Last year, William Tennent High School offered students in 10th and 11th grades the opportunity to enroll in a new course, SAT Preparation. This class offers a unique blend of teacher instruction and the on-line resource, Khan Academy. In collaboration with the College Board, Khan Academy has developed a free SAT training program available on-line. Students log into Khan Academy and link their profile with their College Board account and this allows Khan Academy to read the students’ PSAT scores and individualize the students’ practice pace and training to improve on specific skill areas. WTHS Administration designed the new SAT Prep course by assigning a math and English teacher to give direct instruction through mini-lessons and to coach students individually as they work through the Khan Academy practice.
One hundred and eight WTHS students took the course with the goal of raising their SAT scores from their baseline PSAT score. Throughout the course, students logged at least 45 hours of practice exercises and full-tests on Khan Academy, while also conferencing with teachers about their progress, meeting with school counselors about the the college application process, and reviewing key concepts for math, reading, and writing skills. Of these 108 students, 86 have PSAT and SAT scores available. The average growth of these 86 students is 130 points. Sixty-four percent of the students increased their SAT scores by at least 100 points. Three students can brag that they were able to raise their SAT score by 300 points.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc3fTy0HDKw