How A Florida School District Improved Graduation Rates with Khan Academy Digital SAT Prep

“The district’s high school graduation rate has risen to an all-time high of 91%. The district’s graduation rate remains above the state average, which is evidence of the district’s commitment to giving every child every chance, every day.”

– Osceola District website

The joy of graduating from high school is universal. It’s an emotional experience for all involved and a life benchmark for students and parents. No matter what a student’s next steps are, graduation provides a powerful sense of accomplishment, and graduation rates are directly related to student success after high school.

For schools that tie SAT scores to graduation and those looking to boost college-bound student achievement, a district-wide SAT prep curriculum is a proven way to elevate graduation numbers and support student success. 

Following the success of SAT prep in individual classrooms, Central Florida’s Osceola school district turned its focus to building a district-wide SAT prep curriculum featuring Khan Academy Districts’ Digital SAT Prep courses. The program has helped elevate SAT scores and increase high school graduation rates for the entire district, bringing joy to students, parents, and teachers while providing Osceola students with a stepping stone to a brighter future. 

Taking on a district-wide initiative like SAT prep for every student requires the support of teachers, principals, assistant principals, and school leaders at all levels. At Osceola, Elizabeth Hadley was the district research and evaluation specialist and worked at the classroom and district level as a driving force to implement Khan’s SAT preparation program for every high school in the district.

We sat down with Hadley to learn more about the how and why of Osceola’s partnership with Khan Academy.

Why focus on SAT prep versus state testing?

“The Osceola School District students represent 140 different countries and speak over 98 languages. More than 17,102 students (about 25 percent of the total student population) participate in the school district’s English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program.”

– Osceola District website

Florida is one of 18 states that either require the SAT for graduation or set SAT score benchmarks as an avenue for graduation. With this in mind, Osceola partnered with the College Board to offer the SAT to every student in the district. However, with a large number of students speaking Spanish or Portuguese as their primary language, taking standardized tests was a significant hurdle for students. Since graduation rates are directly related to student success after high school, Hadley looked to SAT practice as a route to improve Osceola’s graduation rate and increase the student success rate after high school. 

Osceola’s partnership with Khan Academy began with Hadley and other literacy coaches in the district simply using Khan’s free online SAT practice resources as a tool for ELA section practice to boost English language skills for ESOL students. Having worked as a classroom teacher and a literacy coach in Osceola, Hadley was familiar with student struggles, including those faced by ESOL students. She saw Khan’s free SAT prep tools as a direct way to address student needs on a personalized level. 

Hadley and several other literacy coaches in the district began integrating SAT practice on a weekly basis. The district noticed their efforts and the positive impact it was having on student success. Over the course of multiple years, SAT prep became an integral part of the Osceola curriculum in multiple high schools.

Given the positive results, the district tasked Hadley with implementing comprehensive SAT prep in every high school in the district and tracking program progress. To do so, Hadley worked with Khan Academy through their new Districts program to integrate a district-wide SAT prep curriculum featuring a dashboard and support for tracking progress on the school and student levels. 

Focusing on the SAT made sense for multiple reasons. First, there wasn’t a specific prep route for Florida’s state achievement test. Second, student success on the SAT reaches beyond graduation because the SAT also serves as a benchmark for college admission. 

Hadley saw a focus on the SAT as a path to improve student success for all students in the Osceola district, from those struggling to graduate to those looking to go to a four-year college or university.

Why Osceola chose the Khan Academy Digital SAT Prep program

According to Hadley, several things set the Khan SAT program apart and made it an easy choice for the district. 

First, Khan is the official preparation partner of the College Board. Khan Academy worked with the College Board to design practice questions, lessons, and videos to create the most robust SAT prep program available. It’s designed to help students master the 111 math skills and 41 reading and writing skills they need to know to succeed on the SAT.

As the official College Board SAT partner, the Khan SAT program is built around the new digital SAT. Khan’s program features the latest format, approach, and practice materials to support students on the new digital SAT test. 

Second, as part of the Khan Academy Districts program, the Digital SAT Prep courses include a comprehensive support network to support district-wide curriculum integration and progress tracking. Khan’s support network includes subject matter experts and a success manager to help navigate the process from implementation to progress tracking. A Khan Academy Districts partnership provides automated student rostering and record keeping, saving teachers and school leaders time. As part of a Khan Academy Districts partnership, teachers and school leaders have access to professional learning sessions to learn how best to support students. 

Finally, Khan’s Digital SAT Prep program offers students differentiated instruction and one-to-one tutoring support with the help of Khanmigo, Khan’s AI-driven tutoring partner. Khanmigo troubleshoots student stumbling blocks and provides specific, personalized guidance to build understanding that supports continued learning.

Khan’s Official Digital SAT Prep program is more than just basic SAT practice. It’s a comprehensive program with teacher, school, and district support for tracking student and district success, backed by a robust AI-driven tutoring tool. 

Osceola built a district-wide program to reach every student

Osceola chose to build SAT prep into all four years of the high school experience. According to Hadley, they set aside 30 minutes a week for each grade level, allowing each school and teacher to decide how to best accommodate their schedule. Some schools use math class to work on math-section practice and language arts time for ELA-section practice, while others apply math and ELA in the same classroom. Each school does what makes the most sense for its program and schedule.

“In Osceola, we start students on Khan Academy SAT prep in 9th grade districtwide because we also administer the PSAT to 9th graders. We have a four-year approach, in which we’re already identifying the kids who might struggle to graduate and are using it to boost Algebra I and English language skills while also using it to boost the students who are likely to be applying for four-year college programs and top-tier scholarship opportunities.”

— Elizabeth Hadley, Osceola District Research and Evaluation Specialist

Thanks to Khanmigo, teachers have the flexibility to work with small groups or individual students, and all students can work on their own with Khanmigo to get one-to-one tutoring support. Each student gets the SAT support they need with Khan Academy’s official SAT prep program.

Official Digital SAT Prep is only part of the Khan Academy Districts program

SAT prep is a common entry point to Khan Academy resources for teachers, school leaders, and students. But the SAT prep courses are just one of the many resources that Khan Academy Districts offers. As a Khan Districts partner, your school has access to all of our resources, including a dashboard that lets you track and monitor student rostering and progress.

“The teacher tools are free. You can use them for all of our courses, including the SAT prep program. On the backend, we support districts with data for every scenario where Khan Academy programs are in use. Schools work with their Khan Academy Districts success manager to implement a plan that makes sense for them.”

— Aviv Weiss, Teacher Products

Leadership in schools takes many forms 

At Osceola, leadership began with one teacher who was working to help students succeed on the SAT and graduate from high school. Elizabeth Hadley’s use of free online Khan Academy resources was rooted in her desire to support her students. Ultimately, her experience guiding students in using the Khan Academy SAT Prep program led to a district-level leadership role, which helped other teachers support their students and, most importantly, led to student success. 

As Osceola found success with Khan’s SAT prep tools, they outgrew their original DIY approach and worked with Khan for solutions to meet their needs. As a result, Osceola became one of the first school districts to partner with Khan on a districtwide level. 

Learn how your school can start using Khan’s Official Digital SAT Prep program and benefit from the full support of Khan Academy Districts.