State Education Department Partners with College Board to Prepare Students for College Success

The State Education Department today announced a partnership with the College Board to help students identify and prepare for a postsecondary program that best fits their needs. Through this partnership, the Department will work with the College Board to expand student access to unique, personalized learning pathways, including free, Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The partnership builds upon the College Board’s ongoing work with school districts and BOCES across the state, including in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Yonkers, and New York City.

“Access to SAT preparation and Advanced Placement courses is a real hurdle for students facing economic challenges,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa said. “This partnership with College Board will help increase equity for those students, and give them access to resources that can help them succeed.”

“Our partnership with the College Board is important to the future long-term academic success of our students,” said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “Together, we will help ensure that New York’s schoolchildren recognize and make the most of the opportunities available to them and realize their tremendous potential.”

“The College Board is proud to partner with the New York State Department of Education to help clear a path for New York students to own their future,” said College Board President David Coleman. “This partnership will ensure that students across the state can take advantage of powerful tools on the path to college, including personalized SAT Practice on Khan Academy and college credit through AP coursework.”

The College Board is partnering with several Department programs – including the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) program, the Liberty Partnerships Program, and the STEP program – to launch school-day and after-school programs focused on increasing the use of free, personalized Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy. With Khan Academy, each student can access an SAT practice plan built just for them. By linking their College Board and Khan Academy accounts, students can use their scores from the SAT or PSAT to determine what areas to focus on. Data released earlier this year by the College Board and Khan Academy show that studying for the SAT for 20 hours on free Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy is associated with an average score gain of 115 points from the PSAT/NMSQT to the SAT – nearly double the average score gain compared to students who do not use Khan Academy.

In December, the partnership will implement an Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy Challenge Campaign in all districts throughout the state in which opportunity programs are offered, in addition to working with community and college access organizations. The Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy Challenge builds upon the additional programs the College Board is partnering on with BOCES and local school districts:

• Expanded BOCES collaboration: The College Board has begun working with BOCES to expand access to college readiness programs and deliver more opportunities to all students across the state. This partnership will expand access to College Board programs and services including the PSAT-related assessments, and Advanced Placement support through BOCES to ensure equity and access statewide. As part of the College Board’s commitment to supporting BOCES statewide, the organization will support training on College Board programs and data, and Official SAT Practice as a part of the BOCES partnerships.
   
• Supporting principals with training: To further help educators advance students’ college readiness, the College Board will partner with BOCES to train new principals and teachers on the College Board’s assessments and how to use them to support instruction and opportunity for students.
   
• Helping students access AP opportunities: The College Board will work with BOCES district superintendents and school superintendents to help establish and expand access to AP courses, including support programs for teachers and students. Recently, the College Board distributed $80,000 in matching funds to BOCES, enabling up to 160 teachers from across the state to attend AP Summer Institutes in 2017 and 2018 and benefit from AP professional development.
   
  • AP enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Research shows that students who succeed on AP Exams are more likely to graduate college on time and they have the potential to save time and money through placement and credit-granting policies.
     
  • New York ranks 7th in the nation for the number of students from the public school graduating class of 2016 who scored a 3 or higher on an AP Exam in high school. Yet, thousands of New York students with the potential to succeed in AP are not enrolled in matched courses. The percentage of New York’s public school graduates earning a 3 or higher on an AP Exam has increased 6.7 percentage points over the past 10 years, from 20.6% in 2006 to 27.3%.
     
• Providing personalized college planning tools to students: As part of the College Board’s Access to Opportunity program, the annual Realize Your College Potential mailing provides low- and moderate-income students who are on track for college with customized college planning information, links to resources, and college application fee waivers for eligible students. The Department will add an insert with information on New York State colleges, resources, financial aid, scholarships, and deadlines. The Department will also collaborate with the State and City Universities of New York and other state organizations on these efforts.

The College Board is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization chartered by the New York State Board of Regents.