The old saying “What gets measured gets managed” can definitely be applied to testing data. But what exactly should be measured and why? Amy and Mike invited test prep wizard Vinny Madera to analyze opportunities and imperatives in tracking test score data.
What are five things you will learn in this episode?
- What data matters in the context of standardized tests?
- What can a great educator do with student data?
- Why is the human element still essential to truly understand score data?
- How does a test scoring protocol influence how student data is tracked?
- What are the limits of score data assessment and why does this matter?
MEET OUR GUEST
Vinny Madera is the guy who shapes Test Prep Wizards and helps the team determine the most effective and efficient ways to get the results students need. Tutoring in some capacity since college, Vinny decided in 2007 to become a full-time tutor and works directly with over 800 students per year through his classes and individual students. He left a big-name test preparation company in order to provide lower cost tutoring and more access to students through his programming.
Aiding numerous school districts, private institutions, and tutoring companies, Vinny has developed all Test Prep Wizards’ reporting software and has written the company’s SAT and ACT manuals, which have been licensed by many school districts as an efficient, low-cost means of helping their students. The analysis software he developed to give school districts customized views of its students’ testing trends has been called “Amazing,” “Mind-boggling,” and “Revolutionary.”
Vinny is a huge nerd fan of data and statistics, moonlighting as a math enthusiast at Fairfield University where he teaches a variety of math courses and freshman experience workshops. He brings this love of numbers and trends to Test Prep Wizards in the form of its state of the art analysis programming. Vinny is the author of Demystifying the Calculator: A Guide to Using the TI-84 PLUS CE on the ACT.
Additionally, Vinny is a partner at Arete Academy, a one-stop facility for athletic, academic, and student-athlete betterment. When he is not trying to make learning more enjoyable for as many students as he can reach, he’s spending whatever hours are left in the day with his three fantastic kids.
Find Vinny at testprepwizards.com or vinny@testprepwizards.com.
LINKS
Demystifying the Calculator: A Guide to Using the TI-84 PLUS CE on the ACT
RELATED EPISODES
DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOOK AT TEST SCORE INCREASES
WHAT SAT & ACT DIAGNOSTIC TESTS CAN TELL YOU
COMMON TESTING MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
ABOUT THIS PODCAST
Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.