Conducting a College Prep Program During Covid-19: An Analysis on Austin Test Prep (ATP) at Austin High School

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2021-04-01

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Austin Test Prep (ATP) is a Houston-based college preparation program that focuses on mentoring high-school students from disadvantaged communities to counteract the effects of income disparity on education. The program curriculum is divided into two parts: SAT preparation and college preparation. The mentoring is conducted in two-hour sessions every Monday from 4pm-6pm with the first 30 minutes being a presentation from an ATP mentor and the final hour and a half used to guide the students through example problems and worksheets on the topic. The project aims to achieve at least a 100-point increase of SAT scores of students who actively participate in the program. Objective data, in the form of SAT scores before and after the program, and subjective data, in the form of survey questions that ask students to state their confidence in their abilities as well as the effectiveness of the program, are both collected. The subjective data is recorded on a scale from 1 to 5 where 1 is least confident and 5 is most confident. The students self-evaluate their abilities in the three subject sections of the SAT and their relationship with their mentor. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, this project has taken on an online approach via Microsoft Teams and has progressed through multiple barriers such as student attendance and commitment to the program. Through a logic model and falsifiable logic model, this presentation demonstrates the current program organization and explores the successes and setbacks to the program’s development.

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