About our Courses
Thank you for your interest in our SAT / ACT / PSAT prep courses. The below information is provided in order to assist you in determining which of our courses are right for you.
GENERAL COURSE SUMMARIES
We are currently offering three Comprehensive Prep courses for the 2018-19 school year...a Summer/Fall course (start date of 7/15/18), a Fall/Winter course (start date of 9/15/18), and a Winter/Spring course (start date of 1/6/19). All Comprehensive Prep courses cover the same material and simultaneously prepare students for the SAT, ACT and PSAT exams. You can view and download all of our currently-available schedules on our website at http://fl.higherstandards.biz/schedulesregistration.html.
All of our Comprehensive Preparation courses have a $1295 tuition. Students will be required to have a scientific or graphing calculator and to purchase the most recent versions of two books: "The Official ACT Prep Guide" and "The Official SAT Study Guide". All regular class sessions will meet at in the conference room at the Hampton Inn at 8200 SW 70 Avenue, located behind Dadeland Station two blocks north of Dadeland Mall (near the corner of North Kendall Drive and South Dixie Highway).
COURSE RECOMMENDATIONS
First, an important note: Unlike 30 years ago, most students now take the SAT and/or ACT 2 - 4 times (sometimes more), taking advantage of the widespread use of “super-scoring”. For example, if the student takes the SAT exam in June and scores a 650 in the verbal sections and a 400 in the math section, and then that same student takes the SAT again in October and scores a 620 in the verbal section and a 640 in the math section, most schools (and scholarships such as the Florida Bright Futures scholarships) will combine the high verbal score (650) from June and the high math score (640) from October, leading to a 1290 score, which is the scoring level necessary for the highest level of the Bright Futures scholarships.
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 12th grade when they take our course, our Summer/Fall course is ideally designed. The course will prepare students for the October SAT and ACT exams, of which both should be admissible for all college deadlines, including early-admission deadlines. Some students may also choose to take the SAT in August and/or the ACT in September, but their training won't be completed until the October exam dates. Because the main curricula will be completed in the Fall, for 12th graders we strongly recommend the Summer/Fall course. Since the Fall/Winter course does not finish until the February ACT and March SAT exam dates and since the Winter/Spring course does not finish until the March SAT and April ACT exam dates, the only seniors for whom these courses may be advisable are those who are applying to colleges with application deadlines that allow for those test dates and those who are still trying to reach score levels that will make them eligible for scholarships such as the Florida Bright Futures scholarships (all tests taken during through to the end of June of one's senior year are applicable toward Bright Futures scholarships).
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 11th grade when they take our course, both our Summer/Fall and Fall/Winter courses are excellent choices because they both are consistent with our recommended test-taking attack plan. Students in 11th grade should be planning to take the PSAT at their local high school in October 2018. We are recommending that 11th grade students should also sit for at least one SAT exam and at least one ACT exam in the first half of their junior year, and one more of one or both in the second half of their junior year. While neither test is inherently more easy or more difficult than the other, some students will find, after they have taken both the SAT and ACT post-training, that they will be scoring significantly and consistently better on one test than on the other. In the second half of their junior year, students who wish to further raise their scores can continue their training toward both exams or toward the test on which they are strongest and can then retake the test(s) in the spring. If they still feel they would like to further improve their scores, they will then have the first half of their senior year to do so. If the PSAT exam date has already passed, our Winter/Spring course is also an excellent choice.
We recommend our Summer/Fall course if (a) you are available beginning in mid-July to attend classes twice a week during the summertime and once a week on the weekend once school begins, (b) you would like to have completed most of the main course curricula during the summertime (when conflicts with school are at a minimum) and the rest very early into your junior year (by mid-October) and to then take your first SAT and ACT exams in the fall, and (c) you would like to have the undergone the full training in advance of the October PSAT (since the PSAT and SAT exams are nearly identical save for the inclusion of an essay on the latter, most of your SAT training will be equally applicable to the PSAT exam). Additionally, if you scored substantially above-average on the 10th grade PSAT, we strongly encourage you to take the Summer/Fall course in order to maximize your chances of attaining scholarships (such as the National Merit Scholarship) that are based upon 11th grade PSAT performance. Note that if you must be absent for two or three classes during the summertime, this is not a problem -- you can arrange to view makeup videos of the exact classes you missed if you let us know in advance. We recommend our Fall/Winter course if (a) you would have to miss several classes of the Summer/Fall course and/or you would be enrolling in the Summer/Fall course after more than five classes have been taught, (b) you would prefer to extend your main course curricula through to the February ACT and March SAT exam dates, and/or (c) the Summer/Fall course has already reached maximum enrollment. We recommend our Winter/Spring course if (a) you have already missed more than five classes of the Fall/Winter course and (b) you can be available to meet on Wednesdays (after school) and on Sunday evenings.
