• AKEB | 30 January 2023 | USA

    School and College Preparation

Welcome to a curated spot for daily schedules, snacks, parenting tips, mindfulness tips, resource and activity recommendations, roadmaps to college, and more.

Secondary Students (Grades 7-12)

Find information on standardized tests, college planning, upcoming programs and events, and making the most out of your academic journey!

STRATEGIES

Scholar Quarterly

The Scholar Quarterly is a collection of grade-specific advice, best practices and resources for high school students. Maximize the spring semester by understanding exactly what to prioritize and tackle.


Guidance on Standardized Testing

Standardized tests are undergoing significant changes, and expectations that colleges have of their applicants are constantly evolving. Students and families are exploring several questions, including:

What is currently happening with standardized tests such as the ACT, SAT, AP and IB exams?
What does a college mean when it says test optional, test flexible and test blind?
Should I still take a standardized test for my college applications?
What resources are available to help me prepare for these standardized tests?

Learn the facts, tips, strategies and resources to decide for yourself about this component of the college application.

Learning From Others

Hear from Ismaili students on how they navigated middle school and high school to strengthen their academic performance, pursue their interests and broaden their community impact, all while aiming for education of the highest possible quality.

PROGRAMS

1. American Lived Ismaili Faith (ALIF)

Through ALIF, 11th and 12th grade REC students acquire knowledge in a holistic manner, and then apply that knowledge as a lived experience in their lives. The below contributions by the Aga Khan Education Board USA are to aid in exploring college planning via the ALIF experience.

For Students and Families:

Week 5

Week 13

Week 20

For Teachers and Mentors:

Week 5

Week 13

Week 20

Week 32

2. Apollo 8 Buzz Monthly Letters

Month 1 Newsletter

  • In this first session, we learned that, with a growth mindset and SMART goals, our dreams can become our reality. Additionally, families learned that effective communication can help nurture a growth mindset. Read through this month's newsletter to learn more.

Month 2 Newsletter

  • In preparation for high school, it is important for student's parents to consider all aspects of education, including the purpose of education, types of schools, available classes, and graduation requirements. All of these factors should be carefully considered, even before beginning 9th grade. Read though this month's newsletter to learn more.

Month 3 Newsletter

  • Learn more about "knowing" and evaluating your school? Learn about key differences between public, private, charter, and magnet schools and about what do school and quality impact. Read through this month's newsletter to learn more.

Month 4 Newsletter

  • Although academic excellence is a primary focus of high school education, extracurricular activities play a key role in developing a well-rounded lifestyle. Following our passions in high school helps us develop character/confidence, promotes leadership, and teaches vital skills for future careers. Extracurricular activities and electives often allow students to practice their passions and develop skills. Read through this month's newsletter to learn more.

Month 5 Newsletter

  • Personal growth and wellness are comprised of our physical and mental health. Our mental health impacts our physical health and our physical health impacts our mental health. Stress is an important factor in your health and it can have a positive or negative impact on you. Read through this month's newsletter to learn more about stress and how to deal with it.

RESOURCES

Highly-Ranked U.S. Colleges

The Aga Khan Education Board for USA has developed the 2023 College Composite Ranking report  featuring the leading 300 public and private national universities, liberal arts colleges and other institutions of higher learning.

The Composite Ranking report can be a powerful resource for you to begin identifying a list of target schools. This report aims to suggest options that you may not have considered, inspire your interest in more selective institutions and, overall, assist you in building a broad selection of choices for your college education. Many common questions you might have about choosing a college are also answered in the report.

Starting Your College Search

Develop a criteria to help identify and prioritize schools. Factors you might consider include size of school, learning environment, geographic setting, proximity to a Jamat Khana, breadth and depth of course offerings in your field of interest, extracurriculars and student life, and other dimensions; this approach of building a criteria improves objectivity by ensuring you evaluate schools based on your needs and interest (after receiving acceptances is when you can review your options based on fit; if you begin with the approach of filtering first by fit, you risk limiting your options). Example templates are available for your consideration.

  • College Criteria Template 1
  • College Criteria Template 2

Connect with the College Expedition team at www.collegeexpeditionusa.org , on Instagram ( @nce_usa ) or via the College ExPODition podcast (available where you listen to podcasts) to learn about how you can continue your school search, maximize your high school experience and more.

  • Fair Opportunity Project is designed to help high school students navigate the U.S. college application and financial aid process by offering practical information, advice and tools.
  • Campus Reel offers virtual college tours and student perspectives for high school students to learn about various colleges and universities.
  • Common Data Set helps aggregate all statistics from colleges so students can gather information on average exam scores, GPAs, etc. in one place.
  • World Class College Counseling has assembled informational materials for hundreds of colleges, including video content, brochures and more.

Developing a Love for Learning

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are typically free online courses, in many cases from leading universities, available to anyone with an Internet connection. MOOCs provide a flexible way to learn new skills, explore special academic interests and deliver quality educational experiences.

Several leading MOOCs include Coursera, edX and Udacity to name a few. Here are Coursera’s curated courses for high school students

Other Resources

Feeling bored or need help with your homework? Here are Activities & Resources for you at home, provided by AKEB USA
If you have questions about the college planning process, send us an email at [email protected].

 

8 Parental Roles that Make Up the Formula of Master Parenting

Early Learning Partner, Fixer, Flight Engineer, Revealer, Philosopher, Model, Negotiator, GPS Navigational Voice

Monthly Primary Newsletter

Sign up for our monthly Primary Newsletter to get tips and tricks on driving academic and holistic well being success

Sign up now

Love & Logic Parenting Style

“Love and Logic” parenting style sets firm, loving limits using enforceable statements without showing anger, lecturing, or using threats. The goal is to keep a positive parent-child relationship, while giving you the space you need to do what you need to do.


Check out these online classes here

Finding Balance

COVID-19 is top of mind for all of us, as we adapt to new daily routines to keep ourselves and loved ones safe and healthy. Some of us are working from home with children at home. This edition is about finding balance and practicing mindfulness. 


Healthy Snacks

"A round up of over 50 Healthy Snack Ideas for kids (and adults).  From muffins and granola bars to wraps and fun fruit and vegetable ideas, this list has lots of healthy snacks for everyone."

Activities & Learning Resources @ Home

Overwhelmed by options for learning at home? Find hand-picked resources for digital learning, virtual field trips, hands-on activities, and more.

Games and Learning

Studying Tips

Success in the classroom doesn’t come from any single thing—it’s about the right mix of attitude, habits, and effort. Strong study skills are an important ingredient in this recipe, and they’re very much learned behavior.

Summer Reading List

"Summer slide" is a decline in reading ability and other academic skills that can occur over the summer months when school isn’t in session.
Numerous studies show that kids who don’t read during summer vacation actually slip in reading ability by the time autumn rolls around.

Tutoring Support

Join AKEB's Khan Academy "Classroom" to build your skills and get assigned additional practice by a volunteer tutor in math, science, reading, and even SAT prep!  Join here

Podcasts

Episode 1: Parenting with Love and Logic

 

Episode 2: Planning Daily Schedule During COVID-19

 

Episode 3: 21st Century Skills