ACT/SAT prep course for at-risk students:

Narrowing the achievement gap one student at a time

For more than 30 years, a troubling reality in the American educational system has been the wide achievement gap in standardized test scores of students of color and those in poverty compared to their white and/or better-off counterparts. Closing this gap is arguably the most critical challenge facing public education in America today, because the nation’s future economic and social strength depends on all of our children being well-educated citizens.

Perhaps nowhere is the achievement gap more pronounced than on the ACT and SAT college admission tests, which creates a barrier to equal educational opportunity and, in turn, limits social and economic mobility.

While the reasons for the achievement gap are many and complicated, a partnership between the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) and the Twin Cities chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity has found a concrete way to help students of color improve ACT and SAT scores so that doors to myriad educational choices remain open.

How the program works

Since 1991, a partnership between the college and Alpha Phi Alpha, a national black fraternity, has given students of color and girls from local public schools a chance to take a free ACT/SAT review course. Initiated by the fraternity as a way to give students of color better access to higher education, participants receive a comprehensive review of the content areas covered on the ACT/SAT tests (math, science, reading, English, vocabulary, and writing) and are taught specifically how that information is presented in the exams. In addition, students can build test-taking confidence by taking multiple mock exams in a simulated test setting.

Led by Ernest Davenport, associate professor of educational psychology in the college, the 11-week course meets on Saturday mornings January through March. Student participants commit to attending each session, along with a rigorous schedule of homework—at least one hour per night—in exchange for teaching and mentoring from skilled volunteer instructors from the University, Alpha Phi Alpha, and the local community. The review course—which includes mock tests, copies of Barron’s review books on the SAT and ACT, and a Word Smart Manual—is completely free to students.

Although most participants are 10th- or 11th-graders, Davenport says he’s had students as young as eighth-graders participate and he welcomes any interested student. “One reason that students of color and girls score lower on college admission tests is due to the courses they take—and don’t take—in high school,” notes Davenport. By starting the review process early, Davenport and his colleagues can coach the students about their course choices.

Davenport says, “We encourage students to take all of the classes that the tests cover because if you opt to skip trigonometry, you are choosing to miss at least four questions.” Students are encouraged to take the review course multiple times. While rigorous, the program also is designed to be fun, including time for student interaction, work in teams that creates spirited competition, and pizza parties. In 2005, the program served 121 students from 36 local public schools.

A volunteer board of directors meets several times per year to determine the content of the review course. The group monitors any changes made to ACT and SAT formats—such as the addition of a writing section on the SAT a few years ago—and amends the review course as needed.

The board recognizes that challenges for at-risk students don’t end once they enter college, so now the course includes current college students from Alpha Phi Alpha who lead discussions on the practical issue of college life—from stress management to social issues—giving participants valuable insights into the real world of higher education. The program also has expanded to include information on study skills and navigating the often-confusing college admission process—sessions often attended by parents.

How this program makes a difference

The ACT/SAT review course gives students a concrete way to significantly improve their test scores and narrow the achievement gap. Among students who took the course for two years, the average gain in SAT scores was 138 points. In addition, the program gives students contact with adults who are motivated to help them set and accomplish educational goals—important role models and mentors who may be lacking at home and school.

What our partners say about this program

Jeffrey Tate is a former participant and then a volunteer with the program, and is now its current assistant director. He credits the review course for giving him the right attitude to embrace higher education. “This course was my first real experience of what college might be like and it was a very positive experience to be surrounded by people committed to helping me achieve,” Tate says.

“Because the course takes place on campus, with instructors who are professors and current students, it immerses students in the college experience and they, like me, begin to see their place in it,” he adds.

“Affluent students not only attend schools that are focused on preparing them for college entrance exams, they can also afford supplemental programs that help them perform well—courses that cost from $599 up to $2,500,” says Geoffrey Maruyama, professor of educational psychology and University vice president of multicultural and academic affairs. His daughter is a past participant of the program. “This important program gives underrepresented students the same opportunity for free, and even includes money for bus fare.”

Michael Rodriguez, associate professor of educational psychology and consultant for Education Testing Systems, which administers the SAT, says, “We know that familiarity with college entrance exams and the belief that college is an option are critical to increasing enrollment of underserved populations.” Rodriguez, a long-term volunteer instructor with the program, says that test preparation is an important tool for students from families with little to no higher education experience. “We help students become familiar with the process, give them a sense that they can do it, and help them focus their skills and goals.”

For more information

Ernest C. Davenport Jr.
Department of Educational Psychology
University of Minnesota
612-624-1040; e-mail: lqr6576@umn.edu

August 2005