AVID is an Advancement Via Individual Determination: A 4-year elective that helps kids get ready for a 4-year college experience. AVID is a bi-weekly tutorial which helps kids keep their GPA up, SAT and ACT tutoring starting in 10th grade, and the rest of the time is focused on expanding their horizons and getting them ready for college.
From their website it says: AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is a college readiness system for elementary through higher education that is designed to increase schoolwide learning and performance. The AVID College Readiness System (ACRS) accelerates student learning, uses research based methods of effective instruction, provides meaningful and motivational professional learning, and acts as a catalyst for systemic reform and change.
AVID began in 1980 by Mary Catherine Swanson, then-head of the English department at San Diego’s Clairemont High School. The federal courts issued an order to desegregate the city’s schools, bringing large numbers of inner city students to suburban schools. While applauding the decision, Swanson wondered how these underserved students would survive at academically acclaimed Clairemont High.
Her answer was AVID, an academic elective. But it’s more than a program – it’s a philosophy: Hold students accountable to the highest standards, provide academic and social support, and they will rise to the challenge.
AVID is having their year-end site team meetings. Peninsula High School’s meeting was today and Palos Verdes High School is tomorrow the AVID year-end site team meetings are where parents, students, teachers, and tutors get together to discuss how the year went and discuss goals for next year. The Peninsula High School Avid seniors set a record: 100% of the kids that applied to a 4-year school were accepted to at least one. They had a record high for applications for next year’s freshman that is. The AVID Program is increasing the amount of tutors they are going to have next year – so the ratio will be 7 students to 1 tutor in tutorials. This year it was about 12 tutors to 1 student. They also have a record high number of kids going to their overnight college trip – which is where 41 kids spend 2 days to go see Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and University of California Santa Barbara.
Yesterday, our RB Office Manager had a meeting with a student named Claire and her dad Jeff!! She is a Junior in High School and about to be a senior… and JUST now decided that she wanted to take the ACT.
The girl does well in Science and scored a 27 on her ACT Diagnostic test. Claire told our RB Office Manager that she had taken the SATS but about a year and a half ago, so not very recently.
The problem the student had was that she has been so focused on her grades and pin pointing exactly what she wants to major in, instead of focusing on what school she wanted to go or the area she want to live in.
Claire was focused more on her future and where her major was going to take her, that she did not stop to think about what location she wanted to go to college at, or the area she wanted to surround her self by.
When going to college, you have to think about not only what school you want to go, but also the area you want to live in. From LA to New York, there are so many schools across the United States, and each city is so different and unique, and each offer different things.
Make sure to spend time at the colleges of your choice, because it’s not only about the education, the classes, and the majors a school may offer, but the city it’s it or the surrounding area can also make a huge impact on your college life in either a positive or negative way.
College can last anywhere from 3 – 6 or more years and you want to make sure you choose a college where you are going to get a great education, but you have to make sure you can feel at home and feel safe and secure in the area that you want to live in.
Today we are talking all about the El Segundo Study Hut Office! We provide a wide array of services, from subject tutoring to test prep to help with college admissions. Our team of experts can tutor almost any high school subject through the AP level. We also have tons of experience with training for the SAT, ACT, HSPT, ISEE, GRE, and many other tests.
The El Segundo Study Hut had a very productive day yesterday and we wanted to share some highlights with you all !!
Key features and highlights:
1. We signed up an AP Calc kid
2. We trimmed up the outside (we consider it the most lush hut)
3. We prepped the tutors for the next 12 weeks – since Summer is right around the corner and we need the students to keep on track during the summer to make sure they don’t fall behind.
4. We added a computer station
5. We posted AP diag dates (same as Manhattan’s) – which were March 24th and the next one coming up is April 20th!
6. We replenished materials for all the SAT subject tests
7. We graduated to a housekeeping service
8. We planned a tutor gathering
9. We found a spot to hang the surfboard
10. We put an order in for an espresso maker
11. We ordered a new shipment of after school snacks
12. We dusted the corners and behind the bookshelves
13. We stocked the mini fridge
14. We added a whiteboard
15. We added new indoor plants to the family
The El Segundo Study Hut is located on Arena Street in El Segundo off of El Segundo Blvd. Co-Owner SP and others built the Tiki Hut that is pictured above!
While the majority of our students walk or drive over for tutoring from El Segundo High School, El Segundo Middle School, Center Street School, and Richmond Street School, we also work with students from all over the lower Westside. We tutor students from Westchester High School, St. Bernard High School, Hawthorne High School, and even Palisades High School, as well as Marymount, Notre Dame, and Loyola.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! There was an ACT vs. SAT Prep Fair at Mira
Costa High School Wednesday night !
