Free online program helping OCPS students boost SAT scores
ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - It’s the last week of school for Orange County Public Schools and while many students will be enjoying their summer break at the beach, other students will be thinking about college and studying for their SATs.
Thanks to a new partnership, these high school students are getting some virtual “real time” help. It’s called Khan Academy.
Orange County Public Schools partnered with the non-profit organization, Khan Academy, this school year to help students with taking standardized tests. Students at Oak Ridge High School told FOX35 News they enjoy the program’s detailed answers on why you got a question wrong or right.
“It was more like see what you got wrong, why you got it wrong, this is the correct way to do it, now try it again, and use the tools from the last time to get a better score than you did,” said Joshua Modeste, a Junior at Oak Ridge High School.
It’s like having a virtual coach when you take practice tests on your computer and there are instructional videos too.
“It’s very easy, all you have to do is make an account and click on a topic and then you can start learning,” said another Oak Ridge High School Junior Jayden Smith.
OCPS district said students from the 8th grade are using this free online program. The district said the program is working.
“What we have seen, more kids have taken the SAT and their scores have gone up as well,” said the Deputy Superintendent for teaching and learning, Dr. Jesus Jara. “It’s a comprehensive approach for us and that’s where we feel that we have seen great gains for our students.”
Teachers also use the program as part of their daily lesson and some students are seeing results.
“I wasn’t a fan of it at first because it was kind of tedious but after a while my English teacher would have us do it in class every day for 30 minutes and I started seeing changes in my scores,” said Modeste.
The district said on average students using Khan Academy will increase their score by 100 points and some students even increased their score by 200 points.
“It really helped me a lot,” said another student at Oak Ridge High School Paularis Gomez. “It helped me understand a lot of different things and I feel like now that I’m using it for my SATs, I’ll be taking my SATs in June, I really feel like it’ll really increase my math score.”
Best of all, the program is free and students can access it 24/7, even on their phone, giving students that extra edge to ace any test thrown at them.
“It really boosted my confidence because if I can do this at home I can do this here,” said Modeste.
If you would like to learn more about Khan Academy visit here.