their pros and cons. Christian schools offer a wide range of pros including the teaching of Christian morals, ethics and knowledge of the Bible; they also have high standards of discipline and academic achievement surpassing most public schools. Although these are great positives there are also a few cons, these being that it is not free and as a private school you will have to pay for the education, the knowledge in some fields including science and evolution are usually covered lightly or completely left out due to the preconceptions of the Christian faith and finally it does not allow social interaction between children who follow a different religion or simply none which is also a great disadvantage in how a child sees the world.

The level of education based on marks shows that Christian schools are ahead of the average. This is a major point for parents to consider. These higher marks are a great pro as you give your child a better chance of success after school. Christian schools offer mostly the same subjects as any other school but find ways to include the ideals of Christianity and knowledge of the Bible. If you are a Christian this is a great way for you to know that your kids are getting taught the ideals you think are important.

There is also a higher level of discipline in Christian schools caused by several factors including the smaller numbers making it easier to control and stricter rules and consequences. Christian schools have a renowned level of discipline that makes them highly sought after and a great incentive to parents.

Although all that is great, there are some downsides to a Christian school as it is paid education and this can put a strain on some families. Christian Schools are not funded by the government which allows them to hire their own teachers whether they are licensed or not as and this of course can be a disadvantage as these teachers are not tested by government courses. Although this seems like a big con, Christian schools on average still maintain high test scores, which means they are most likely being taught proficiently. These teachers are usually hired because of their knowledge of the Bible.

Christian Schools can also can deny or at least hinder the ability of someone not from the Christian religion joining. This can cause segregation from the outside world, unlike public schools that can provide a very multicultural experience. This limits their social interaction with different types of people.

Christian schools have set curriculum that usually limits exposure to some popular scientific methods including evolution that is denied by most of the Christian community according to the knowledge from the Bible. Lack of exposure to these methods is not recommended as it denies the right for children to learn about conflicting ideas and eventually make their own choices in life and faith.

Overall it depends upon the family or background to see if how these pros and cons will affect you or your children. This means that all pros and cons should be assessed with that in mind eg If you are from a different religion the cons will stand out more than for a Christian family who wish their children to learn the knowledge of the bible. In the end the decision should be made after assessing all possible outcomes and deciding which is best for your children's growth intellectually and socially.

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Source by Trena S Richards

Academic Boarding School, The Other Kind Of Boarding School

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An academic or minimal-entrance-requirement boarding school is by definition a traditional boarding school that specializes in getting students back up to their potential scholastically. While these schools are college prep, they have lower admissions requirements than the traditional schools and have less costly tuition and entrance fees.

Such schools are being used by parents instead of therapeutic or residential treatment centers or boot camps, and because of inaccessibility of traditional boarding schools owing to location or prohibitive tuition. Typically such schools accept students of high IQ or potential who have fallen behind in public or other private schools. They are successful getting students back up to their true academic level with the help of very small class sizes and specially trained teachers and staff.

When students have fallen behind their potential or abilities in other schools, they usually have also added minor behavioral concerns to their lives as well. Serious legal or drug issues usually eliminate students from consideration at typical boarding schools; however, minor issues are both accepted and expected at an academic boarding school.

The type of minor behavioral issues referred to would be the following:
1) Fighting with parents and teachers
2) Light marijuana use
3) Alcohol experimentation
4) General oppositional behavior
5) Running away
6) Functioning depression

Other issues accepted in this school format are kids with high intelligence in the autistic spectrum. Asperger's, as an example.

Academic catch up boarding schools do not offer therapy as a standard procedure. They do in most cases have therapists available at additional charge to parents in the event that therapy is necessary for the child's continued mental health or to continue therapy started at home. Children who have recently been involved in a family divorce or a death, as an example, often will need therapeutic help until they can work though depression or anger issues.

Although such schools are less available numerically than the larger older boarding schools, they do show excellent results in getting kids ready for college entrance. Common admissions GPA start at 1.2 to 3.3. Oft times these schools are used simply to get a good student even more successful in their overall GPA and college entrance exams.

It is not uncommon for academic catch up schools to have ACT / SAT scores that parallel or surpass traditional boarding school. Considered to be an excellent educational opportunity for the price, many schools in this profile are seeing students who would normally apply to traditional boarding schools in their student bodies. Small class size and specialized instructors are a combination that elevates success regardless of current mind set or temporary behavioral issues.

Most, but not all, of this class of boarding school are located in a small communities where crime is minimal and drugs are rare or unavailable; which allows students to participate in community affairs including plays, musicals, public service and after school clubs at the public high schools nearby.

