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Creating a Culture of College Readiness (and How MasteryPrep Can Help)

  • July 16, 2025

College readiness isn’t just about high test scores. It’s about building a school culture where students are engaged, motivated, and see a future for themselves beyond high school. And that kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built intentionally, with the right strategies, tools, and mindsets in place.

At MasteryPrep, we’ve seen firsthand how schools and districts can transform test prep from a seasonal stressor into a meaningful, motivating part of student success. It starts by shifting the mindset—from a focus on outcomes alone to an emphasis on culture, ownership, and progress.

  • Culture Drives Engagement
Engagement isn’t just about individual students—it’s also about their environment. When students see their peers investing in test prep and celebrating growth, they’re more likely to do the same.

That’s why building a college-going culture means celebrating progress, not just perfection.

“When we celebrate students who improve their ACT score by two points, rather than just those who score a 30 or higher, it creates a broader sense of achievement,” says Craig Gehring, Founder and CEO of MasteryPrep. “Because then you get a broader cross-section, and it goes across all the peer bubbles. Suddenly, the star football player is on the ACT scoreboard, and that has a totally different set of repercussions in the school to create that culture.”

These small shifts—like recognizing growth and hosting college gear days—can spark big changes in student mindsets and school morale. In Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, students who meet college-ready benchmarks on the SAT, ACT, or TSIA2 earn purple graduation cords, discounts on yearbooks, and entries into raffles for prom tickets. These visible markers of success reinforce that college readiness is something worth striving for.

“If they’re not motivated by the fact that scoring college-ready is going to keep them from taking remedial courses, then let’s motivate them with things they care about,” says Richard Couder, Director of Advanced Academics for Ysleta ISD.

5/8/2025

How Ysleta ISD Boosted College Readiness with Targeted TSIA2 Prep

Learn how Ysleta ISD dramatically improved college readiness rates—raising the percentage of students scoring college-ready from 24.5% to 28.7% in just one year—by enhancing their TSIA2 test preparation strategies.

  • 40-minute watch
  • A Growth Mindset Starts with Student Ownership
One of the clearest signs that a school is building a college-going culture? When students begin to take initiative themselves.

In Clay County, located in western North Carolina’s Appalachian region, students who once dreaded testing season are now taking ownership of their prep. A group of juniors recently approached administrators to request ACT study time during their flex period. This effort involved organizing peer study groups, inviting teachers, and driving the effort themselves.

“It was entirely student-led,” says Mary Cothren, GEAR UP Coordinator for Clay County Schools. “It’s no longer something being done to them. Students are actively participating in their own success.”

This shift doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of ongoing efforts to build confidence and engagement over time, and to make test prep feel like a tool for empowerment, not a punishment.

"When we celebrate students who improve their ACT score by two points, rather than just those who score a 30 or higher, it creates a broader sense of achievement."

Craig Gehring
Founder and CEO, MasteryPrep
  • MasteryPrep Helps Build a Culture of Readiness
MasteryPrep supports schools and districts in fostering this kind of culture through a combination of strategies:
  • Professional development that helps educators foster engagement in test prep and share simple ways to celebrate student growth
  • Customizable implementation plans that fit a school’s unique needs, including year-round programs, MasteryPrep Bell Ringers, and Boot Camps
  • Data-informed diagnostics and mastery-based curriculum that focus not just on what students need to learn, but what they’re ready to learn next

This targeted approach allows teachers to pinpoint the “non-negotiable skills” that drive college readiness and build instruction around those.

“Preparation and skill building needs to focus on the kinds of items that really move the needle,” Gehring says. “You want to find the items students are missing that they shouldn’t be—because in that zone, they’re most likely to be able to already learn. That makes the results come faster.”

And when students start seeing those results—whether it’s closing skill gaps, getting closer to college-ready benchmarks, or simply gaining confidence—momentum builds.

“I’ve never had so many kids engaged and talking to me about their scores,” says Principal Michelle Brown of Memorial High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “It was one of the few programs I’ve ever put into place that teachers and students didn’t complain about.”

Related Reading

Motivation Matters: How MasteryPrep Keeps Students Engaged in Test Prep
Why does engagement matter in test prep, and how we make it a central focus in everything we do in the build-up to test day?
READ MORE
  • Readiness Is More Than a Number
A college-going culture isn’t built solely on test scores. It’s built on:
  • Engagement: Are students excited about learning and proud of their progress?
  • Equity: Are all students—including those who struggle—getting the tools they need to succeed?
  • Ownership: Are students actively involved in their own preparation?

When schools center these values, readiness becomes more than a metric. It becomes a movement.

At MasteryPrep, we’re proud to help schools build systems that celebrate growth, empower educators, and put students on a path to college success.

Get Started with MasteryPrep Test Prep Solutions

MasteryPrep bundles provide districts and schools of all sizes with a suite of test-prep solutions and programs to be implemented throughout the school year in alignment with state standards.
Learn More

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At MasteryPrep, we believe that when educators are given clear, targeted insight into what their students need, they can close the most persistent college readiness gaps.

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August 25, 2025

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While students can improve time management in hours and test-taking strategies in days, developing content knowledge takes weeks, months, or even years of consistent instruction.

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August 18, 2025

Pizza Pi and Test Prep: How Splendora ISD Built a Culture of College Readiness

At Splendora Independent School District (ISD) in Texas, college prep doesn’t start with a scantron sheet—it starts with pizza and spaghetti.

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August 4, 2025
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ACT® is the registered trademark of ACT, Inc. Some items in MasteryPrep programs are the copyrighted content of ACT, Inc. and are reproduced with permission. SAT® is a trademark of the College Board. MasteryPrep LLC has no affiliation with College Board MasteryPrep SAT programs are not approved or endorsed by College Board. The Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2) is an ACCUPLACER® exam, which is a trademark of College Board. MasteryPrep has no affiliation with College Board or the Texas Success Initiative (TSI), and the TSIA2 Mastery program is not approved or endorsed by College Board or the TSI. WorkKeys® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc. The WorkKeys programs are not approved or endorsed by ACT, Inc.

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