Low-Income Students Will Have Free Access to Program Offering
Top-Quality Live Online Instruction from Two Industry Leaders
ACT, Inc., maker of the ACT® test, the nation’s most popular college
readiness test, and Kaplan Test Prep, the world leader in test
preparation, today announced a collaboration to create the only online
ACT preparation program offering live, content-based instruction from
teachers. The program will be available at no cost to low-income
students and to all students at a significantly lower cost than
traditional prep programs. Kaplan will become the exclusive, official
partner for live, online prep for the ACT test.
The new program, ACT® Kaplan Online Prep Live, will give students
access to live, online, content-based courses taught by master teachers
who can answer student questions and provide interactive instructional
help in real time. The platform also will include recorded sessions that
students can access on demand on any device.
The program will combine Kaplan’s unparalleled expertise in test
preparation, learning science, digital learning and live instruction
with ACT’s extensive research and experience in measuring college and
career readiness. It will focus on developing students’ academic skills
and knowledge.
The program will cost less than $200 and will be provided for free to
low-income students who register for the ACT with a fee waiver. It will
be available in the fall.
All four-year colleges and universities across the country accept the
ACT test, which is taken by more than three million students annually,
making it the most widely taken college admissions exam in the U.S. For
the 2014-2015 academic year, ACT provided ACT test fee waivers valued at
$34.4 million to more than 700,000 low-income students.
“We know that great teaching helps to improve student outcomes in school
and beyond, and we want to make sure that all students have access to
quality learning opportunities,” said Marten Roorda, ACT, chief
executive officer. “This ground-breaking program will help students
perform their best not only on test day, but also in the classroom. We
saw the need for a high-quality, engaging, live teaching experience that
connects students with expert instructors through virtual classroom
technology. Kaplan is the only organization with the instructional
experience and digital expertise to deliver such a quality program with
both synchronous and asynchronous learning options, deliverable on any
device.”
“With more students now taking the ACT, we wanted to make the best
preparation available at the lowest cost possible,” said Lee Weiss, vice
president of college admissions programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “Our
programs are based on extensive research that shows what works with high
school students. We know that many learn best when they have two-way
interactions with teachers and peers. Students not only need engaging
instruction, but also the ability to ask questions and interact with a
caring, motivating, and dynamic expert teacher.”
Informed by feedback and results from multiple student pilots, ACT®
Kaplan Online Prep Live will be the only program to combine:
-
Official study resources and assessments from ACT that help students
focus on the academic skills that are important for success in college
and career
-
Access to Kaplan Test Prep’s top expert instructors, available for
questions and help
-
Real questions from a full-length ACT test
-
Live sessions and on demand videos available on any device students
choose, from desktop to laptop to mobile
-
A social community of teachers and peers to offer answers, support and
encouragement outside of classroom hours
Free live streaming teaching events will also be available to students.
The first event, “Understanding Your ACT Scores and What to Do Next,”
will be held on Saturday April 30, 2016, 2:00-3:00 pm EDT and will focus
on helping students understand their ACT score reports.
ACT and Kaplan Test Prep will be hosting a live online press conference
today at www.act.org/news/announcement
at 12:30 pm EDT / 11:30 am CDT / 9:30 am PDT.
®ACT is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc.
About ACT, Inc.
ACT is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping
people achieve education and workplace success. Headquartered in Iowa
City, Iowa, ACT is the nation’s leader in college and career readiness,
providing high-quality achievement assessments grounded in more than 50
years of research and experience. ACT offers a uniquely integrated set
of solutions that empower individuals with insights to succeed from
elementary school through career. To learn more about ACT, go to www.act.org.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com)
is a premier provider of educational and career services for
individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the
world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of
online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital
products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests,
including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate
school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys,
physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and
graduate admissions consulting services. Additionally, Kaplan offers new
economy skills training (NEST) programs and resources designed to
provide training in skills that are in high demand in today’s job market
and prepare participants for hire.
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company
(NYSE:GHC)
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