Palo Alto, CA (PRWEB) October 23, 2013
Standardized tests are a serious concern for high school administrators and students. Poor results can affect teacher and principal evaluations in states with waivers from No Child Left Behind’s rigorous testing requirements. They can also force students to forgo applications to top colleges or miss financial aid opportunities.
Pamela Ellis, founder of Compass Education Strategies LLC, said in U.S. News’ Education blog, “The weight of standardized test scores relative to other pieces of the application can range from 0 to 80 percent.”
That’s why schools are keenly interested in helping students boost their scores. Many schools use CollegeOnTrack with their 5th- through 12th-graders to build college and career readiness with lesson plans, digital portfolios, student assessments, and grade books. Now they can also offer standardized test preparation to their students, thanks to a new collaboration with BenchPrep.
BenchPrep is a fast-growing company which has helped more than half a million students. The company converts education material from over 30 publishers, including McGraw Hill and Princeton Review, into web-based learning experiences. Their expertise lies in building student engagement through interactivity, work analysis, and feedback. A BenchPrep study of 10,000 students showed scores can increase by 16% as a result.
BenchPrep CEO and Co-Founder Ashish Rangnekar says, "We are excited to partner with CollegeonTrack to help students plan their college admissions process. We really value the data and technology driven approach that CollegeOnTrack is bringing to this space. BenchPrep's test prep and college readiness courses align well with CollegeOnTrack's mission to help students be better prepared for college."
The strategic partnership shows up as a new CollegeOnTrack app called TestPrep, which uses BenchPrep’s technology to present learning material and analyze student understanding, then identify techniques that can help the student get better scores. The app creates a personalized study plan for each student, with tasks built around BenchPrep’s hundreds of lessons and thousands of practice questions, as well as full-length tests. It integrates with other CollegeOnTrack platform functions.
TestPrep will be available as an option for CollegeOnTrack schools starting in late November.
About CollegeOnTrack
CollegeOnTrack is a web-based system that enriches the learning experience in middle and high school as it prepares students for college and successful careers. It offers a combination of rich digital portfolios, collaboration support, and task management that helps students build a mindset of success. Administrative modules help educators keep students in school and on track for graduation and college applications.
For more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, contact Philip Roybal at (408) 782-4244, or phil(at)collegeontrack(dot)com.