Test Prep for Schools

Our Shared Goal: Higher Test Scores on the Math PSAT/SATACT

The goal of ShillerLearning’s Test Prep is to deliver significantly higher scores on the math portion of the PSAT/SAT/ACT.

How?

Through our research we discovered that the main reason students get questions wrong is NOT that they don’t know the content: It’s that they:

Misread the question or possible answers

Felt rushed

Were overconfident

Misapplied the content

Something else

Not knowing the content was responsible for fewer than 25% of wrong answers: Focusing just on content will not help most students.

So when students get stuck we help them discover, understand, – and fix – the real reason.

We Measure and Synthesize

We measure everything about how the student interacts with the app. We are able to determine if students are:

Overconfident

Guessing

Not challenging themselves

Giving up when they run into difficulty

We Communicate

We tell the students exactly what we’ve observed – and what they may do to approach questions better.

Of course if the reason is lack of content knowledge we help them understand it – both within the app and by referring to external resources.

This approach has resulted in an average math SAT score increase of 107 points.

The Importance of the Teacher

Learning is hard: When learning something new, students often struggle.

Many students need help getting over their negative emotions to reach their goal. Without a trained teacher these students often give up. With a trained teacher students work through those negative emotions and experience new epiphanies and the joy of learning.

Ascertain reality, including their thoughts and feelings

Respond constructively to negative emotions

Press pause



Use tight logical thinking



Ask for help

That’s why teachers are so important. Teachers help students to:

Teachers do this using the Socratic Method: Asking questions until students understand the real reasons for not getting correct answers.

Teacher Training

Because the teaching component is critical to the success of the program, we provide teacher training, on site if possible. Through September 2016 this training is included as part of the school’s site license.

How the Course Works

We recommend finding an existing class where students can spend 30-45 minutes per week online in a classroom environment.

Any device is OK: Desktop, laptop, tablet, or smart phone.

A course length of anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks is effective: Most students start to become self-aware of how they learn as early as the second class.

Three forms of online help are included in the app:

Hints

Q&A History

Tutor Help (provided by the teacher or ShillerLearning tutors)

Students are encouraged to use whatever other resources they can find, including:

Asking other students or the teacher for help

Googling

Khan Academy or other instructional videos

Regular feedback is provided to students via email, with suggestions on how to learn more effectively and efficiently. Many students have told us that this course helped them in all aspects of their schooling and even their home life.

How to Implement at Your School

Please contact sales@shillerlearning.com 203-210-5208.