National%20Classical%20Etymology%20Exam

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National Classical Etymology Exam

• How NGHS Can Use the NCEE to Improve Its SAT
  Scores

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Gwinnett SAT Scores (2010)
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The Gap
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We Can Close This Gap
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Closing the Gap with the National Classical
Etymology Exam

• Fifty multiple choice questions
• Latin and Greek Derivatives
• Online (http//www.quia.com/quiz/2930643.html)
• Forty-five minutes
• Can be given any day in November, and at
  different times during the day
• Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals are awarded,
  along with certificates that we can download

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NCEE Pilot

• Thirty-nine NGHS Latin III students took the
  NCEE on November 26th, 2010.
• Many of these students took the SAT on December
  4th.
• Seventeen won awards on the NCEE.
• Those who took the SAT reported that their
  recently acquired knowledge from the NCEE helped
  them on five- ten questions.

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Proposal

• Language Arts students intensively study Latin
  and Greek roots October 31st-November 3rd.
• LA students take the National Classical
  Etymology Exam on November 4th.
• LA students take the SAT immediately thereafter,
  on November 5th.
• NGHS testing population benefits from the added
  study (thirty or more points).
• NGHS SAT scores improve / NGHS WSA score
  improves.

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Curriculum of Study

• Complement the LA vocabulary/root study already
  in place, NOT add to an already packed LA
  calendar.
• Teach roots, rather than words
• Teach word construction, rather than
  deconstruction
• Teach efficiently

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What We Do Now

• Twenty words of unrelated meaning are introduced
  in a list (each week or so)
• Differentiated activities reinforce the meaning
  of these twenty words (contextual
  fill-in-the-blank, synonyms, etc.)
• At the end of each unit, students have learned
  fifteen-twenty words to proficiency

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What We Can Do With the NCEE

• Lists of related root prefixes, infixes, and
  suffixes are introduced
• Students observe and define English words that
  are based on these roots
• Lists that can number into the dozens off of just
  a few roots
• For example

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Prefixes

• e/ex out of, from (export)
• in in, into on not (import)
• de down, from, away (deport)
• re back, again anew (report)
• con/co together, with (conscript)
• ad to, towards, near (ascribe)
• per through, badly (pervasive)
• cap/cip/capt/cept take

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Resulting Vocabulary From One Base Root (cap)

• except, exception
• incapable, incapacitate, inception, incipient
• deceive, deceit, deceptive, deception
• receipt, receive, reception, receptacle
• conceit, conceive, concept, conception,
• accept, acceptance, acceptable
• perceive, perceptive, perception
• What other language features are apparent?

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Curriculum A

• - A root is given (with examples) over the
  announcements each day.
• - LA classes reinforce that root briefly in
  class each day
• - On Fridays, LA teachers reinforce the weeks
  total of roots briefly

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Curriculum A

• - Two weeks prior to the test, LA teachers
  increase instructional focus on roots
  (Start-Up, Bell Ringer, Warm-Down, etc.)
• - Monday through Thursday before the test, all
  LA instruction is focused on Latin and Greek
  roots study
• - The Exam is taken on Friday
• - The SAT is taken on Saturday

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Implementation Calendar

• Pre-Planning Discuss with LA Leads
• August LA Leads discuss with LA dept. and
  counselors discuss SAT registration
• September (first week) Students register for
  SAT and reserve computer labs for the NCEE
• October 3rd Register students for the NCEE
• Week of Exam Implement Instructional
• Calendar and train staff for NCEE
• Nov. 4th NCEE (SAT the next day)

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Why This Will Work

• Motivation to earn a better score on the SAT
• Motivation to earn an award for college
  application
• Economy of effort
• Brief period of focus
• No threat of failure on the NCEE

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Expectations

• 25-30 of the testing population (125-150
  students) can put an academic achievement on
  their college applications
• SAT Verbal scores will rise by thirty points on
  average, with some gains as much as twice that
• SAT Writing scores will benefit, albeit in a
  less measurable way

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What We Must Do For This To Work

• LA staff buy-in
• Counseling staff buy-in
• Student body buy-in
• Find funds (3/student)
• Students sign up for the SAT early, and request
  North for testing site

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Questions

• Follow Curriculum A or a modified version?
• What grade level do we test?
• Do we test all students in the grade or only
  certain sections?
• What materials do we use?
• How do we pay for this?
• How do we encourage SAT registration?

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The Gap
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The Gap is Closed
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Thank You