Cornwall Central School District

Marlboro High School Ryan Lawler, Principal Bruce Cortalano, Assistant Principal

September 2, 2016

Dear Parents,

As a part of the 10th Grade English curriculum at Marlboro High School, students are offered an excellent opportunity to improve their reading and math skills while gaining early preparation for the PSAT and SAT exams. In 10th Grade, we integrate Wilson Daily Prep as part of our curriculum. Wilson Daily Prep is an online SAT preparation program.

Although there are numerous online SAT prep programs available to students, we believe that Wilson Daily Prep is unique in that it offers a personalized approach for our students that other programs just don’t offer. The representatives from the company will come visit our students in the beginning of the year, they will come into the classrooms (upon request) to deliver SAT specific lessons throughout the year, and they will “coach” our students throughout the year. As a result of the unique approach that Wilson Daily Prep takes, we believe strongly in the effectiveness of the program when students take full advantage of the opportunities they are being offered.

In addition, one weakness that we have identified in students is that, in general, they tend to struggle with decoding difficult texts. Wilson Daily Prep offers students weekly practice with reading difficult texts and consistent exposure to higher-level vocabulary that goes beyond the 10th Grade Curriculum. This type of consistent practice will not only prepare students for what to expect on the SAT, it will also prepare them for the type of reading that they will have master for success on the Common Core ELA Regents Exam that they will take in 11th Grade. Thus, we are asking parents to help us to help our students by supporting our efforts to better prepare them for their futures, reminding them to do their Wilson Daily Preps, and encouraging them to take advantage of all of the opportunities that the program can provide.

Students will receive a homework grade every five weeks for completing their Wilson Daily Preps. The minimum requirements for students to receive full credit for this assignment are as follows:  Complete their preps every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Complete the preps in a time period that shows concerted effort.  Show periodic improvement as the year progresses.

In addition to the minimum requirements, there are several ways for students to use the resources in WDP to improve their reading and math skills while earning EXTRA CREDIT:  Students can print the reading passages out, annotate them, and submit them to their teacher every 5 weeks. *This has proven to be the most effective method for students to see marked improvement in their reading comprehension skills.  Students can complete the preps on Tuesday and Thursday in addition to the required days.  Students can email our WDP “coach” to get additional activities and lessons in areas where they are not improving.  Students can watch podcasts and online lessons.  Students can keep a “log” of Mrs. Wilson’s weekly “Tips” and submit them to their teacher.

In conclusion, we strongly believe in the effectiveness of Wilson Daily Prep, but students do need to be responsible and take the initiative in order to reap the benefits of the program. Therefore, we are asking for your help and support to ensure all students’ success.

Thank you,

Christopher DiLeo Katelin Brady Cristi Martino Nichole Saldana