Our Manhattan Beach Office Manager Sam and Adam attended the SAT vs. ACT Prep Fair on Wednesday at Mira Costa High School from 6:15 p.m. until 8 p.m. The Study Hut set up a table and talked to many students and parents – mostly Sophomore and Junior level students who are getting ready to plan for college.
There was a speaker there on Wednesday night along with other businesses including Kaplan, Blue Train, The Princeton Review, PJ’s Test Prep Service, and many others.
The Study Hut offers SAT prep – both group courses and private one-on-one tutoring. Right now are are in the 4th week of a 6 week SAT group course. We offer classes up to 10 students and the class is offered Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs for 2 hours each night.
If you are interested in taking this course, you can sign up to take a free SAT Diagnostic test on Saturday mornings proctored here at the Study Hut. The next dates will be March 2nd and March 23rd. We offered a Diagnostic this past Saturday as well on February 23rd and had a great turn out since students are gearing up for the real SAT test on March 9th!!
Once you’ve taken the diagnostic test – we will then schedule a consult with Co-Owner Rob to go over your scores and sign you up for either the group course or the private one-on-one sessions.
Our next SAT group course will start on March 12th and will be offered Tuesday and Thursday nights for two hours each.
You can e-mail samantha@studyhut.com if you are interested in taking the Diagnostic Test/being in the SAT group course or private one-on-one sessions.
Good luck to all the students who are taking the SAT exam on March 9th!!
The differences between the SAT and ACT are noticeable and students should make an informed decision as to which test is the right fit. Historically, the SAT has been the west coast college admissions exam and the ACT has been its fledging east coast twin. Each company has its origins rooted in their respective coasts, however, today, both exams are now universally accepted at almost every university nationwide. Yet, the big question on everyone’s minds still remains: which exam is the right fit for me?
In order to make that decision, it is wise and recommended to take each exam for a test drive. Take a practice diagnostic test for each exam. Study Hut Tutoring offers diagnostic testing for both exams on a bi-monthly basis for no cost. After each exam is scored, Study Hut will schedule a free consultation with you in order to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses on each exam. After reviewing both exams, you will have all the information to make a calculated decision. After all, it is recommended that students train more heavily for one exam in order to maximize scores.
At the end of the day give us a call and we will help guide you down the path of least resistance. We are available by phone, in person, or via email at any one of our four locations.
As a new test-prep tutor for Study Hut, I have learned loads of information about the SAT, ISEE, and HSPT. I was surprised to find that, despite the differences in the exams, the overall study technique was very similar and ultimately comes down to one word – strategy.
This reminded me of my fourth grade teacher, Ms. Green. She told my class that she was SO good at taking tests that she could take a multiple choice test on any subject and still get most of the answers correct. At the time, I thought she was crazy – or maybe just really smart. What I have come to learn while working at Study Hut is that any test, whether for school or the SAT, has two different parts to it: the information it covers and the specific way that you put that information on the test. Failing to recognize this often makes the difference between an A and a B, or several hundred points on the SAT.
During my first test-prep tutoring session, my student seemed very stressed out about the ISEE test he was only a month away from taking. We were reviewing vocabulary words, many of which he had never even seen before. Becoming very concerned, he asked me: “How can I EVER remember all of this information?” I told him not to worry and that, by the end of our session, he would be able to figure out the meaning of at least half of the words he had never even seen before. Now, he thought I was crazy. He only had three weeks until the test and his parents had chosen Study Hut to provide that extra special test-prep service that only Study Hut can provide. Now, it was my job to show him the first important strategy to use when studying vocabulary words. While that’s not a secret I can reveal now, let’s just say that by the end of our two-hour one-on-one session, he not only knew most of the word meanings, but also answered 14/15 correctly on a practice quiz directly afterward.
Your junior and senior years of high school are two of the most important years of school you’ll ever attend. You have to study for and take your SAT, you have to choose the colleges you want to apply to, and then you have to make that final step—surviving the dreaded college application process.
This does not have to be an overwhelmingly stressful period of your life. Yes, you do have to put forth a lot of effort to get into college, but there are people that can help with the process and ease your stress. When you’re sitting there looking at that mound of blank application materials on your desk, you may ask yourself, how can I ever do ALL of this by myself?
Well, the good news is that the tutors at the Manhattan Beach Study Hut are here to help you! You can get help from the college graduates at Study Hut that have been through the exact same, grueling process. You can’t find this kind of one-on-one service anywhere else.
We can help with in-depth SAT and ACT preparation and general organizational strategies sure to lessen your overall stress. We have the resources you need to succeed in this important time in your life. For example, one of the most difficult aspects of the college application is perfecting the application essays. We provide you with the support you need to write a unique, well-written essay that is sure to draw attention to how spectacular you will be as a college student. The strategies we teach our students in everyday tutoring include all of the study skills a high school student needs in order to succeed in college. Perfecting your study habits with Study Hut now is the best way to ensure future success in college.
