Overview and Program Mission
The Saturday Academy, established in 1989, prepares Newark and Irvington high school juniors for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The Saturday Academy is a two -semester program that begins in the spring of the junior year meeting for eleven weeks and continuing for seven additional weeks in the fall of the senior year culminating with the June and November SAT. The program is designed to strengthen skills in English, mathematics and reading comprehension. The curriculum consists of building vocabulary, improving reading comprehension, developing writing and mathematics analysis skills. Instruction is designed to teach content, reduce academic deficiencies, develop self-confidence and assist students to become familiar with the test's language structure. The program provides hands on sessions for understanding the financial aid and the admissions process. Individual and group academic counseling is also provided to the students.

Program Components
      • Instruction
             Mathematics
             English/Critical Thinking
      • Testing
      • Career Orientation
              College Advisors
              College Campus visits
              Financial Aid Workshops
      • Academic Counseling
              Group and Individual
      • Parent/Guardian Seminars
              College choice
              Financial Aid
      • Evaluation
              Pretest and Actual SAT assessment
              Research Surveys

Institute for Critical Thinking
The Saturday Academy program was expanded from two (2) semesters to four (4) and thus included for the first time sophomores from Newark and Irvington high schools, who became part of the Institute for Critical Thinking.

The purpose of the Institute is to engage students in higher order thinking; in addition, the Institute seeks to assist sophomores in lessening test anxiety and preparing them to enter Saturday Academy in their junior year. The curriculum of this program is developed to familiarize students with analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of verbal exercises and mathematical functions. The students have the opportunity to gain confidence in their ability to master higher order thinking levels demanded both by the Scholastic Aptitude Test and by college academic curricula.

Program Components
       • Language Arts
              Students work with verbal exercises to enhance their skills in:
                     ٠ differentiating between fact and opinion
                     ٠ examining assumptions made in reading
                     ٠ being aware of fallacious argument, ambiguity, and manipulating reasoning
                     ٠ staying focused on an entire reading while examining specifics
       • Mathematics/Science
              Students work with problem-based learning activities

Contact Person
Jeanne Giaimis - Coordinator
Institute for Pre-College Education and Community Outreach
Bradley Hall, Room 109
973-353-3557