High school is a steppingstone to college and includes some of the most critical years in a student’s academic career. With careful planning and preparation, your child’s high school career can set them up for success in college and beyond. Academic coaching is just one way that parents can help their teens succeed before graduation.
At Excel High School, we want to give our students every opportunity to reach their academic goals. We are proud to introduce our Success Coach Pro program. First, let’s take a closer look at what academic coaching is and why students may want to use it.
What is Academic Coaching?
An academic coach is similar to a business, life, or sports coach. Their job is to ensure that you’re staying on track and working towards your goals. Simply put, they are there to help you succeed with your education, preparing you for college and beyond.
Academic coaches can help with several things, including:
- Time management,
- Course selection and planning,
- Resources related to study skills, and
- Resources related to planning for and studying for exams.
Coaches provide personalized support for academic progress and student success while also serving as a general resource to help students transition into an online learning environment.
Why Would a Student Need an Academic Coach?
There are many scenarios in which an academic coach can be helpful.
Difficulty Transitioning to Online Learning
The virtual classroom is very different from the in-person classroom. As a result, many students have difficulty transitioning to an online learning environment. Yes, students have more freedom and flexibility, but the loss of a scheduled, structured environment can also make it harder to stay on track.
An academic coach can help students:
- Create schedules,
- Improve their time management skills,
- Stay accountable by checking in on their progress, and
- Stay motivated to continue studying and learning.
When both parents are working outside of the home or feel a bit lost about how to motivate their adolescent student, a coach can step in and ensure that students are keeping up with their work. Their help can give parents peace of mind and provide students with the tools they need to succeed.
Course Planning for Success
Success requires preparation and planning. When students already have a career goal in mind, an academic coach can help them find and choose the best courses to support their plans after high school and their future careers. Strategic course planning can help students get an early start on their skill development and help them explore their desired career before committing to a major in college.
For course planning, it’s most helpful to work with a coach right before the start of the year when you are choosing your courses or at the end of the last semester to prepare for the following year. Regardless of what time of year you decide to schedule with your coach to plan for your upcoming courses, this is an essential step toward ensuring that you are prepared for life after high school, including trade schools, the military, and college admittance.
Juniors and seniors can also benefit from having an academic coach. Coaches can help them plan for college and will walk them through the admission process to make the transition as smooth and stress-free as possible.
Exam Preparation
Studying for course exams and the SATs/ACTs can be stressful and overwhelming. However, an academic coach can help students prepare for exams by:
- Providing resources to help them develop study skills,
- Helping them improve their note-taking skills, and
- Motivating students,
- Targeting areas for improvement in their coursework.
Additionally, a coach can help students learn essential stress management skills and how to manage their schedules to avoid burnout. Exam preparation doesn’t have to be stressful. Coaches can help students develop the right tools and strategies to maintain a healthy study/life balance.
Staying on Track with Assignments and Coursework
One of the biggest challenges that high school students face is staying on track. Today’s students are bombarded with distractions, whether it’s television, smartphones, video games, or friends. In an online learning environment, avoiding these distractions can be even more difficult.
Coaches can hold students accountable and ensure they’re staying on top of their assignments. Additionally, they can provide help and support when students struggle to grasp concepts or fall behind on assignments. Improving study and note-taking skills can go a long way in improving student outcomes.
Grade Improvements
One of the primary reasons why students turn to academic coaches is to improve their grades. By enrolling your student in Success Coach Pro, you give your student access to a coach who can help students develop strategies for studying, focusing, and staying organized. They can also help students overcome test anxiety or learn how to take tests more effectively.
A coach’s job is to give the student the tools they need to succeed on their own. Improving study skills can help students bring up their grades and improve their overall performance.
Lacking Confidence and Organization
Some students lack confidence in their ability to succeed. Many also struggle to stay organized and manage their workload.
Coaches can help students build confidence by teaching them practical strategies for course management, test-taking, and studying. Additionally, they can help students implement better organizational systems to ensure that their work is completed on time. Although parents are a student’s number one motivator, sometimes having someone else in a student’s corner helping, guiding, and cheering them on can make a world of difference.
Excel High School’s Enhanced Success Coach Program
Students need help and support to succeed throughout their academic careers, but support is especially important during high school.
Excel provides a convenient and flexible high school learning platform, and we also provide students with the tools they need to succeed. Our Success Coach program is just one of those tools.
Our program can help students:
- Through the orientation process,
- Schedule courses,
- Prepare resources for standardized test (SAT/ACT) preparation and testing,
- Create a graduation plan,
- Develop and improve study skills,
- Learn vital time management skills to keep on top of assignments, and
- Through the college admissions process.
Our coaches also keep an open line of communication between students, parents, and instructors to ensure everyone is working to help students succeed. Zoom meetings by request and contacts with students and parents ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Our enhanced Success Coach program helps students develop several vital skills that they will use in high school, college, and in their professional careers, including goal setting, organization, time management and maintaining a healthy academic/life balance. Enrolling your student in Success Coach Pro can be a positive first step in ensuring your student’s academic success.
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