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MasteryPrep instructor Latrisha Jackson has no problem waking up every Thursday to be at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge for a 7 a.m. class.
“If my students are going to be that dedicated for extra standardized test prep, an hour before school starts, then that inspires me as well. What kid wakes up that early for extra standardized test prep? The students at Episcopal do; I’ve never been more impressed than with the buy-in and culture at this school.”
“Preparing Students for Lives of Purpose” is a mission at Episcopal, a PreK-3-12th grade private school in Baton Rouge. As a college preparatory school, Episcopal dedicates considerable resources to help students on their educational journey, including test taking. A College Counseling team, with three full-time counselors works with students beginning in the eighth grade – helping students find the right school for their career aspirations.
“We want to find the right fit for students based on their interests, goals, and achievements during high school,” said Justin Fenske, Episcopal’s Director of College Counseling. “A strong showing on the ACT or SAT can be one piece of that puzzle.”
Less Stress, More Learning
In 2014, Episcopal established a partnership with MasteryPrep to increase standardized test awareness among students, boost students’ overall scores, and further college readiness.
“Through MasteryPrep, we are providing a support system to give students the necessary resources they need,” Fenske said. “What was important to us was to find a company that understands how to evolve as standardized tests evolve. Through our longstanding partnership, MasteryPrep has done just that, through its continued advancement of new products, innovations, and flexibility, virtual and in-person, to prepare students for no surprises on the real test day.”
The partnership means less stress, more learning and eliminates the need for families to spend money and time on test prep outside of the school day. “We’re trying to respect that kids lead very busy lives; our program alleviates one of the biggest obstacles to college entrance exam test prep – time,” said Episcopal Assistant Director of College Counseling Dr. Alan Newton. “It also provides equity in that every parent is ensured his/her student has access to these resources.”
Students meet with a MasteryPrep instructor – Latrisha Jackson – once every seven school days during free periods. Students study SAT Mastery mixed with ACT Science. Sophomores have a full year of prep for the PSAT that they take in their junior year. Episcopal offers two MasteryPrep ACT Boot Camps a year to students.
“We are impressed by MasteryPrep’s ability to provide a deep dive into the content needed to master the SAT, PSAT, and ACT. We have committed to providing our students with a full year of prep for the PSAT, and we are excited about what that kind of commitment will mean for our students,” Newton said. “While our focus is on SAT, we are also mindful that some of our students will gravitate to ACT, so we mix in ACT science, offer boot camps, and relay to our students that many reading, writing, and math skills can transfer between both tests. We encourage them to take both early and decide which one is the best fit for them.”
That “a-ha” moment
The classroom Jackson teaches in is surrounded by banners celebrating the colleges that have accepted Episcopal students.
“I have never been into a classroom where students are more invested. They want to be there and want to achieve those higher scores to get into their dream colleges,” Jackson said. “A lot of these students are earning scholarships into prestigious colleges. That makes it all worth it. I’m impacting kids with information I wish I had had.”
In October, three Episcopal students scored a perfect 36 on the ACT. In September, Episcopal announced six National Merit Semifinalists and five Commended Scholars from the 2023 Class. The 2022 class had a 100% college acceptance; 10% National Merit Corporation recognized; 52 AP Scholars; and $10 million-plus in scholarship support earned.
One of Dr. Newton’s fondest success stories is an Epsicopal senior who improved his ACT score from 28 to 35.
"We get notifications when students log on to the MasteryPrep platform and spend extra time practicing, and this student was always in there doing the work. It just shows that with a certain level of dedication and access to the needed resources, Episcopal students can have incredible opportunities based on test score improvement.”
Jackson said she encourages students to use MasteryPrep’s platform of additional resources, such as SnapCourse and TruScore + Study Hall to supplement the classroom learning. In addition, Jackson’s favorite SAT strategy to teach is “Popularity Contest” or Process of Elimination.
“There are going to be questions where you have no idea what to do, and you need to ask, ‘What answer looks different, or how can I narrow down the answers to take an educated guess?' That 'a-ha' moment students experience when even on the hardest questions they increase their percentages of getting them right by eliminating outliers is a critical strategy.”
Unpaid testimonial. Individual results may vary, and testimonials are not claimed to represent typical results. ACT score average and gain data courtesy of MasteryPrep client district and based on year over year ACT test data for the same cohort. All testimonials are real participants, and may not reflect the typical user’s experience, and are not intended to represent or guarantee that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.
About MasteryPrep:
MasteryPrep provides mastery-based college readiness services and resources for the SAT®, ACT®, TSIA2, EOC, and WorkKeys®. MasteryPrep is the nationally preferred SAT and ACT prep provider of the Council for Opportunity in Education and licensed by ACT to include official ACT test questions in its programs. MasteryPrep partners with schools and districts to help level the standardized assessment playing field. MasteryPrep has ranked among the Inc. 5000 “Fastest Growing Companies” for six years and is a featured “Entrepreneur 360” company.
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