THE IMPACT OF THE KAPLAN ADVANTAGE PROGRAM BIANCA CROCKAM APRIL 21, 2014

PURPOSE  The purpose of this Action plan is to evaluate the impact of the Kaplan Advantage program at a Title 1 high school.  Give teachers strategies that they can teach to students so they can ultimately earn a high score on the ACT.

BY THE END OF THIS PRESENTATION, TEACHERS SHOULD GAIN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT A PROGRAM THAT COULD BE EFFECTIVE FOR THEIR SCHOOLS:  The Kaplan Advantage Program  Data-Numbers Don’t Lie!  How can I incorporate this material into my curriculum?  Results of the Action Plan

INTRODUCTION/REVIEW OF LITERATURE  The words “college and career ready” are a sweet sound in the ears of educators today. We relish the idea of our students mastering content and soaring past other nations in our quest to be at the top of the food chain again. Each year we embark on a journey to have students’ master content and to prove it on standardized assessments

REVIEW OF LITERATURE  According to Hanover Research, the ACT’s growth is also attributable to its marketing to states as a replacement or supplement to high school exit exams.  Kentucky has embraced the ACT as a vital part of assessing the students of Kentucky by mandating that all juniors take the ACT during the spring of each year.  According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, it reported in 2009 that test preparations show that student achievement on standardized test did see their scores increase

THE PROGRAM Kaplan is the world leader in test preparation and has served millions of students since its founding 75 years ago. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings, books, and software, as well as classroom locations worldwide, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests for college and graduate school admissions and English- language proficiency. In addition, Kaplan Test Prep offers academic tutoring and pre-college test prep for students in their K through 8th grade years.

THE KAPLAN ADVANTAGE  Your students benefit from lessons that help bridge the gap between content knowledge and their performance on the ACT or SAT.  Detailed teacher notes support classroom instruction and provide targeted assistance to individuals when needed.  One full-length, scored practice test, subject-area tests, and formative assessments allow teachers to diagnose students' needs, regularly monitor performance, and measure improvement.

RESEARCH QUESTION What features of the Kaplan Advantage program impact ACT scores the most?

NUMBERS DON’T LIE! Over the years, this high school as scored consistently low on the ACT. The table below shows the progress of students on the ACT. The school year shown below in table 1 displays the achievement gained from hard work. Many teachers attributed the success to having a curriculum that focused on ACT readiness. School yearNo# of StudentsComposite Score

CONTINUATION OF NUMBERS….  In 2010, 280 juniors took the ACT and had a composite score of 17.4 when the state average was  In 2011, 273 juniors took the ACT and had a composite score of The state’s average for that year was  in juniors took the ACT and had a composite score of The state’s average was 19.2

CONTINUATION OF NUMBERS…  It is clear that during the last school year, this high school has closed the gap. The factor that changed for this school was that they started to use the Kaplan Advantage. No other material was used to assist students in preparing for the ACT.  Consider this: these students scored the lowest of any incoming freshman class on the PLAN assessment.  The PLAN assessment is a predictor on how students will perform on the ACT. As shown in table 2, students made an overall composite score of 15.3 and the state’s score was 16.7.

CONTINUATION OF NUMBERS… PLAN Scores 2010 School District State Reading Mathematics English Science Composite

HOW DO I INCORPORATE THIS MATERIAL INTO MY CURRICULUM?  Use pretest to assess student’s skill level  This will allow differentiation at the beginning.  This will allow you to address individual needs.  Give a mid-year assessment to track growth  Use an actual ACT practice test  Kaplan and ACT have practice tests available on-line and in booklet forms.

CONTINUATION OF CURRICULUM….. Use materials as bell-ringers or exit slips Use Kaplan’s lessons to reinforce Reading and English strategies that will be useful for the ACT.  3 Step Method for English and Reading

RESULT OF THE ACTION PLAN  Middle schools within our district were encouraged to use ACT style material.  Teachers used the material and scores mirror last year’s scores within a %.  English scores surpass scores from last year.  Slight dip in the Reading scores.  All of the data has not been disaggregated and composite scores have not been tallied

IN CONCLUSION,  Kaplan offers its users an opportunity to increase their skills and ACT scores by using their materials and research based strategies.  Numbers don’t lie. It was proven at this high school that using this material was effective for their students. It was a tool they used to ensure their students were college and career ready.  Incorporating this material into your current curriculum is as easy as 1, 2, 3!  Middle schools that incorporate ACT style material will assist high schools in their quest to get kids college and career-ready.

QUESTIONS???

REFERENCES ACT, Clip Artwork, Hanover Research, The Kaplan Foundation, The National College of Admissions,