“I looooove USATP! So good for the kids. My favorite feature is the 'remediation' with a click of a button. There is NO way a teacher could do that in a class of 35-40. Some teachers are afraid of 'tech,' but I am sharing how awesome it is on my site. Thank you!”
Biology teacher Andrea Buckner
When we received the above email from California Quartz Hill High School biology teacher Andrea Buckner, we broke out the champagne, gave everyone a raise, and declared every third Friday “Andrea Buckner Day.”
Well, that’s what we wanted to do. Instead we settled for a few simple (but heartfelt) high-fives, and a renewed determination to do whatever we can to meet the needs of our teachers.
As a company founded by teachers, for teachers, with a lot of teachers working for us (seriously—they make us raise our hands in meetings before speaking), it’s in our DNA to simplify the staggering amount of work teachers face daily, while maintaining excellence in student performance and outcomes.
Here’s what Ms. Buckner had to say about how we’re doing with that goal:
USATP: You’ve been using USATestprep for about a year now. How did you first learn of us?
AB: I was googling something like “NGSS online tests” and found you. I was blown away by the price.
USATP: In a good way, we hope?
AB: Let’s just say you are priced exceptionally well!
USATP: So, you were looking for California standards-aligned science assessments?
AB: Yes, but I was also looking for tools that my colleagues and I could use to teach our kids in a way equal to or better than how we currently teach, while taking some of the load off our plate. What I love about this tool is that I can make sure the kids are learning, they’re getting multiple practice attempts to ensure they understand the concept, they’re getting homework and quizzes, and I don’t have to spend every evening and weekend creating and grading all of it. It’s just right there, ready for me.
USATP: We like to say we give teachers back their Tuesday and Thursday nights.
AB: (laughing): And their weekends!
USATP: How do you find you most often use the site?
AB: Mostly for homework and other teachers can’t believe how much homework I can get my kids to do. It’s because I can set score thresholds for the assignments. My kids will keep working on the same assignments until they know the material because they want to move on, and I don’t have to stand over them and keep assigning homework over and over. I love the assignment strands for homework.
USATP: And you mentioned your love of remediation.
AB: Yes, I love your remediation tool! I use it with tests. I can hit the individual remediation button and I tell my students that if they complete the remediation—which is individualized for them—I’ll let them take the test again.
Fun Fact:
Andrea may not realize it, but she has achieved rock-star status in the inner sanctums of USATestprep. For single user accounts, such as a science course, a “healthy” amount of student logins is considered to be around 300. Andrea’s class has posted 6,672 logins. AND COUNTING.
Andrea—thank you for sharing your love of USATestprep with us, with your colleagues, and—if we can get those Friday’s declared Andrea Buckner Days—with the world.
Would you like your classroom featured on our blog? We love to brag about our users! Contact dena@usatestprep.com and we’ll get your story told!
