Prof Cotner Consulting, LLC

The next few weeks will be tough for students: AP tests, finals, end-of-term activities, etc. If you are a teacher or parent, remind students that their phones are a distraction even if they are not using them. There are several studies, conducted in the last few years, that conclude that students with a phone next to them while studying or while in class take longer to complete tasks and do worse on memory tests than those whose phones are out of sight. Do them a favor and require that they put phones completely away.

"Other researchers have posited that simply the presence of a cell phone may have detrimental effects on learning and memory as well. Research has shown that a mobile phone left next to the participant while completing a task, is a powerful distractor even when not in use."

Mobile phones: The effect of its presence on learning and memory Our aim was to examine the effect of a smartphone’s presence on learning and memory among undergraduates. A total of 119 undergraduates completed a memory task and the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS). As predicted, those without smartphones had higher recall accuracy compared to those with smartp...

If you are the parent of a current senior in high school, you have my sympathy. The new FASFA has been a small nightmare for many people. My advice is to call prospective schools if you have questions about how long it will take to determine financial aid eligibility.

There’s a lot happening with the FAFSA. Here’s what to know now. The turbulent rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid has left millions of families in limbo awaiting financial aid offers from colleges.

February is crunch time for high school enrollment for next school year. If you need help deciding between AP and concurrent (dual enrollment) classes, I have hour and half-hour consulting time slots available.

Parents and Teachers: Please talk to your high school and college students about AI websites that present themselves as “study help,” even if they have been using them for years.

Students cheating on assignments is nothing new, of course, and AI sites certainly provide an easy way to cheat. What is most concerning, however, is that many students do not know they are using AI right now and are not intending to cheat. These websites that have existed for a long time (many of them blessed by teachers) are now using AI. As a college writing professor, I am seeing three categories of AI that are concerning.

The anti-plagiarism program my school uses has been flagging student papers as plagiarized if it detects any AI in the paper. Many teachers are not knowledgeable enough to investigate what type of AI is being used or whether the student intended to cheat. They will just fail the student or refer them to an academic integrity committee.

My recommendations to my students (and to my own teenage and college kids) are to 1) not use any websites at all and just use the tools in Word, which contain basic spelling and grammar suggestions, and 2) to not accept any corrections over one or two words.

Today is the last day to register for the ACT for the October 28 test date. The website says it will take 30 minutes for registration, and it is not kidding. The website below has other dates if October is a bit too soon.

ACT Registration Testing Dates | The ACT Test ACT registration information including testing dates for the ACT Test.

As parents, especially of smart kids taking AP or concurrent classes, we sometimes assume that they can figure out things on their own when it comes to life skills. Here is a great article to remind us that academic support isn't the only thing our high school kids need.

Advice | The life skills teens should know before leaving home We should teach our teens about banking, cooking, dealing with adversity and so much more — before they move out.

Today is the day!! Your students' AP scores are waiting for them. They can log on to their College Board account to see them. Once they view the scores (and once they are emotionally ready), help your child determine how much college credit they can get for their score. In general, they won't get any for a 1 or 2; a 3 will get them credit at most state schools, and a 4-5 will get them credit at many private and international schools.

Below are two images to help. The Georgetown page (my child's dream school) is from the College Board site. It is fairly general, but gives the basic info. needed. The second image is from Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC)'s website. To find these, Google the name of the school and "AP comparison." Some states, like Oklahoma, are required by law to accept scores 3 and above for state schools. See comments on the images for more details.

I remember a few years ago sitting at the lake over the July 4th weekend watching my daughter and my nephew look at their AP scores on their phones. Parents, be sure that your kids know how to log on to the College Board Account website so that they can see their scores, which will be released on Wednesday, July 5.

Next week, I'll have a post about determining how much college credit each college and university will award based on AP scores (they are not all the same).

Happy Waiting!

Good luck to AP students taking tests and to concurrent students taking finals this week!

Parents: talk to your high school and college students about using AI bots such as ChatGPT in their writing. You may not have heard of it, but they have. Discuss the ethics of putting their name on something that they did not create (and how this is against academic integrity policies). Also discuss that anti-plagiarism software now has AI detectors. There are a lot of false flags, but there are also many of them catching students who did not write their own essays.

As with any issue you discuss with your child who is on the border of adolescence and adulthood, skip the lectures. It didn't work for you, and it won't work for them! Ask open-ended questions and use the issue to get to know them better.

Your high school students are stressed! The ACT is Thursday, state standardized tests are in a few weeks for many schools, AP tests are coming up in a little over a month, and concurrent classes will be ending soon. It is a lot. If we are honest, most of our kids are much busier than we are.

One thing that has guided my parenting since my kids were little is: Rested Babies are Happy Babies. This is true whether they are two years old or 16-yrs-old. I made a schedule for my tiny children, but they have to make their own now. Talk to your teenagers about sleep and how important it is to their brain health. Let them research how much sleep they need and then let them set their own sleeping schedule. My sophomore in high school frequently decides to take an afternoon nap so that she can stay up late for an activity or to finish homework. They look like adults, but their brains are far from being developed.

In the next few weeks, ask your kids how you can help them. It may be reviewing a study sheet, but it is probably more about what they needed in elementary school: sleep and a decent breakfast.

Most colleges and universities will have fall enrollment open right after spring break. Those planning concurrent enrollment should start soon. I am available after spring break to help you and your child plan for the 2023-2024 academic year. See a chart of a few OK schools' fees in comments.