A 6-week computerized Latin and Greek root-word program improved SAT verbal scores (Holmes & Keffer, 1995; effect size 0.49)¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3·i2medium
Currency · newest study 2016 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
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This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i2 In a randomized controlled trial of 70 students, intervention students scored statistically significantly higher than comparison students on the verbal portion of the SAT (effect size 0.49, improvement index +19). → 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 · i2 · causal · r2
Randomized controlled trial at a rural Georgia high school in which intervention students received two 45-minute computer sessions per week for 6 weeks matching root words to definitions and derivatives. The WWC table row reports intervention mean 402.94 (SD 88.44) versus comparison 361.39 (SD 81.00), mean difference 41.55, effect size 0.49, improvement index +19, p .03 — a statistically significant positive effect.
"SAT Verbal High school students 70 402.94 (88.44) 361.39 (81.00) 41.55 0.49 +19 .03"
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
- Two computerized SAT coaching programs showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores (McClain, 1999) — related
- Embedding test-taking strategies and ACT practice items in algebra improved practice ACT mathematics scores (McMann, 1994; effect size 0.34) — 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
- Commercial SAT preparation courses showed no statistically significant effect on SAT scores in a national propensity-score-matched sample (Domingue & Briggs, 2009) — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
root-word-computer-program-improves-sat-verbal-holmes-keffer |
title |
A 6-week computerized Latin and Greek root-word program improved SAT verbal scores (Holmes & Keffer, 1995; effect size 0.49) |
description |
A 6-week computerized Latin and Greek root-word program improved SAT verbal scores (Holmes & Keffer, 1995; effect size 0.49) |
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 |
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