A. Low Income, Minority Students and Test Prep Courses: A Case StudyJune 12, 2007by Cal LanierAs a part-time instructor for a major test prep company, I taught an ACT course to a group of 25 Hispanic and African American students from February to April 2007. The course was sponsored by a Bay Area non-profit organization dedicated to supporting low income, minority high school students in their academic preparation for college. The students weren't "cherrypicked" for grades or academic achievement and have a broad range of academic capabilities, from elite to remedial. No students dropped out; all took at least two of the practice tests, including the first diagnostic used as a baseline. 21 students took the April 14, 2007 test; the other four were expected to take it on June 9th.
For an explanation of ACT scores, see what's the difference between the ACT and the SAT? I've converted the composite ACT scores to their SAT equivalents using the UC conversion method. With the students' consent (and using pseudonyms), I've made the student practice test scores, ACT scores, academic profiles, and answer patterns available on this website. I hope to point out data patterns that good test prep instructors look for and hopefully correct some common misconceptions about college admissions tests.
2008 ACT Results | 2007 ACT Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||