Yet another book has crossed my desk proclaiming it can "Up Your Score" on the SAT. In fact that's part of the title. The most interesting part is the promotion that comes with it -- kids can now use their iPods to learn 600 key words that will allegedly help them on the SAT.

Having done well enough on the SAT many moons ago without nary a moment of studying specifically for the test, I have to wonder is all this necessary? Is it a reflection of school systems failing in their jobs to educate kids? Or is it more a reflection of over-involved parents insisting their kids are going to be tops in everything?

This latest book is written "by six kids who aced the SAT." I guess they deserve kudos for wanting to do something to help today's teenagers facing the test whose scores affect them as much as or more than credit scores affect adults.

Still, I have a hard time envisioning teenagers wired to their iPods memorizing vocabulary words. It reminds me of one of my dad's favorite sayings, when on occasion we were less-than-eager to read a history book or study for a test: "How do you think you're going to get the information? By osmosis?"

I don't know but vocabulary drills on an iPod screen sound awfully close to osmosis to me. Especially if they're on while teens are simultaenously sending instant messages and playing video games on the other gadgets that define their generation.

---

---