RGIII foundation initiative may boost student test scores
By WENDY SLEDD
Special to Leader-Press
It is always gratifying to see people you know reach the top in their professions. What makes them great both in their professions and their personal lives is when they remember how they got to where they are. Robert Griffin III is remembering his roots through his foundation, Family of 3.
Griffin’s foundation recently partnered with Copperas Cove Independent School District to offer a free SAT prep program from Education Online Learning. CCISD Director of Career and College Readiness Russell Porterfield said the learning tool is being implemented in English Language Arts IV and Pre-Calculus classes. The funding source is Family of 3, the RGIII foundation.
“Teachers are committed to working with students for at least four 30-minute sessions during the fall semester utilizing this program,” Porterfield said. “Currently, the plan is to utilize the program mostly with seniors this fall because of the SAT redesign, which goes into effect in March. The PSAT is coming up quickly in October is also a part of the redesign.”
The creator of the SAT prep program is John Leddo. If students demonstrate their work while using the program, he has built in artificial intelligence that will help students identify their specific errors based on the work they show when they are struggling with a problem, Porterfield said.
Griffin’s Foundation, Family of 3, has partnered with many organizations including Boys and Girls Club, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (military families), Bob Woodruff Foundation (veterans) and Waco Family Abuse Center.
“The Family of 3 is an initiative that truly comes from my heart, and with the help of our members, I’m excited about the difference we can make in people’s lives,” Griffin said on the foundation’s website. “With this foundation, I want people to understand that their dreams aren’t out of reach, and that anything is possible.
“As a collective Family, we will strive to create meaningful networks for people in our everyday lives by providing them with access to the tools and resources necessary to reach their fullest potential. Most importantly, we want to provide hope, support and opportunity to all and be that extra push people need in order to realize and catch their dreams.”
CCISD began using the SAT prep program this week and Porterfield said the educational tool has already boosted confidence levels.
“Every student I spoke with was very appreciative and thankful to have the opportunity to use the program. One student in particular said that he was very excited to use Education Online Learning because he needs to improve his SAT score and the problems were so similar to the SAT that he felt confident this would help him do it.”
More information about the SAT prep tool is available at http://eollearning.com/. Information on the Robert Griffin, III’s foundation is available at www.familyof3.org.