Taking The Test

Anne Arundel County high school seniors scored above the state and national averages on the SAT college admission test, continuing a six-year trend.Fifty-five percent of the seniors in the 1998 class took the test, said school officials, who credited a strong instructional program and a SAT preparation course available to sophomores, juniors and seniors."

IT IS easy to lower standards for student achievement, but ratcheting them up again can be a painful process. That has been clear in the effort to raise the requirements for graduation from Maryland high schools.But the reforms are paying off, as evident in the latest report of improving scores on SAT tests and, especially, in the number of Maryland high school students who are attempting and succeeding at challenging Advanced Placement tests.More Maryland students are taking tougher academic courses, with 49 percent of all high school seniors having taken 20 full-year academic courses during their four years in high school.

"Schools Shortchange Girls," according to a report by the American Association of University Women. That sounds right -- we all know discrimination and cultural conditioning persist in the lives of girls. Yet the report is a disappointing case study in politicized science. Knowing what it wanted to prove, the AAUW rounded up some facts and stuffed them into a predetermined conclusion.What facts? Well, according to the AAUW, girls and boys start school roughly equal in skills and confidence, but girls trail by the end of high school.

As Maryland attempts to increase the rigor of math education, the first results of an Algebra II test given to a small number of students in the state show less than one in five are prepared for entry-level college courses. Fifteen states, including Maryland, joined together in 2005 to take part in the American Diploma Project, an effort to raise academic standards and graduation requirements for high schools around the country. The Algebra II test was given to 100,000 students across the nation, including 1,295 in Maryland, and showed that nationwide, 15 percent are prepared for their first college course.

Maryland again ranked first in the nation in the percentages of high school seniors taking and passing Advanced Placement exams, according to a report released Wednesday by the College Board. Maryland surpassed longtime leader New York last year and has improved its numbers since then, with 24.8 percent of high school seniors earning a score of 3 or higher on one AP test compared to 23.4 percent the previous year. Maryland also became the first state in which more than 40 percent of seniors took at least one AP exam.

Parents, get your pencils ready: Tonight is quiz night on MPT (Channels 22 and 67).BAt 8, it's the "Baby Phases Quiz"; at 9, it's the "National Parent Quiz."The baby test, produced locally by MPT, is an interesting and well-produced program with much valuable information. The parent quiz, an Orlando, Fla., production aimed at helping parents keep their children off drugs, is full of good intentions, but it's one of the most tedious hours of pedantic skits, talking heads and pschobabble this season on PBS. And that's saying something.

A monthlong investigation into whether portions of 600 sergeant's exams were compromised has found no evidence of tampering, and promotions could be made in a matter of weeks, the city police commissioner said yesterday.But the chief said it could take up to 45 days to complete an unrelated probe into allegations that answers were leaked from a lieutenant's test and from a promotion exam for the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Those allegations prompted the transfer of a police major last week.

Natural redheads have always been something of a rarity, but lately more and more women are seeing red.But is it the right hair color for you? While there are no hard and fast rules -- and anyone thinking of making the change should first consult a professional -- here are some guidelines:* Does your hair pick up red highlights naturally in the sun? If so, experts say it's the best indication that you can make a successful transition to red.* Blonds: First consider a light red tone instead of plunging into the deeper shades.

While SAT scores in Maryland remained relatively stable, the number of students taking and passing an Advanced Placement exam rose significantly this past school year, reflecting a national trend in the use of the rigorous high school exams. In the data released Tuesday by the College Board, African-Americans showed progress on both tests. Although they represent only 16 percent of all the students taking AP tests in Maryland, there was a 10 percent increase in their participation over one school year.

Standing in line, with visions of new cars, exotic cruises and enormous piles of cash dancing in their heads, wannabe "Wheel of Fortune" contestants ponder a question as old as the show itself.When, exactly, should one buy a vowel?"Once you've got some consonants in place, you definitely should secure some vowels," says Missy Ruane, 22. She speaks with the confidence expected of a first-year law student at the University of Baltimore and a longtime "Wheel of Fortune" watcher.This is no idle intellectual debate.