Sample Case Study
Headline:
Amon Carter-Riverside High School
Summary:
School makes latest college-preparation materials available to all students at fraction of cost
Body Copy:
Overview
For Lee Felts, academic coordinator for Amon Carter-Riverside High School, the decision to make The Official SAT Online Course(tm) available to all Carter-Riverside students came down to three factors: quality, cost, and reliability.
Making rigorous college-preparation materials available to the entire student population was a high priority. The previous year, Carter-Riverside had offered a test-preparation class to a select group of 25 students. By switching to the course, the school was able to expand access to all students-at no extra cost.
Implementation
Both teachers and students were enthusiastic about adopting the course, especially since many Carter-Riverside students need extra help with their language skills. But computer resources at Carter-Riverside are limited: most classrooms have just one or two computers, and the school has a single dedicated computer lab containing 35 machines. So Felts gave teachers considerable leeway in deciding how to implement the course at the class level.
The result is a combination of teacher-led instruction and independent study. Teachers bring their students into the computer lab and have them complete a specific lesson in order to receive a grade for that day's class, but they also encourage students to log on to the course using the school's classroom computers in order to work on those areas in which they most need help. By taking a flexible and varied approach to implementation, the school has been able to get the most from its available resources while ensuring that all students reap the benefits of the course.
In Their Own Words
"My goal was to increase the rigor on campus, exposing students to the highest level of testing they'll encounter. We had looked at other products, but they were so expensive that we could only offer them to very few students. And with the recent changes to the SAT¨, I wanted to get the most reliable information straight from the horse's mouth."
"The wonder of the program is it's so easy to use. We brought every single English class into the computer lab, worked with every single kid to get them registered, walked the teachers through the program, and let them go from there."
"The kids are engaged, and they're working. Whenever they have time to use The Official SAT Online Course, they're using it."