The Pittsburgh Prep Difference

Philosophy

After school programs have not traditionally been at the forefront of research in education reform. Therefore, much of what is implemented at Pittsburgh Prep has been through corresponding research theories and practical applications from our own experiences.

We find that students can generally be placed into four quadrants: 

Statistically, a great majority of students reside in quadrants 1 & 4, while only a few lie in quadrants 2 & 3. This makes sense, because students who receive good grades generally tend to do well on tests.

However, the majority of students who sign up with us fall into quadrants 2 & 3. The most common concern among our parents and students is: "Why am I such a horrible test taker but get good grades?" (or vice versa?).

The answer is both simple and complicated. The simple answer is that about 95% of all of our students develop great test taking skills through our intensive focus on learning the content and format of the exams themselves. The complicated answer is that standardized exams may not be a valid determinant for making proper inferences on whether the student has actually learned the subject in question. That is, standardized exams are only as good as what it is supposed to measure. For the SAT reasoning test, it is supposed to predict freshman year college success. For SAT 2's, AP, State-specific (eg. PSSA) and the ACT exams, these are supposed to measure a more content specific accumulated knowledge.  

Our philosophy is shaped by our deep understanding of the different purposes of standardized exams, how they are constructed, and what is needed for score improvement. An outline of our teaching methods is broken into three major phases:

I. KNOWLEDGE: Master the content domain of the standardized exams
II. SPEED: Increase speed in answering all items accurately
III. ENDURANCE: Be comfortable in taking a 4+ hour exam through dedicated practice and review

Every test prep company is going to promise the following: great teachers, great curriculum, and great pricing. But only Pittsburgh Prep goes further and deeper by incorporating test prep with academic review, peer grouping, differentiated instruction, technological support, one-on-one tutoring, timely assessment, and clear communication.

Students are expected and motivated from the onset to dedicate their efforts thoroughly and completely up until test day. Students should take note that Pittsburgh Prep's curriculum requires a minimum of 1.0+ at-home hours of homework every single day, including class and exam days. Attendance and active participation for all classes is mandatory, and anything short of our requirements is grounds for termination from our program with a prorated refund.