Students interested in applying to Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore can boost their chances of acceptance with the help of a new High School Placement Test (HSPT) preparatory course.

Introduced last year, the archdiocesan course prepares test-takers by deepening their academic knowledge and offering test-taking strategies.

The standardized HSPT, administered by Scholastic Testing Services, is required of all eighth graders applying to the 18 Catholic high schools of the archdiocese. Performance on the test is among the key factors high schools use in considering applications. It’s also used for scholarship selection and course placement.

The test includes five sections that measure verbal ability, quantitative ability, reading comprehension, mathematics and components of written language.

Dr. Eric Watts, chief academic officer in the Department of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, said the prep course was introduced to help make the application process more equitable.

In the past, he said, middle schoolers in more affluent areas tended to have access to test preparation services that were often lacking in economically struggling communities.

“We wanted to provide equitable services across all our high school applicants,” Watts said.

Offered online, each prep course section is limited to 20 students and is taught by a teacher who specializes in reading and language and another who specializes in math. Last year, 735 students took the course.

Watts noted that last year, the Archdiocese of Baltimore was among the top-performing dioceses in the country for Catholic school students who took the HSPT.

“What’s most exciting is that the kids who were in the prep course last year scored 12 percentile points higher than the kids who weren’t in the class,” Watts said.

This year’s prep course will run for nine weeks (one week longer than last year) beginning Sept. 19. It is open to any eighth grader enrolled in a Catholic, private or public school, and also includes homeschooling families. The cost is $100.

Watts expects 2,000 students to participate in the prep program this year.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore is the only diocese to offer a prep course for the HSPT, Watts said. While the vast majority of participants are local, the course attracts some students from other parts of the country.

“It’s a high-quality program that’s an incredible value for families,” he said.

For more information, visit bit.ly/aobtestprep

Email George P. Matysek Jr. at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org

By the Numbers

• Students who took the archdiocesan High School Placement Test prep course last year scored 12 percentile points higher than those who didn’t
• 735 eighth graders took the archdiocesan HSPT prep course last year
• 2,000 eighth graders are expected to take the archdiocesan HSPT prep course this year

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