Dear Academic Approach Families & Colleagues:
Yesterday, we shared some of the academic principles of our programming—how we are using our expertise in customizing learning experiences to set students up for success. Today, we’re discussing another important aspect of our Study Teams programming: providing engagement and social learning opportunities.
Long before remote learning, we knew that engagement in school tends to decrease as students age, with only about half of middle school students and a third of high school students self-reporting high levels of engagement with school. Remote learning exacerbates this trend for many students while blurring the definition of what it means to be engaged in school while working from home.
Our programming seeks to intentionally create a small community of learners. Students working in small groups see many benefits beyond just stronger academic achievement and deeper understanding of material: they are more motivated, have more positive attitudes towards the subject material, and develop skills in collaborating with others. Our instructors work intentionally in these small groups to cultivate these benefits.
We’re prioritizing this critical social aspect of learning for students both virtually and in-person. Reach out to us to learn more about this work.
On another note, ACT has started emailing families regarding the status of their registration for September test dates. You can find the current list of canceled sites here. They’ll be sending emails on weekdays to notify students if there is a change in their registration status.
Students who are affected can request a free change or refund through their ACT web account. (In the past, ACT’s refund policy allowed for students who did not get a refund to be auto-registered for a subsequent test.)
Be well,
Matthew Pietrafetta, Ph.D., Founder & CEO
