School Subjects
All year around, Chevy Chase Prep offers school subject reviews and accelerators tailored to the needs of individuals and small groups. At the middle school level, we cover all subjects and integrated projects. At the high school level, we offer deep expertise in writing and current STEM curricula. Also, we prepare students for successful transitions from public to private schools by pairing course content coaching with preparation for school entrance exams.
We specialize in:
- English: Language use in and across the curriculum—especially in academic writing—as well as AP English Language and Composition and AP English Language and Literature
- STEM: Mathematics through AP Calculus AB/BC, and the natural sciences, including AP Chemistry + college chemistry, AP Physics, and AP Environmental Science
- Electives: History, human geography, psychology, and sociology, as well as college and university-level social sciences, depending on team members' availability
All our coaches are highly experienced distance educators. We will be pleased to facilitate distance learning for online students, test-takers, homeschoolers, and lifelong learners.
Standardized Tests
Chevy Chase Prep offers coaching for popular paper-and-pencil and online standardized admissions tests. These are the:
- HSPT for students entering several parochial high schools
- ISEE and SSAT for students entering grades 6-12 at many private schools
- PSAT 10, PSAT 11/NMSQT, and PACT for students planning to take the SAT and ACT
- SAT and ACT for applicants to U.S. colleges and universities; SAT for applicants to Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Talent Search and other talent searches
- TOEFL for non-native users of English applying to U.S. colleges and universities
- PRAXIS Core Academic Skills for applicants to teacher education programs
- GRE General Test for applicants to U.S. graduate and business schools, and to some law schools
At the middle school level, we discuss the HSPT (required by several Archdiocese of Washington schools), as well as the SSAT and ISEE (required by many private schools) to offer high school applicants' families options that fit their application plans. Students usually begin preparing for these tests in the summer after 7th grade or the fall of 8th grade. HSPT takers can only sit once for the test in late November or December; since many private schools will superscore the SSAT and ISEE, test-takers usually sit twice.
We advise high school juniors to take the PSAT 10, PSAT 11/NMSQT, and SAT, allowing sufficient time to superscore the SAT. Every summer, we coach a cohort of potential National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists/Presidential Scholar Nominees. Our early birds take their first SAT in August of junior year and the at-school PSAT 11/NMSQT in October. We pre-test to baseline performance, coach to practice control of material and test-taking strategies, and post-test to assess mastery of material and strategies.
Admissions Essays
Admissions essays enable students to hone and display their writing skills, highlight personal qualities, and demonstrate fit with particular kinds of education and courses of study. These components of applications are highly empowering. Polished writing can sway admissions officers in cases where grades, rigor of curricula, SAT scores, references, community service, and extracurriculars fail to distinguish among well-qualified candidates.
Chevy Chase Prep’s essay coach specializes in composition. She improved national high school writing assessments, read essays in competitive Ivy League admissions decisions, taught writing-intensive courses, and assisted authors in preparing publications. She truly enjoys guiding students in the writing process, from creatively brainstorming topics to crafting clear, concise, and mechanically sound prose, to fine-tuning and submitting refined work.
Placements
Chevy Chase Prep’s focus on placements begins in 9th grade. We draw attention to courses that not only fulfill requirements but also fit students’ abilities and emerging interests. We emphasize maintaining grades, preparing to take standardized tests, completing meaningful community service, demonstrating leadership skills, and attaining realistic goals. Students may need gentle reminders that U.S. colleges and universities select their students; things work the other way around in the sense that we foresee many components of competitive admissions processes: courses and rigor of curricula, grades, SAT scores, references, community service, and extracurriculars, along with essays, interviews, and “hooks.”
Chevy Chase Prep has proudly placed hundreds of U.S. and international college and university students, many of whom have earned competitive scholarships, fellowships, and mentorships. We custom-design packages that may include researching college and university lists, assessing early decision and early action choices, completing a set of applications to ranked “reach,” “match,” and “safety” schools, applying for merit-based aid, interviewing on campus, and weighing options to make informed decisions. We happily work with transfer and graduate school applicants, as well as with international applicants to U.S. schools and U.S. students hoping to study abroad.
