WWC review of this study

The effect of a test preparation course on the SAT scores of students at Saint Joseph Academy (Doctoral dissertation).

Filizola, E. (2008). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3309546).

  • Quasi-Experimental Design
     examining 
    24
     Students
    , grades
    10-11

Reviewed: October 2016

At least one finding shows promising evidence of effectiveness
At least one statistically significant positive finding
Meets WWC standards with reservations
General academic achievement (high school) outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

SAT Math

ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs vs. Business as usual

8 Weeks

Full sample;
24 students

498.16

460.17

Yes

 
 
18
 

SAT Reading

ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs vs. Business as usual

8 Weeks

Full sample;
24 students

458.95

437.71

No

--

SAT Writing

ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs vs. Business as usual

8 Weeks

Full sample;
24 students

485.81

475.02

No

--


Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.


  • Female: 59%
    Male: 41%

  • Urban
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    Texas
  • Race
    Black
    6%
    White
    6%
  • Ethnicity
    Hispanic    
    88%
    Not Hispanic or Latino    
    12%

Setting

This study was conducted with high school students at Saint Joseph Academy, a parochial school in Brownsville, Texas. About 40% of the Academy’s students live in Mexico.

Study sample

The intervention group consisted of 17 students who enrolled in an SAT preparation course. The students in the intervention group consisted of seven male and 10 female students. Of these students, nine lived in Brownsville, Texas, and eight lived in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Fifteen of these students were Hispanic, one was Black, and one was “of Anglo ethnicity” (p. 23).

Intervention Group

Students in the intervention group registered to participate in the SAT preparation class, which consisted of eight 4-hour sessions, two of which were used for the administration of the pre- and posttest, a practice SAT. The remaining six sessions were split between math and reading/writing instruction, for a total of 12 hours of instruction in each content area. The verbal sessions focused instruction and practice on the essay portion of the SAT, as well as review, instruction, and practice for the multiple choice questions. The math sessions included strategies, practice items, and practice tests.

Comparison Group

Students in the comparison group did not participate in the SAT preparation class. The students did participate in the administration of the pre- and posttest. The author does not report any additional information.

Support for implementation

No information was provided regarding support for implementation.

 

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