Boulder Valley School District in Colorado
Boulder Valley School District in Colorado trained a group of its faculty members to present the ZAPS ACT test-prep curriculum. Following certification from Doorway to College Foundation, these teachers instructed all juniors at three high schools in Boulder Valley School District. The study's control group included seven high schools that did not participate in the ZAPS training.
Results
In 2010, in the control group of seven schools, performance declined slightly at -0.1 points on the ACT composite score. Conversely, at the three ZAPS participating high schools, the ACT composite score went up by 1.4 points. Students in the ZAPS school gained 1.5 in English, 1.4 in math, 1.5 in reading, and 1.2 in science.
Conclusion
ZAPS test prep had a significantly positive impact on the ACT scores of the students who participated in the trial.
Following the Boulder Valley School District study, scores have continued to rise in its participating schools. On average, the ACT composite score climbed from 18.3 in 2010 to 19.4 in 2011.