Problem
Amir’s, an aspiring dentist, participated in his private high schools International Baccalaureate program; he’s an active member of his school’s basketball team, too. He earned A’s and B’s in his classes, but he didn’t perform well on standardized tests.
Previously, Amir participated in an SAT prep program offered by his high school, but he didn’t see an increase in his score and was afraid his poor test showing would foil entry to his preferred post-secondary institutions.
The Process
Mrs. Thomas, Amir’s mother, made an initial query January 13, 2021 in preparation for a summer start. The diagnostic occurred on June 8, 2021 and lasted 3.5 hours.
Amir completed the reading section of the diagnostic within 19 minutes, which seemed troubling. Later, I administered an alternative form of the diagnostic and determined that Amir hadn’t read any of the material. He’d been skimming, which is what his teachers taught him to do. (Actually, this seems to be a common practice.) Our first official learning session was June 20, 2021, and the last session was August 25, 2021. On Day 3, I reported my findings to Mrs. Thomas, who was a bit relieved. Apparently, she’d been worried that Amir had, potentially, been struggling with an undiagnosed learning disability.
We met two to three times per week for 60 minutes per session. There were breaks so that Amir could attend camps for future doctors and athletes. Still, he managed to make time to become a more attentive reader and mechanically sound writer.
Results
August 29, 2021, Amir sat for the SAT, increased his score by 100 points, and gained entry to his 3 preferred HBCUs.
- Improved attention to detail
- Improved informational synthesis
- 100-point increase
- Hours Purchased: 22
Admission to Preferred Schools
Two of Amir’s preferred post-secondary institutions are less than 100 miles from home; one of them is his mother’s alma mater. Establishing a family tradition and being close to family are important to Amir.
Increased Confidence
Amir’s experienced the benefits of paying attention to detail and doesn’t feel hopeless about his ability to perform well on tests.
“From the moment I read her profile, I knew Kenisha would be an excellent fit for our son who is in an International Baccalaureate program but has trouble with standardize testing. For years, we’ve struggled with trying to understand “why”. After about 3 sessions, Kenisha figured it out and tailored a program to fit his needs. He takes the SAT again in 3 days. His scored increased by 100 points on the practice test. He is much more confident about the test than he was 3 months ago. Thank you!!!!!!”
-T. Thomas, Amir’s Loving Mother, DMV Area