College

TAKS, FCAT, HSPA. These probably look like just a jumble of letters to most of us, but to high school students in 24 states, these letters mean the difference between a diploma and a ticket back to high school. They are the abbreviations for high school exit exams. Students come to dread the exit exams required for graduation. But it's worth it once they get that passing score. They're ready for college or a good job, right? Unfortunately, no. Too many students who pass exit exams still are not ready for college or for a well-paying job. A study by Achieve Inc., a nonprofit organization formed by governors and business leaders to promote high academic standards, shows that most high school exit exams don't measure the skills students need for success in college or the world of work.

Tonight, when my son told me goodnight and hugged me, I cried. Not like I wiped a tear from my eye. More like, if you were an onlooker, you might have thought he had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. There had been no such calamity. The etiology of my tears was the impending onset of higher education. A week from today, he leaves for college, one that is six hours away. Yeah, I know. It's tragic, right? My offspring has been accepted to the institution of his choice where he'll have the option to build relationships, discover passions, develop maturity, grow in knowledge and likely increase his marketability and earning potential.

Meet the Dean Night was hosted Sept. 13 by the Frostburg State University departments offering programs at the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown. Held in the USM-H atrium, Frostburg faculty from the main campus and USM-H gathered for an informal reception to meet students. Traveling from Frostburg were Cindy Herzog, associate dean, College of Liberal Studies and Sciences; Clarence Golden, associate dean, College of Education; Ahmad Tootoonchi, dean, College of Business; and Michael Monahan, department chair, College of Business.

Karley Moss walked out of Williamsport High School after taking the SAT college entrance test, relieved that she was done with the three-hour ordeal. "It's just mind-boggling," she said. Moss was one of 165 students who came to the school Saturday to take the challenging exam, which requires reasoning skills to answer a barrage of English and math questions. In one section, students are presented with two objects and asked to determine which is larger. Certain measurements and other facts are offered for the two objects, but not all the information needed to determine the correct answer is offered, students said.

Coming Tuesday Money matters: What advice did Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot have for students who want to get an early start on saving for college?

Baby-sitting course begins Monday CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. -A 4-H baby-sitting course will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays, Oct. 1 through Nov. 5, at Penn State Cooperative Extension, 181 Franklin Farm Lane. The cost is $25 and includes program materials, a baby-sitting project book and other resource materials. Those who complete all of the requirements will receive a certificate of completion. For information or a registration form, call Karen Hack or Joanne Fenchak at 717-263-9226.

Know more: The issue: The Class of 2006 was the first group of college-bound seniors to take the revamped SAT test, which now includes a writing section. Combined scores from the critical reading and math sections dropped seven points nationwide from the previous year. The College Board attributes the drop to variations in "test-taking behavior" and contends fatigue during the four-hour college entrance exam is not a factor. What's new: ACT Inc. reported the Class of 2006 set a record for the number of graduates who took its test during high school.

Anthony Zindel, 18, has been spending this school year out of school. The South Hagerstown High School graduate is working full time selling cell phones at Valley Mall and thinking about what he wants to do in the fall - go to college or enlist in the Coast Guard. Grace Yodie, 18, expects to graduate from South High in June and then spend a year traveling and doing mission work before starting college. Zindel is taking and Yodie is planning a "gap" year. Taking a gap year, a year off between high school and college, is popular in Europe and uncommon in the United States.

This year West Virginia's most expensive private college successfully used the state's PROMISE scholarship program to attract students who might otherwise have left the state. The strategy, which brought West Virginia Wesleyan at Buckhannon almost $500,000, should be copied by public institutions. Wesleyan is the state's most costly college. Tuition is $19,300 a year, with room and board charges adding another $4,800. It's not the sort of school most associate with the PROMISE program, designed to help students who might not otherwise attend college.

Fulton Financial Corp. has announced the recipients of its 2012 scholarship awards.  The scholarships, which are awarded to children of the corporation's employees, are given to young adults who are in college or are planning to begin college this year. Katherine Noll of Williams-port, who is attending Shepherd University, received one of the scholarships. Noll is the daughter of Ellen Noll, who works at the Smithsburg branch of The Columbia Bank. For more information about the scholarships, go to www.fult.com .