Analyzing SAT Scores: Efficacy of Out-of-Session Worksheets in Aspire's SAT Program

Aspire is a Houston-based educational project provided by the University of Houston Honors College Bonner Leaders Program in partnership with Stephen F. Austin High School, which is part of the Houston Independent School District. Aspire provides SAT exam mentorship to low-income high school students to expand their educational opportunities, promoting confidence through personalized guidance, and empowering them to pursue post-secondary education. By using the College Board's released SAT exams, Aspire executives designed a curriculum to be used throughout the academic year. The program structure consists of in-person tutoring with high school seniors in the fall semester and high school juniors in the spring semester and giving students out-of-session worksheets to complete on their own time before the next session starts. Student success is measured by their performance on the SAT. Improving by at least 100 points on the SAT from their initial test scores before the program indicates mastery of the skills necessary to solve SAT questions. Based on changes in students' SAT scores and the number of out-of-session worksheets completed by the student, Aspire can assess the program's effectiveness with respect to the student's SAT score increasing. The purpose of this study is to examine students' SAT scores based on the number of out-of-session worksheets they completed and if there is any correlation between completing the out-of-session worksheets and SAT scores. Our findings show that student who completed at least 3 out-of-session worksheets increased their SAT scores by at least 100 points compared to their pre-program SAT scores.