Two computerized SAT coaching programs showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores (McClain, 1999)¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesisr2·q3·i0negligible
Currency · newest study 2016 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i0 In a randomized controlled trial of 60 high school seniors, students who received one of two computerized SAT coaching programs (Stanford Study Guide or Davidson's Your Personal Trainer) did not differ statistically significantly from no-coaching comparison students (domain average effect size -0.04, improvement index -2). → ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs 2016
Evidence¶
ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs 2016¶
ACT/SAT Test Preparation and Coaching Programs. (2016). What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/664
q3 · i0 · quant-synthesis · r2
RCT in a suburban Maryland high school where students spent 26 hours over 9 weeks with one of two computerized coaching programs versus no test preparation. The WWC reports the domain average effect size as -0.04, improvement index -2, not statistically significant; individual contrasts were -0.08 (-3, p .79) and -0.00 (0, p .99).
"Domain average for general academic achievement (high school) (McClain, 1999) –0.04 –2 Not statistically significant"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- ACT/SAT test preparation and coaching programs have positive effects on general academic achievement (high school), based on six studies averaging a +9 improvement index — a broader claim this one bears on
- A 6-week computerized Latin and Greek root-word program improved SAT verbal scores (Holmes & Keffer, 1995; effect size 0.49) — related
- Commercial SAT preparation courses showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores in a national propensity-score-matched sample (Domingue & Briggs, 2009) — related
- A school SAT preparation course improved SAT scores at one Texas school (Filizola, 2008; domain average effect size 0.28), driven by the mathematics subtest — related
- Self-reported test preparation showed no significant difference in ACT composite scores in a national sample (Scholes & Lain, 1997, Experiment 2) — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
computerized-sat-coaching-no-effect-mcclain |
title |
Two computerized SAT coaching programs showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores (McClain, 1999) |
description |
Two computerized SAT coaching programs showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores (McClain, 1999) |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2016 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-09 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — actsat-test-preparation-and-coaching-programs-2016 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.