ACT® Scores Improve for Forest Hill High School Juniors Utilizing Jumpstart Test Prep
BROOKHAVEN, Miss., May 21, 2020 (Newswire.com) - Today, Jumpstart Test Prep released the ACT improvement results from Forest Hill High School (FHS), whose junior class used the Jumpstart science and reading ACT review programs to prepare for the state administered February 2020 ACT® exam (American College Testing). Following completion of Jumpstart’s ACT prep review in Reading and Science, over 50 percent of the students had an average ACT Reading score improvement of +3.18 points over their best prior attempt. Similarly, the school had more than 40 percent of its students improving their Science scores by an average of +3.06 points.
“I was excited for my scholars, staff, and school to learn that our application had been chosen for this pilot program,” said Torrey A. Hampton, Principal Forest Hill High School, also known as “The University of South Jackson”. “This pilot program was awarded through MDE with funds provided by our legislature. My team and I worked to create an implementation plan that worked well within our master schedule. After the first day of the boot camp, scholars had very positive comments about their experience. They liked the videos and strategies that were provided. This program gave our school community a chance to promote and build excitement for the ACT in our school even more.”
Mr. Hampton added that he intends to implement the complete Jumpstart ACT review that includes all subject area prep this upcoming school year based on the results and feedback given from his teachers and scholars.
Student feedback on the Jumpstart Test Prep program is strong. Brooklyne Edmond, FHS junior student said, “This program was a great idea for my peers and I got additional help on our ACT. When I was first introduced to this program they made sure to let us know the steps we needed, so our goals could be met. The workbooks we received, and the ACT prep videos we were shown gave us new vocabulary words, and practice using average time lengths (per question) for success on this test. I learned how to work in a timely manner with the tips I was given. Thank you, Mr. Hampton, for bringing this program to our school because it truly worked.”
Brooklyne had taken the ACT once before the Jumpstart Program. She improved 67% over her best prior reading score, rising 8-points from 12 to 20.
Ms. Laneysa Harris, an English Electives Teacher, shared that during the Jumpstart sessions she could see the “light bulb come on” above her student’s heads when they began to understand the strategies for analyzing the test questions and selecting the best answers.
“Overall, it was a very positive experience and showed the students how much knowledge they actually have retained over the years,” said Harris. “Likewise, I enjoyed cheering for them every time they had selected the correct answers on the Jumpstart challenge passages/questions.”
Analysis of the FHS’s results was conducted by third party Jake Hoskins, PhD. These results are presented next, in Figure 1. In the case of multiple prior attempts, the best prior scores were used for comparison. It should also be noted that composite score improvements would likely have been higher, had Math and English prep been implemented as well.
Figure 2 (below) provides the average number of points improved observed among the group of students who did improve upon their prior best test score with the assistance of Jumpstart Test Prep.
In total, 50.85% of students showed improvement over their prior best observed ACT science score, for an average gain of 3.18 points. The maximum score gain was 11 points. 40.68% of students showed improvement over their prior best observed ACT reading score, for an average gain of 3.06 points. The maximum score gain was 9 points.
Many FHS students demonstrated major improvements:
- Science- 32 students improved 3 or more points including multiple +9- and +10-point improvements, as well as the maximum score gain of 11 points.
- 18 students improved to a 17 or greater, thereby mitigating the risk of failing to graduate due to Biology I end-of-course exam failure.
- Reading- 22 students improved 3 or more points including multiple +7- and +8-point improvements.
- 13 students improved to a 17 or greater, thereby mitigating the risk of failing to graduate due to U.S. History end-of-course exam failure.
Teachers at Forest Hill High proctored the streaming video-based review in their classrooms and reinforced the program by ensuring student understanding and providing additional practice questions before the exam.
“I enjoyed Jumpstart Test Prep very much. It was easy to navigate and the students were able to catch on quickly,” said Karen M. Johnson, Ed.D. “The pacing allowed us to stop and discuss information and it gave the students plenty of opportunities to practice the material before moving on to something new. It was engaging and I thought it really kept the students' attention.”
“Principal Hampton and his team did a great job implementing the Jumpstart science and reading reviews into the school’s master schedule so their juniors could complete this program within 2-4 weeks before test day as prescribed,” said Sha Walker, Co-Founder & CEO of Jumpstart Test Prep. “In order to be fully prepared, students need a complete review of the content they will see on the ACT®, along with all the tips, test-taking strategies and realistic question practice that we provide, all delivered in a near time frame to test day,” continued Walker. “Forrest Hill’s improvement results will be included in the rollup analysis of all 22 schools randomly selected for this pilot program.”
