In Writing class, students receive individual feedback in response to their weekly essay submissions. This feedback may present itself as comments only, referring to lessons from class; comments and a numeric grade, according to a pre-disclosed rubric; or a numeric grade only. 

In STEM class, students go over their homework answers in class with the tutor and receive verbal and practical feedback, correcting missed questions in class. Students are expected to take notes in class during this feedback and review. 

Parents will also receive feedback regarding their student’s progress and class participation via our Loudoun Test Prep messaging system on our website.

For our summer program, these messages are typically sent after students have completed their first in-class summer practice test in Week 4 (aka the “midterm”), then another one at the end of the summer portion.

For our fall program, we repeat a similar process for the fall session by sending a message after the fall midterm.

Parents will have the opportunity to respond to messages sent by the tutors via our discussion board.

We do not publish the specifics of our curriculum as it is proprietary. We have been refining it for nearly a decade and are proud of our unique approach. That said, we are happy to discuss it further with you directly. You may call us at 703-554-3602 or 703-638-0684. In addition, we will discuss course specifics at our Parent Night, which precedes the first day of class.

Our STEM Assessments are proprietary, meaning they do not leave our facility. Students’ completed tests are returned to them in class for group discussion, independent analysis, and guided review. Those tests are re-collected from the students before they leave the classroom.

Typically, students’ STEM classes begin with a review of the homework assignment due. Students are grouped together to discuss their answers. If their answers differ, students are encouraged to defend and debate their differing answers. This collaborative approach echoes how many of the Academy classes are run. Once they determine a single, unified answer, they correct their homework and/or reverse engineer their work to arrive at the unified solution. Our tutors are present during this time guiding and supervising this highly beneficial process.

A company called Insight Assessment creates this test, which is designed for college graduates and corporate hiring, not 8th graders. No official study materials are published.

We create our own diagnostic, midterm, and final STEM assessments based on years of feedback from past students and continual feedback each year. Tests are intentionally designed to be harder than the real one to stretch students’ abilities and to prepare them for anything. Students go over the questions in class only, not at home, to maintain test integrity.

No. All our classes are full, meaning we cannot add a make-up student to a class that is already at capacity. In addition, our classes are serial, in that different concepts/strategies are covered in each consecutive class.

If your student missed a Writing class, they can receive the homework assignment instructions via email, as those are sent during each Writing class. If your student missed a STEM class, they can collect any missed homework resources in the next class they attend to complete on their own time if they so choose. 

We assign questions to students from a variety of sources to ensure a wide range of exposure to different topics of questions addressed on the entrance exam. Oftentimes, the calculation portion of a homework problem is not the goal of the assignment, but rather the logic or critical thinking aspect prompting those calculations is the goal. We allow calculators on some of our assignments to equip students to focus on the necessary criteria for each question.

Similar to the Academies, the culture of our AOS/AET Prep Program focuses largely on team-based and collaborative learning exercises for the STEM portion, something practical for an in-class environment. We always encourage students to read over the notes and review feedback they have received in class. It is important to note that most if not all the learning for this course is received hands-on in the classroom.

For our Writing program, students receive detailed weekly feedback on their essays. Students should be implementing this feedback received each week.

This is a great question, and we are excited to see parents encouraging and supporting their students! The best way to prepare your student for the official testing environment is to create a quiet and distraction-free environment. On official test day, students will not have access to the internet, calculators, thesauruses, dictionaries, Grammarly, friends, or parents to help them. This is how they should be practicing answering questions and prompts during their homework assignments as well – with no external support whatsoever. We know sometimes the homework can be difficult and that students might struggle and come to you for help. Rest assured that they will get all the information and guidance they need in class when they return. It is important for the tutor to see where the student encountered difficulty, so they can accurately address your student as an individual. Encourage your students to write down their questions or their thought process for challenging assignments to give to their tutor, so we can help them improve from where they are.

(1) Pencils; (2) their LTP binder – given to them Week 1; (3) a calculator – for STEM class; (4) a Chromebook or other typing device – for Writing class; (5) an inquisitive mind!

At LTP, we prioritize an environment of respect. Respect for our students, respect for our tutors, respect for our fellow classmates, and respect for our program. 

We encourage our students to speak with kindness and without judgment. For example, we do not tolerate teasing or condescending comments among students. 

We encourage them to present themselves in an appropriate and considerate manner.

We encourage students to be respectful of everyone’s thoughts and ideas. For example, students are to raise their hands in class before asking a question or making a comment rather than speaking over the tutor or another student.

While the Academies official STEM tests and specific questions have never been released, a select few example essay prompts have been released intended for students to use for practice. Our prompts are structured the same way and inspired by insight from students who have taken the exam in the past.

At LTP, we use every tool in our toolkit to ensure that your student will be as well prepared as possible for the entrance exam. That said, it is important to understand that each student’s brain and learning/processing abilities are different. While one student may have exceptional logic/problem-solving skills, another may struggle in this area. That same student, however, may have incredible creative skills and emotional intelligence. It is important to acknowledge the gifts and challenges that your student possesses.

The short answer is “Yes.” In the Parent Meeting, we outline the course and our teaching philosophy. Attending the meeting helps us all work as a team to help your students reach their optimal success in our program. There are no make-up Parent Meetings, but if you miss this we can send you a summary per your request.