Sycamore Learning is once again partnering with Mead High School to offer seminar SAT preparation sessions for juniors looking to increase their chances for SAT success. Sycamore Learning is a separate program specifically dedicated to designing section-by-section lessons for students preparing for important tests such as the PSAT, ACT, and SAT. It has been working to bring Mead students discounts and seminar opportunities for many years.

MHS Dean of Students Mr. Ronnie Maynes has been handling the communication and organization of offering these sessions to juniors for the past two years he has been working at Mead High, and he inherited that role from the Assessment Coordinator before him.

Mr. Maynes commented, “When I inherited this information, [I realized that these sessions are] such a great opportunity for our students to prepare for the SAT and… learn tips and strategies to be successful.” He “couldn’t pass on [the] opportunity” to “extend this” to students.

Mr. Maynes coordinates directly with Sycamore Learning to bring discounted, downsized SAT preparation classes to students by discussing everything from the MHS “building schedule” to “their instructor’s availability” to communicating “this [information] out to families”.

He starts this process early in order to figure out logistics with the Sycamore Learning program. “I roughly start planning it anywhere from one to… two months in advance,” Mr. Maynes said.

Though this year’s registration window for the $69 and downsized Mead sessions officially closed on Mar. 9, $99 Saturday sessions are still available through both the MHS website and Sycamore Learning website. Mr. Maynes does plan to coordinate another exclusively Mead student seminar with a discount next year as well.

Online Saturday sessions are not offered through the Mead High discount and have a greater amount of Colorado students in the class, but they are still incredible resources for juniors to feel confident and gain knowledge on SAT strategies. Instructors cover all components of the test. Individually, students take practice SAT tests and later review each question as a group. Mr. Maynes explained that if a student realizes they got a question incorrect, these seminars give them a chance to reach out to their instructor and “understand where [they] messed up”. He sees Saturday Sycamore Learning sessions as an extremely helpful resource and strongly encourages juniors to get involved.

“We go over a lot of these [subjects] in our classroom environment, but [seminars are] more specific to the test,” he said.

In addition to taking practice tests and getting any questions answered by Sycamore Learning professional instructors, students who enroll in SAT preparation sessions also come home with a 500 to 600 page study guide that includes everything from SAT exam strategies to review questions on specific subjects.

Mr. Maynes explained that “students will have roughly a month after the session” to continue studying the SAT guidebook resource before the official test on Apr. 13.

Registration is slightly different this year due to virtual and hybrid instruction. While students previously went straight to Mr. Maynes, and he collected payment and student information, virtual students this year wouldn’t have access to register with him in-person. Now, registration can be entirely done through hyperlinks direct to Sycamore Learning on the MHS website. Mr. Maynes reassured that registering for Saturday sessions is “pretty easy” and a painless process.

Sycamore Learning seminars for juniors in Colorado have great resources to assist students in being more prepared and improving their SAT skills.