GEAR UP meets needs of Indiana schools through SAT preparation workshops for teachers

Indiana Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is meeting the needs of Indiana schools through several SAT preparation professional development workshops for teachers in nine locations across the state during Summer 2021. In addition to in-person sessions, GEAR UP will also host three virtual workshops.

Workshop sessions will cover integrating SAT skills and test-taking strategies into curriculum, building student confidence, and skills that are repeatedly tested. Sessions will be presented by the Academic Tutoring Center.

“With the SAT test being named the Indiana’s high school accountability assessment, students performing well on the test is more important than ever. These sessions are a continuation of our work developing teachers throughout the state and increases our programs statewide impact on the education system, both are major goals of the program,” said Tabitha Cinowski, Assistant Director of Indiana GEAR UP.

Participants will learn how to easily integrate SAT skills and general test-taking strategies into curriculum, build student confidence so that students do not “give up” during testing, discover the exact skills that are repeatedly tested on the SAT, and utilize proven test-taking strategies and tips that can increase SAT scores 100 to 200 points.

Established in 2016, GEAR UP has two main goals: First, to increase the number of students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Second, GEAR UP conducts research to better understand student STEM learning, persistence, and entry into postsecondary study and careers. Indiana GEAR UP is a seven-year, 24.5-million-dollar project funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Indiana GEAR UP is led by a collaborative team of staff from Purdue University and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. Together, GEAR UP staff members work with students beginning in seventh grade at 9 partner school corporations and associated schools.

Learn more about GEAR UP: https://indianagearup.org/

Source: Tabitha Cinowski, cinowski@purdue.edu