Jumpstart Test Prep has constructed an online review program based on over 40 years of work by Mississippi’s 19-year STAR teacher hall-of-fame inductee: the legendary educator and tutor Dot McClendon. Its consistent quality, prestige, and innovation is a culmination of her lifetime experience.
“As a teacher at The Mississippi School of the Arts and several other schools during my career, I was able to help guide the preparation of their students in person,” said McClendon. “Now through our on-demand video review, students in FHS classrooms, as well as classrooms around the country, and around the breakfast table or couch at home are able to benefit from our approach.”
This global pandemic has disrupted many areas of our lives, but none as evident in the academic environment.
“With this year’s pandemic fallout, parents and children at home are struggling to achieve academic continuity. The Jumpstart Test Prep ACT review can serve to build knowledge and skills as well, said Walker. “My 8th grade son is completing a Jumpstart Math module a day with his workbook, and he’s learning concepts not yet covered in class!”
The company’s website, www.jumpstarttestprep.com, describes their program as a review utilizing streaming video modules that are delivered on-demand. The program is designed for classroom integration or individual study and proven to help students of all ability levels stay fully engaged and gain the most improvement in the shortest time by explaining difficult content in a way that every student can follow and understand. Students follow and complete the accompanying workbook as the review proceeds. Modules review the must-know content, include testing strategies specific to the exam, and conclude with realistic question practice modeled from actual "retired" exams that are provided under time constraint. According to student reviews of the program on the website, the program helps students with time management, allowing them to work faster on test day.
The company has found that when students are coached step-by-step, they can quickly secure significant gains, regardless of their initial proficiency in the subject area.
Walker and McClendon cite the top three competitive distinctions of Jumpstart Test Prep:
- Proven exam prep expertise honed over a lifetime of successful results. The content review is delivered on-demand. It is highly visual and animated. Students respond to the ACT®-style practice questions.
- The Jumpstart Test Prep review is engaging, not boring! Presented by a group of fun, young, diverse people, and presented in short 30-minute segments. Students must actively engage as they follow along in
their workbook to build flashcards by completing the blanks and work ACT®-style practice problems as the online review progresses.
- Improved time management. Jumpstart Test Prep reviews content step-by-step, and then shows how to apply that content with follow-up examples. The examples are followed with challenge questions allowing a clock timer countdown. Time is critical on the ACT® and by the end of our review; Jumpstart Test Prep students know the average amount of time they can allocate per question and what to do when too much time has lapsed.
All juniors at FHS had access to the following resources:
- Expert reading and science content review and practice, along with test taking tips and strategies delivered in the classroom via streaming video
- Individual access accounts available to students through May 2020
- Consumable student workbooks for both subject areas to be completed as lecture content was watched and later used as a student study guide
- On-demand support
School administrators utilized an online dashboard reflecting the video module completion progress of teachers assigned to proctor the review and/or individual student progress.
The company’s ACT® subject area prep can be purchased individually à la carte at www.jumpstarttestprep.com.
About Jumpstart Test Prep
Jumpstart Test Prep (www.jumpstarttestprep.com) is a leading provider of educational services for individuals and schools. Established in 2015, Jumpstart Test Prep is a strong leader in the test prep industry.
Jumpstart's streaming video modules are delivered on-demand, and are designed for classroom integration or individual study. Jumpstart’s methodology is proven to help students of all ability levels stay fully engaged and gain the most score improvement in the shortest time by explaining difficult content in a way that every student can follow and understand. Each module reviews the must-know content, includes testing strategies specific to the exam, and concludes with realistic question practice.
Jumpstart Test Prep currently provides exam preparation for the ACT®, GED®, HiSet®, TASC®, Praxis® Core and ACT WorkKeys®.
For more information on Jumpstart Test Prep, please visit: https://www.jumpstarttestprep.com/ and visit them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pg/jumpstarttestprep/reviews/
Media Contact:
Robert Cadogan
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 833-835-8329
ACT® and ACT WorkKeys® are registered trademarks of ACT, Inc.
GED® is a registered trademark of American Council on Education Corp.
HiSet® and Praxis® are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service
TASC® Test Assessing Secondary Completion is the registered trademark of Data Recognition Corp.
Jumpstart Test Prep is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of these companies.
Source: Jumpstart Test Prep
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Tags: ACT, ACT Reading, ACT Science, Dot McClendon, Jumpstart Test Prep, Sha Walker, Torrey A. Hampton
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