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 9th or 10th grade when they take our course and who wish to get an early start on their SAT and ACT preparation, all of our Comprehensive Preparation courses will provide full training. In our opinion, you should only be considering taking our prep course this year if you are okay with taking the SAT and ACT exams immediately after the course has been completed. Read the discussion for upcoming juniors (in red, above) for further guidance regarding the three course options.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Since our courses often reach their enrollment limits in advance of their starting dates, we recommend reserving your seats as soon as you decide you would like to enroll. We accept $50 non-refundable deposits in order to secure a space in our programs. Those deposits will be applied toward the course tuition and will lock in a seat for whichever course you are selecting (deposits can be transferred to a different schedule as long as we are notified at least two weeks in advance of the start date for the course).
To guarantee a seat by reserving your space now, you can remit payment (either a $50 deposit or the full tuition) in either of two ways:
(1) Through credit card or bank withdrawal via PayPal. On our Schedules/Registration page, simply open the drop-down window beneath the course schedule you are interested in and select your preferred option.
(2) By sending a check or money order through the United States Postal Service to the following address:
Higher Standards
PO Box 161374
Miami, FL 33116-1374
Regardless of the method of payment, make sure to include a note with the payment (or in a separate e-mail to drjeff@higherstandards.biz) that provides both the student's and parents' names, contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses, as well as a note indicating the course into which you are enrolling. At the time of enrollment, please also mail or e-mail copies of all previous SAT, PSAT, ACT, PreACT and ASPIRE exams so that we have the most complete picture of the student’s scoring history...additionally, for our Summer/Fall and Fall/Winter programs, we will need this information in advance in order to place students into the best score-matched section of the course.
The balance of the course tuition will be due two-to-three weeks before the course begins (on June 30 for the Summer/Fall course, on August 30 for the Fall/Winter course, and on December 20 for the Winter/Spring course. If you are enrolling past the corresponding due date, please remit the full tuition at the time of enrollment.
If you have questions you need to first ask -- about the course, about payment, about the exams, or about anything else -- you can call Michele at 305-969-2012 and she will be happy to answer any additional questions you may have.
A few weeks before the course begins, you will receive a set of around 10 e-mails providing a lot of information (regarding course schedules, makeup videos, directions to the course location, extended time testing, test registration, payment and more). Since we communicate mainly via e-mail, make sure that your e-mail account is set to receive drjeff@higherstandards.biz as a friendly e-mail address.
Again, thank you so much for your interest in Higher Standards for your test prep. We look forward to hopefully working with your family!
Sincerely,
Dr. & Mrs. Jeff & Michele Rothkopf
GENERAL COURSE SUMMARIES
We are currently offering three Comprehensive Prep courses for the 2018-19 school year...a Summer/Fall course (start date of 7/15/18), a Fall/Winter course (start date of 9/15/18), and a Winter/Spring course (start date of 1/6/19). All Comprehensive Prep courses cover the same material and simultaneously prepare students for the SAT, ACT and PSAT exams. You can view and download all of our currently-available schedules on our website at http://fl.higherstandards.biz/schedulesregistration.html.
All of our Comprehensive Preparation courses have a $1295 tuition. Students will be required to have a scientific or graphing calculator and to purchase the most recent versions of two books: "The Official ACT Prep Guide" and "The Official SAT Study Guide". All regular class sessions will meet at in the conference room at the Hampton Inn at 8200 SW 70 Avenue, located behind Dadeland Station two blocks north of Dadeland Mall (near the corner of North Kendall Drive and South Dixie Highway).
COURSE RECOMMENDATIONS
First, an important note: Unlike 30 years ago, most students now take the SAT and/or ACT 2 - 4 times (sometimes more), taking advantage of the widespread use of “super-scoring”. For example, if the student takes the SAT exam in June and scores a 650 in the verbal sections and a 400 in the math section, and then that same student takes the SAT again in October and scores a 620 in the verbal section and a 640 in the math section, most schools (and scholarships such as the Florida Bright Futures scholarships) will combine the high verbal score (650) from June and the high math score (640) from October, leading to a 1290 score, which is the scoring level necessary for the highest level of the Bright Futures scholarships.
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 12th grade when they take our course, our Summer/Fall course is ideally designed. The course will prepare students for the October SAT and ACT exams, of which both should be admissible for all college deadlines, including early-admission deadlines. Some students may also choose to take the SAT in August and/or the ACT in September, but their training won't be completed until the October exam dates. Because the main curricula will be completed in the Fall, for 12th graders we strongly recommend the Summer/Fall course. Since the Fall/Winter course does not finish until the February ACT and March SAT exam dates and since the Winter/Spring course does not finish until the March SAT and April ACT exam dates, the only seniors for whom these courses may be advisable are those who are applying to colleges with application deadlines that allow for those test dates and those who are still trying to reach score levels that will make them eligible for scholarships such as the Florida Bright Futures scholarships (all tests taken during through to the end of June of one's senior year are applicable toward Bright Futures scholarships).
