Students who want to boost their SAT scores can sign up for a test preparation course given by College Connections Hawaii, a nonprofit organization that offers subsidized classes in hopes of helping more students attend college. SAT preparation course
offered to isle studentsStar-Bulletin staff
The deadline to register is Wednesday. The course, which runs for six weeks, will be offered on Saturday mornings at 14 public and private schools on Oahu and Maui.
"In Hawaii the gap between public and private school SAT scores is nearly 200 points, one of the largest in the nation," said Stuart Coleman, director of test preparation.
"We want to help bridge that gap."
Students in previous classes have gained an average of 100 points, he said. The SAT-Prep class costs $195 or $45, depending on family income and which school the student attends. Grants and other funding help subsidize the courses.
"I'm not a good test-taker, but the SAT-Prep course helped me gain more confidence," said Alexia Rivas, a junior at Kailua High School who improved her scores by 120 points on the verbal section and 190 points in math after taking the class last fall.
Classes will be offered at the following schools on Oahu: Castle, Campbell, Farrington, Kailua, Maryknoll, McKinley, Nanakuli and Waipahu high schools and Sacred Hearts Academy, St. Andrew's Priory and St. Louis School. On Maui they will be held at Baldwin High School, King Kekaulike High and Maui High. The courses begin in February or April, depending on the location.
Rivas won a scholarship that covers college advising, college counseling and financial planning, valued at $1,500. College Connections Hawaii plans to award another scholarship to the top performer in its spring SAT classes.
Call 540-0434 or register online at www.collegeconnections.org.