Student populations are small averaging between 20-100 kids and are usually co-ed. Most instruction is live instruction by teachers with a Master's degree or better. While sports are readily available, full team sports are not, owing to the size of the student body. Children are usually encouraged to focus on an interest outside of scholastic such as music, the arts, an individual sport, horsemanship, animal husbandry, etc.

The live class times focus primarily on the core courses, math, science, social studies, English etc, while most elective work is done after school to keep the kids occupied in the after school hours. Some of these options can include auto shop, swimming, racquetball, foods classes, horsemanship, agricultural science, work release for on the job training etc.

Overall, this class of boarding school provides a very high standard of academic and minor behavioral improvement in a format that is both success-oriented and engaging. A lower tuition schedule also appeals to parents looking for the right fit for a promising child who, while not a criminal may be pushing the family toward dysfunction or themselves toward more serious problems.

The bottom line is that students graduating from an academic catch up or come-from-behind boarding schools tend to be superior college students after having become reacquainted with their potential and goals. There is also a marked improvement in family relations and social skills so necessary to succeed in this economy.

This class of school, while by their nature not therapeutic, do tend to be very structured and provide 24 hour supervision for students as they work through their previous bad habits and come up to the standard required by their parents, society and their own previous goals .

Referred to frequently as the "smart man's" boarding school, lower tuition, high education value, and structured environment provide an excellent opportunity for students and parents to solve family and child problems without breaking the proverbial bank or lowering expectations for a child's future.

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Source by Marv A Forsythe

Beating School Stress With Positive Thinking

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Let's face it, school is stressful. There is just no way to study and prepare and do all the things you need to do, and not feel it sometimes. Students of every age, all the way from little kids in kindergarten to middle-aged folks getting Masters Degrees suffer from some stress.

We can not eliminate school stress, but we can do a lot to minimize its impact on us. After all, even if we get stressed-out, we still need to do our best and get our work done. The key to dealing with school stress is to understand what causes it.

What Stresses You Out

Deadlines are a major school stressor. Everything is due at a certain time, and this causes us to worry whether we'll get it done. You've got a test tomorrow, and wondering whether you're prepared for it keeps you from preparing for it!

Most of us are natural procrastinators. Leaving everything until the last minute puts tons of pressure on us. Bad time management and procrastination make that deadline seem deadly! Bad time management is a symptom of a bigger problem – disorganization. If you are 100% organized in everything you do, your school life will be a breeze. But, how many of us can say that we are?

Finally, a major stressor for students is the simple fear that we will not make it. With deadlines, tests, things to do, our own messy disorganization, and a whole wide array of expectations on us from teachers, we simply worry whether we'll pass or not.

Look On The Bright Side

You can not get completely organized and do everything the day it's assigned. But, you can eliminate your fear of not making the grade. This is the number one stressor that hinders top school performance, and it can be overcome very simply.

The reason you're afraid of not passing is because it's what you're telling yourself everyday. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. This means that if you are chanting to yourself over and over, "I'll fail," then you WILL fail. There's no doubt about it. These self-defeating attitudes can be crippling for people.

What if, instead of saying "I'll fail. I'll fail," you started telling yourself everyday, "I'll pass with flying colors!"?

This is called a "positive affirmation" and it is a tool used by psychiatrists to treat major emotional disorders. However, anybody can do it. It clears the mind of negative thoughts and instills positive ones instead. It's your key to success in beating school stress.

Simply identify your negative thoughts. What are you telling yourself everyday that is tearing you down? Now, turn them in a positive direction. Choose a few key phrases, and repeat them to yourself at various times throughout the day. Whenever you feel that negative, self-defeating thought creeping up on you, fight back with your positive affirmation.

It sounds too easy to work, but it works wonders. Your self-defeating attitude can defeat you, so replace it with a positive one instead.

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Source by Chris Stauffer

Safeguarding Elementary School Kids From Abduction

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Nothing can be more tormenting for a parent than having a child abducted and not knowing how they are and where they are. Most cases of abduction for school going kids happen when they are on their way to the school and on their way back home from school. Abduction of kids has become very real and it is up to the parents and the schools to come up with safety measures to reduce the cases and to keep the children safeguarded at all times. Even the simplest measures on the way to school and while in school can go a long way in protecting the children.

What parents can do

1. If possible make sure that you take your child to the bus stop and only leave when the child safely board the school bus. In cases where you have chosen not to use the school bus services, make sure you personally drop the child to school compared to leaving them to use public means to get to school.

2. Be attentive when your child talks about approaches from strangers and teach them about abduction in an easy to understand manner but with the seriousness it deserves. Teach them to ignore and avoid strangers, however friendly they might be.

3. Be very clear about who picks your child from school and always let the child know when someone else will be picking them up. They should never accept any other pickups unless you have told them that you will not be present to pick them up and designate a specific person for the task.