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 11th grade when they take our course, both our Summer/Fall and Fall/Winter courses are excellent choices because they both are consistent with our recommended test-taking attack plan. Students in 11th grade should be planning to take the PSAT at their local high school in October 2018. We are recommending that 11th grade students should also sit for at least one SAT exam and at least one ACT exam in the first half of their junior year, and one more of one or both in the second half of their junior year. While neither test is inherently more easy or more difficult than the other, some students will find, after they have taken both the SAT and ACT post-training, that they will be scoring significantly and consistently better on one test than on the other. In the second half of their junior year, students who wish to further raise their scores can continue their training toward both exams or toward the test on which they are strongest and can then retake the test(s) in the spring. If they still feel they would like to further improve their scores, they will then have the first half of their senior year to do so. If the PSAT exam date has already passed, our Winter/Spring course is also an excellent choice.
We recommend our Summer/Fall course if (a) you are available beginning in mid-July to attend classes twice a week during the summertime and once a week on the weekend once school begins, (b) you would like to have completed most of the main course curricula during the summertime (when conflicts with school are at a minimum) and the rest very early into your junior year (by mid-October) and to then take your first SAT and ACT exams in the fall, and (c) you would like to have the undergone the full training in advance of the October PSAT (since the PSAT and SAT exams are nearly identical save for the inclusion of an essay on the latter, most of your SAT training will be equally applicable to the PSAT exam). Additionally, if you scored substantially above-average on the 10th grade PSAT, we strongly encourage you to take the Summer/Fall course in order to maximize your chances of attaining scholarships (such as the National Merit Scholarship) that are based upon 11th grade PSAT performance. Note that if you must be absent for two or three classes during the summertime, this is not a problem -- you can arrange to view makeup videos of the exact classes you missed if you let us know in advance. We recommend our Fall/Winter course if (a) you would have to miss several classes of the Summer/Fall course and/or you would be enrolling in the Summer/Fall course after more than five classes have been taught, (b) you would prefer to extend your main course curricula through to the February ACT and March SAT exam dates, and/or (c) the Summer/Fall course has already reached maximum enrollment. We recommend our Winter/Spring course if (a) you have already missed more than five classes of the Fall/Winter course and (b) you can be available to meet on Wednesdays (after school) and on Sunday evenings.
For students who will be in, or about to enter, 9th or 10th grade when they take our course and who wish to get an early start on their SAT and ACT preparation, all of our Comprehensive Preparation courses will provide full training. In our opinion, you should only be considering taking our prep course this year if you are okay with taking the SAT and ACT exams immediately after the course has been completed. Read the discussion for upcoming juniors (in red, above) for further guidance regarding the three course options.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Since our courses often reach their enrollment limits in advance of their starting dates, we recommend reserving your seats as soon as you decide you would like to enroll. We accept $50 non-refundable deposits in order to secure a space in our programs. Those deposits will be applied toward the course tuition and will lock in a seat for whichever course you are selecting (deposits can be transferred to a different schedule as long as we are notified at least two weeks in advance of the start date for the course).
To guarantee a seat by reserving your space now, you can remit payment (either a $50 deposit or the full tuition) in either of two ways:
(1) Through credit card or bank withdrawal via PayPal. On our Schedules/Registration page, simply open the drop-down window beneath the course schedule you are interested in and select your preferred option.
(2) By sending a check or money order through the United States Postal Service to the following address:
Higher Standards
PO Box 161374
Miami, FL 33116-1374
Regardless of the method of payment, make sure to include a note with the payment (or in a separate e-mail to drjeff@higherstandards.biz) that provides both the student's and parents' names, contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses, as well as a note indicating the course into which you are enrolling. At the time of enrollment, please also mail or e-mail copies of all previous SAT, PSAT, ACT, PreACT and ASPIRE exams so that we have the most complete picture of the student’s scoring history...additionally, for our Summer/Fall and Fall/Winter programs, we will need this information in advance in order to place students into the best score-matched section of the course.
The balance of the course tuition will be due two-to-three weeks before the course begins (on June 30 for the Summer/Fall course, on August 30 for the Fall/Winter course, and on December 20 for the Winter/Spring course. If you are enrolling past the corresponding due date, please remit the full tuition at the time of enrollment.
If you have questions you need to first ask -- about the course, about payment, about the exams, or about anything else -- you can call Michele at 305-969-2012 and she will be happy to answer any additional questions you may have.
A few weeks before the course begins, you will receive a set of around 10 e-mails providing a lot of information (regarding course schedules, makeup videos, directions to the course location, extended time testing, test registration, payment and more). Since we communicate mainly via e-mail, make sure that your e-mail account is set to receive drjeff@higherstandards.biz as a friendly e-mail address.
Again, thank you so much for your interest in Higher Standards for your test prep. We look forward to hopefully working with your family!
Sincerely,
Dr. & Mrs. Jeff & Michele Rothkopf