Austin Scholar #33: The Truth About Mastery
& My Interview with My Classmate on How She Improved Her Test Scores
Hey, y'all!
One of my classmates at Alpha–a school dedicated to top percentile test scores–got a 74% on her Algebra I test last winter.
A few months later, she took the test again and got a 98%.
Her secret for improving her scores? Going back to 5th grade.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
This week from Austin Scholar...
My Interview with My Classmate on How She Improved Her Test Scores
My Key Takeaways on Mastery-Based Learning
Scholar’s Sources: The Best Resources for Trying Mastery-Based Learning With Your Teen
This week, my best friend P and I tested the Write of Passage: Liftoff curriculum at Alpha, and wow, it’s a completely different experience than it was over Zoom.
Having half of the kids (I’ve started calling my friends kids?!) look down, talk when I’m talking, and not answer discussion questions is a lot more nerve-wracking (and frustrating) than a black Zoom box.
I’m not going to lie: I’ve gained a new respect for high school teachers.
My Interview with My Classmate on How She Improved Her Test Scores
Like I was saying: Hope Aboel-Nil, a junior at Alpha, got a 74% on her Algebra final last winter.
A few months later, she retook the test and got a 98%.
This week, I interviewed her to find out how she completely turned her test scores around. Here's what she told me in our interview (with my questions edited out for ease of reading):