4. Work closely with the school about who drops and picks your child from school. The teachers and caregivers should never allow anyone to pick or drop your child unless you have communicated about such changes directly.

5. Ensure that your child knows their full names, home telephone number and address as well as the names of their parents. You however, should warn them about disclosing this information unless they are lost and seeking help reliable people like police officers.

What schools can do

1. Establish consistent school bus pick-up and drops so that parents and guardians are able to keep up with picking their children and dropping them at designated spots. Remember that a few minutes of waiting can lead to a regrettable situation.

2. Get a school visitor management system to ensure that all visits are from relevant people related to the child. Such a system can help you register new visitors and even check with watch lists for security purposes.

3. Never allow suspicious people to pick up kids from school unless you have received official communication from the parent. The same should go for strange characters that drop the kids to school; you should hold them until you talk to the parents and guardians about the drop off and you are sure about who they are.

4. Create some order on how children leave school and make sure they wait for the bus or individual pickups within the school and where you can clearly see all activities.

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Source by Jovia D'Souza

Graduate Early – Consider a High School Proficiency Exam

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Graduating from High School seems a simple thing for some students and incredibly difficult for others. I've noticed kids who can not quite grasp / thrive in high school often have one thing in common; they are the creatives. Certainly, there are cases when a student has family, work, or personal problems. Many times, however, what starts out as common stress, builds to frustration, and transitions to weak grades, missed classes, and negative feelings about classes, homework, and / or teachers. Once this burden gets too heavy, stomach issues, self-medication, and depression can ensue. The students I know who decide high school is not for them often have incredible talent working with their hands, whether it be artistic, music, or working on cars. Most do not have "issues" other than hating high school.

Not all cases of, "will I graduate?" escalate to failure. Let's take a look at a few options.

1) the obvious, graduate; 2) take the GED; 3) take a High School Proficiency Exam (where available).

Keep an eye on what you really need to graduate. For example, you do not need 4 years of math. You do not need 4 years of a foreign language. You can take community college classes that the high school will accept for credit (see the concurrent enrollment article, one semester of a community college class equates to one year of the same topic in high school).

The GED is not easy. It is doable. In another article I'll outline a good GED approach. If you live in California, Nevada, or any state that offers a High School Proficiency Exam, I recommend you give it a try.

The High School Proficiency Exam is a test students typically take when they are still enrolled in high school. In California the CHSPE (California High School Proficiency Exam) is taken by students 16 years or older. Students who take the exam include those struggling to graduate as well as others with good grades anxious to get to college. Taking and passing the text demonstrates proficiency in high school curriculum, students receive the equivalent of a diploma from the state. If the student fails, no one's notified.

I have counseled students on the test, including my oldest son. To pass, students need a high school understanding of Math and English. The key here is to assess why you are failing or why you have mediocre grades in school. If it's an issue of whether you can or can not do it, that's much different than you simply do not or will not do it. You may have a great reason to refuse, this is not about judging; it's about determining if the test is a fit for you. I know one young woman who did not pass it, in my opinion she blew it off like she did school. Your focus needs to be 30 days of reading and studying to graduate from high school. Then you can move on. Usually, 30 days sounds so much better than another year or two of high school, students are motivated and find it doable.

The first section of CHSPE is the English section. This section has 84 multiple choice questions designed to test reading and comprehension, sentence structure, punctuation and other grammar rules. The English section requires you to write a brief essay to demonstrate knowledge and skills in accurate and clear communication. This written portion is where I see students snag up. The question is unexpectedly easy, test takers feel relieved to know the answer and lose track of the question's purpose. The correct approach to the essay is to write a topic statement, introduction, transition between paragraphs, summarize, and write a conclusion. The purpose of the essay is to see how students can critically write an essay, to present an idea, to offer who, what, when, where, and why; not to ramble on the topic.

The second section of CHSPE is the math test. These are 50 questions in multiple-choice format covering all areas of high school math such as dividing, fractions, decimals, multiplying, probability, patterns, statistics, basic geometry and algebra. Let's say you did fine in middle school Math, okay in Math in high school, but do not turn in homework on time and barely pass the tests as a result. As long as you "get it" you'll be fine. If you would describe your math ability as very low, then you'll need to prepare for the test. The level of expertise you'll need is Algebra. I have one son that flew through the math, and another that struggles in Math regardless of the book, teacher, or class.

Both sections must be passed to qualify for a certificate. If you fail one section and pass the other, you retake what you failed, you do not need to retake what you pass. Scores are between 250-450 and a score of 350 is needed to pass either section. Scores are mailed out a few weeks after taking the test.

's The the Here official website CHSPE test .

's The Here Nevada High School Proficiency Exam information.

Have faith, your career and future are not based on following the traditional path of high school graduation.

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Source by Kelly Carey