Press Release

MasteryPrep Partners with Council for Opportunity in Education as Preferred National SAT Prep Provider

Partnership Names MasteryPrep as COE Preferred SAT, ACT Provider; Expands Opportunities for Low-Income, First Generation Students

(BATON ROUGE, La.) –MasteryPrep continues to partner with the Council for Opportunity in Education to offer MasteryPrep’s award-winning programs to high school students nationwide, expanding its COE Partnership as the Preferred National SAT Provider. MasteryPrep has been the COE Preferred National ACT Provider since 2017. This new partnership expands college opportunities for low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., the Pacific Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Founded in 2012, MasteryPrep provides mastery-based college readiness services and resources, preparing students for tests such as the ACT and SAT, to more than 2,000 schools and districts. In 2020, MasteryPrep programs reached close to 400,000 students nationwide. Since the company’s founding, MasteryPrep has helped more than 1 million low-income students prepare for the ACT and SAT at no cost to students. COE is a nonprofit, working with federal TRIO programs to assist low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities as well as other marginalized student groups to prepare for and succeed in college. Its membership includes more than 1,000 colleges and agencies.

“Our company was founded on the principle that every student can graduate high school with a college-ready ACT or SAT score, and every student deserves access to that opportunity. Our continued partnership with the Council for Opportunity in Education, now as the Preferred National SAT Prep Provider, will only strengthen our outreach and widen our scope to support TRIO programs and the opportunities they afford low-income, first-generation students,” said Craig Gehring, CEO of MasteryPrep. Gehring, who earned perfect scores on both the ACT and SAT, founded MasteryPrep to address standardized test achievement gaps between low-income students and their more advantaged peers.

“The tough reality is that nearly 90 percent of low-income students graduate high school without a college-ready ACT or SAT score,” Gehring said. “We have developed the only ACT and SAT prep curricula designed from the ground up to help schools boost their students’ scores, at no cost to the students or their families. Instead of teaching to the test, we help students develop core academic skills.”

Craig Gehring
MasteryPrep Founder & CEO

MasteryPrep will continue to provide COE institutional members with significantly discounted product packages designed specifically for each pre-college TRIO program (Upward Bound, Upward Bound-Math Science, Veterans Upward Bound, and Talent Search). MasteryPrep will host a series of webinars for all COE members on how to boost SAT scores. Through the partnership, TRIO program directors will be able to support students through SAT Boot Camps (one-day student workshops), curriculum, practice testing, test prep apps, and teacher training.

Additionally, MasteryPrep has pledged a portion of any proceeds from this initiative to benefit COE, including the funding of MasteryPrep’s COE Policy Scholarships, offering growth opportunities for TRIO professionals to attend the Annual Policy Seminar in Washington, D.C.

“We continue to be impressed by MasteryPrep’s dedication, commitment, innovative resources, and longstanding success in helping all students have the necessary opportunities to attend college,” said Maureen Hoyler, President of the Council for Opportunity in Education. “MasteryPrep aligns with our mission and vision that every student has an equal opportunity to prepare for, attend, and graduate from college. Graduation from any category of postsecondary institution is achievable and not limited by economic status, family background, or disability.”

The TRIO Upward Bound program at the University of North Texas serves 86 high school students in the Denton and Wise County areas. This summer they implemented the MasteryPrep curriculum into an ACT Mastery Summer Program. The UNT TRIO Upward Bound program, which helps first-generation, income-eligible college-bound students successfully graduate high school and transition to college by providing academic year and summer programming and support services, taught a Mastery Prep SAT course last summer.

“First generation, income eligible students rarely have finances to take test prep classes, and many students don’t know these standardized test programs exist. MasteryPrep exposes them to these opportunities to develop test taking skills, build confidence, and increase their ability to take college entrance exams,” said Tori Nelson, Director of the TRIO Upward Bound program for University of North Texas. “MasteryPrep helps level the playing field; the tips and strategies MasteryPrep provides as far as how to answer questions; how to set their pacing; and the frequent assessment lessons, all lead to higher scores throughout the program. Students leave the program empowered to advocate for themselves and thrive in a rapidly changing world.”

For more information and to take advantage of this opportunity, COE institutional members should visit (http://masteryprep.com/coe/).

About MasteryPrep: Founded in 2012, Baton Rouge-based MasteryPrep provides mastery-based college readiness services and resources, such as for the ACT and SAT, to more than 2,000 schools and districts nationwide. In addition, MasteryPrep has helped more than 1 million low-income students prepare for the ACT and SAT at no cost to the student. Nationally, MasteryPrep is the preferred ACT and SAT prep provider of the Council for Opportunity in Education, expanding college opportunities for low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., the Pacific Islands, and Puerto Rico. MasteryPrep is ranked among the Inc. 5000 “Fastest Growing Companies”; featured by “Entrepreneur 360”; and selected among the “Growth Leaders” by Louisiana Economic Development for two years in a row.

About The Council for Opportunity in Education: The Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) is the only national organization dedicated to furthering the expansion of postsecondary opportunities for low‐income and first‐generation students. Established in 1981, COE serves the interests of college opportunity professionals at major U.S. higher education institutions. Through more than 3,000 federal TRIO programs, these individuals help low‐income and first‐generation students overcome class, social, academic, and cultural barriers to enter college and graduate. COE provides members with national advocacy on Capitol Hill, educational resources, and networking opportunities as well as offers research and information through the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education and the Louis Stokes Institute for Opportunity in STEM Education.

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