college prep academy™
What is the College Prep Academy?
The College Prep Academy is co-sponsored by ACC and Capital IDEA. The Academy consists of classes designed to increase participants' academic skills in Math, Reading and Writing in order to successfully complete the requirements of the Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) test and prepare them for college. Community Colleges in Texas require the successful completion of the THEA components in order to pursue a college degree.
Sixty-eight percent of College Prep Academy participants pass the THEA on their first try!
How Do I Know if I Need to Attend the College Prep Academy?
If you have ever been to college before, you will not need to attend the College Prep Academy. With that in mind, we will give you some general guidelines that help us determine if someone is likely to need College Prep. However, the only way to know for sure, whether or not you will need to attend the College Prep Academy, is to take a college entrance exam. If you pass the entrance exam, you do not need College Prep.
You will most likely need to enroll in the College Prep Academy if you...
- graduated from high school but have not kept up your reading, writing and math skills.
- took a college entrance exam but did not pass all portions.
- tried to enroll in college but were told you would need to take remedial classes (basic reading, writing, or math).
Curriculum
Participants receive intensive preparation in reading, writing, mathematics, test-taking and study skills that are needed to complete the requirements of the THEA test and succeed in college-level coursework. The College Prep Academy is a full-time, five-day-a-week, 12-week classroom setting, with an additional 12 weeks of half-time instruction for participants needing further work in one of the three areas.
The curriculum is structured around preparing participants for college by preparing them to complete the requirements of the THEA test:
- Program Participan ts in College Prep Academy classes receive 300 hours of instruction and tutoring over 12 weeks.
- Each level consists of a 12-week session for five hours daily.
- The College Prep Academy gives participants a pre-THEA test to determine enrollment in Level 1 or Level 2. (Those who score higher begin with Level 2.)
- Level 1 teaches Math, Reading and Writing. Participants placed in Level 1 are expected to pass the Reading and Writing portion of the THEA during the first 12 weeks. They will then advance to Level 2.
- Level 2 teaches Advanced Math, Reading and Writing.
- Participants take practice THEA tests.
- Homework is assigned each day.
Class Schedule
Level 1 and Level 2 of the Academy are offered three times each year: in September, January and May. Both levels are structured as follows:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| 8:00-9:30 | Math | Math | Math | Math | VIP: Intro to health careers, life and study skills, job skills, financial management, etc. |
| 9:30-9:45 | Break | Break | Break | Break | |
| 9:45-11:00 | Math | Math | Math | Math | Reading Lab |
| 11:00-12:00 | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch | Lunch |
| 12:00-2:30 | Reading | Writing | Reading | Writing | Vocabulary Class |
>> top