The year 2012 brings many changes to the local Study Huts in your neighborhood. The high demands of students have made us expand not only in location but, hours as well. In the effort to provide quality one on one tutoring Study Hut is now open 7 days a week. This new radical change has taken over two years to come into effect. Before January 2012, students had the chance to come receive tutoring only Sunday Through Thursday. The small window of tutoring hours started to become inconvenient for our athletes, honor and extracurricular activity students. “Some kids with APs and sports can’t do weekdays and if they have band, theatre, or newspaper, then it’s super tough too”, informs our owner Robert Stone. These students have demanding schedules and sometimes could not squeeze in tutoring hours. As previous high school and middle school students the hut staff understand how demanding and exhausting this could be mentally and physically for the students. The changes are Friday and Saturday available days of tutoring and test preparation classes. “These are also the quietest days at the Hut, so there are advantages in the noise department as well”, states owner Sean Patrick. During the week it can become incredibly loud and for many students, the noise level is an extreme interruption of concentration.
The Study Hut has also become a huge asset in test taking preparation classes and has branched out in so many administered tests preparation of the nation. Included in the national tests, is our well known ACT and SAT preparation classes. In concurrence with weekends being open for tutoring, Fridays and Saturdays are also open for these test preparation classes. These classes give our students a huge advantage to learn the materials needed while tackling down their weekly courses as well. Nothing makes us happier here at your local hut than our students’ success in their classes. We pride ourselves in their academic goals and strive to make sure they meet their goals. So if we must stay open 7 days a week, so be it.
Aside from taking challenging high school courses, an important part of getting ready for college is
taking a college prep test like the ACT or SAT. Both tests have changed over the years, but the main goal
is to score high enough for the colleges you’re interested in attending.
Many students take the test twice—once as a trial run and again after they’ve gotten a feel for the test
and have discovered their strengths and the areas in which they need some improvement. It’s a good
way to present colleges with your best and brightest academic face. Taking the ACT or SAT twice can
give you the advantage you need to land the college acceptance letter you want.
Test prep for the first time
Before taking either test, it’s important to find out if the school you’d like to attend prefers one test
over the other; for some, either test will suffice, while others have a preference. Once you’ve decided
which tests to take, you’ll want to invest in study guides or classes. Many companies like Study Hut offer both instructor-led and self-guided courses,
as well as free strategy sessions and practice tests. You can also reach out to your fellow classmates and
start a study group.
The second time around
Taking the ACT or SAT for the first time can be somewhat of a challenge, so it can be tough to get
motivated for a second round. But studies show that taking the test a second time can improve
your score: a study by the College Board revealed that while some scores dropped, 55% of high school juniors
earned higher scores the second time they took the SAT. If your first score isn’t as high as you
anticipated, taking it a second time could be worth the effort.
Once you’ve gotten the results from the first test, you can tailor your studying to focus on the areas
where you need improvement; work with your teachers and parents to find assignments that can help
you boost your score. Finally, stay in contact with your school’s academic counselor to make sure you’re
plotting a steady course with college prep classes.
The road to college
Even if you’ve earned low-to-middling scores on your college prep tests, there’s no reason to despair.
Remember that even though your ACT and SAT scores are important, they’re just one part of your
overall portfolio as a student. And traditional colleges are no longer your only option for higher
education: online programs offer the
same quality education as in-class programs and can offer benefits like scheduling classes around your
busy life and allowing you to work at your own pace. Online education is becoming more common
for traditional colleges and universities: according to the Pew Research Center, more than 3/4 of colleges and universities offer classes online.
Getting into college is just the first step in your higher education. And to make sure you afford yourself
the best chances, stay focused, ask for help when you need it, and concentrate on improving your scores
if you choose to take the tests a second time. Planning for the ACT or SAT should be taken seriously. If
you commit to doing well, you can lay the foundation for a quality college education.
We are proud to announce that next year, we will be offering our first ever Study Hut ACT Group Course.
With the growing popularity of the ACT, we are now offering a course to get your student ready for the test coming next Spring on June 9th. Here are the details:
The course runs April 30th through June 6th.
It meets Monday and Wednesday nights from 7-9 pm (24 hours total)
It includes two full-length practice tests, and assignments catered to your student’s weaknesses.
This course is very similar in structure to our popular small group SAT course, which has been showing excellent improvement in student’s scores across the board. This is NOT a huge classroom or an overwhelming environment. Our SAT and ACT group courses are conducted in a small office, with a maximum of 10 students. Our instructors are young, fresh, smart, and witty, and we all have one thing in common: we know how to dominate both the SAT and the ACT.
Please email rob@studyhut.com or call us at the Hut – (310)-546-2408 to sign up or get any questions answered.
