First, Does anyone know of a good prep course just for ACT?
Second, Does anyone know of a good prep course for the SAT?
Third, Does anyone know of a good tutor for SAT Critical reading?
I asked these questions to the 2010 Group Board on Yahoo and was asked to compile my emails. Here are the results. If you have any other suggestions, please make them.
"HPHS is hosting SAT prep classes - the first week in June. $600
The Study Hall in Snider Plaza has prep classes for SAT and ACT, separately. SAT prep is $600 and unsure on ACT price."
"Karen Dillard is supposed to be excellent for all the items you wanted. I don’t know if they do separate classes for ACT v. SAT or if it is joint. I know it is costly. I also sent my children to Sylvan for ACT only. It is less expensive and almost one on one. M truly excelled from the class but K did not like it at all. Kids are all so different!"
"We use Mr McClanahan for reading and english (he teaches at HPHS) and Ms Wright , melody wright, (also at HPHS) for math. They were referred to me by Mr Lyles our hphs counselor.Good luck!"
"Both of my kids went to Karen Dillard at Preston/Forest. My daughter is a senior at Texas Tech and my son will to be a senior at HPHS next year. They have classes for SAT and ACT. You can call them and see what their summer class schedule is. "
"ACT is included in the price at Study Hall. The $600 is a fixed fee and you can attend as many sessions as needed.
Seth Bracken has helped my daughter with the SAT and the ACT.
His phone number is 469-450-9510.
And his email is Seth.bracken@gmail.com.
Good luck!"
"My son took the Princeton Review course last summer and it helped his scores.
He is also currently using one of the tutors we were sent in the group, Kelly, as a Critical Reading tutor as he wants to increase that score. (She graduated from HP in 2007 and is currently at Georgetown.) She has been a big help to him in the three sessions she has worked with him. She responds immediately to his emails, is prompt on her time, and very courteous. However, I think she is only here for a few more weeks before heading back to Georgetown."
"Mary Dozier, another one that was sent through the email group, and was also given to us, but my son just went with the first person. She was good about calling immediately and I think is also working with Varsity Tutors. "
"I would be interested to know what you find out if you can please send me your responses. My son has done both Kaplan and Princeton Review free practice tests and those are quite helpful. He did go thru the PReview PSAT prep but didn't find it that helpful. Good luck!"
"You might mention when you compile the emails you received about SAT prep classes that a recent study by the College Board shows that test prep classes for the SAT raised student scores by only 30 points. $600 is a lot of money to spend for a 30 point gain. The College Board (the people who score SAT tests) released the study to discourage people from spending lots of money on test prep classes. A study guide is just as effective and costs a lot less. The College Board will email students a practice question every day and they have practice tests online that you can take"
"I would like to know a good ACT prep class, so please put me on the list. M took the Princeton Review SAT class and also did the English portion of the SAT class provided by HPHS. I think she thought the school SAT class was really good.
My older daughter used Study Hall. We did not think it was very effective because it involved a lot of self-paced work on your own (as opposed to specific, set class time)."
"We used Ivy Insiders for one of our children and we were overall pretty satisfied with the instruction and approach-we used this for the SAT. They have a wide range of what you might be looking for with classes and or private tutoring. My daughter thought that Paul Hedrick was a great teacher and he made it seem a little more interesting. "
paul_hedrick@ivyinsiders.com
http://www.ivyinsiders.com/about
"We also used Karen Dillard for the other child and were pleased with their program also. They prepare for SAT and ACT with separate classes dedicated for the different tests."
http://www.karendillard.com/
"The Study Hall is very effective for some kids, and a bargain compared to some of the other programs out there. It depends on your student and their motivation. They do not have a set class time so your child must be motivated to attend and make the most of it. "