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Academic Approach: Beginnings I founded Academic Approach in Chicago in 2001, but the story begins in 1996 in New York City when I was earning a Ph.D. in English at Columbia University. While I was teaching freshmen in Columbia’s core curriculum—classes on logic, rhetoric, grammar, and strategies of essay composition—I was also working as a [...]

Every spring, every year, high school juniors — like Shakespeare’s Hamlet — face an existential moment: to ACT or to SAT? That is the question. For 18 years, Matthew Pietrafetta, Ph.D., and his test prep team at Academic Approach have helped students answer this question. In fact, Matthew approaches this often-dreaded rite of passage as an exciting [...]

https://blog.dyslexia.com/test-prep-strategies-for-dyslexic-students/ Making the academic leap from high school to higher education can be challenging for any student. For students with dyslexia, this transition can seem even more intimidating as it requires more time and preparation for them than it does for their peers. Dyslexic students process and comprehend language differently, less intuitively, and less efficiently than [...]

High school juniors across the country are preparing to take the SAT in the next few weeks. At this point, you may be wondering what you could possibly do to improve your score. How to Help Your Child Prepare for the SAT Here are some steps to follow in the next few weeks to make [...]

Standardized tests take on a whole new meaning in high school, with the SAT and/or ACT being huge components in the college application process. With the SAT coming up on April 5, I talked with Matthew Pietrafetta of Academic Approach, a test preparation and tutoring company with locations in Chicago, New York, and Boston. He offered [...]