UpScore

UpScore aims to solve the problem of inequitable access to high-quality ACT test prep and college readiness training, particularly for underserved students. The scale of this problem is significant, with 1.3 million students taking the ACT annually, and fewer than 1 in 4 meeting all ACT benchmarks. This lack of readiness can lead to the need for remedial college courses, limiting degree and career opportunities, especially in STEM fields.

Factors contributing to this problem include limited access to effective and affordable test prep, which disproportionately affects disadvantaged students. UpScore's solution addresses this by providing a comprehensive e-learning platform that utilizes adaptive learning and customizable analytics. This platform offers personalized learning plans, practice tests, and feedback to improve college readiness skills and maximize ACT scores. By partnering with schools and educational programs, UpScore aims to level the playing field for underserved learners, improving their access to college and career opportunities.

Student Account Demo -  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jEdJv78B_5y5J3SUk0sGfjPmn4fW3qIt/view?usp=drive_link

School Account Demo - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D-knEdIOxXGK3WRAGV5xHHBx9o-WAMH1/view?usp=drive_link

UpScore is an e-learning platform designed to provide equitable and inclusive high-quality ACT test prep and college readiness training for all students. It utilizes personalized adaptive learning, and customizable analytics to help students improve their skills in English, math, reading, science, and writing, specifically to pursue STEM careers.

Here's how it works:

1. Personalized Learning Plans: Students start with a diagnostic test that creates an individualized learning plan focusing on areas where they need improvement.
2. Comprehensive Course: The platform offers five full-length ACT practice tests, with each question tagged to a college readiness skill. It also provides 81 college readiness skills presented as written lessons, videos, and quizzes to engage different learning styles.
3. Adaptive Learning: UpScore adapts to each student's social-emotional, cognitive, and personal characteristics and learning styles. It focuses on the content students need to know, maximizing their improvement in the shortest time.
4. Analytical Tools: UpScore provides detailed and filterable analytical reports for students, schools, and programs. It offers adaptive teaching suggestions based on student performance, helping educators identify and close achievement gaps.

UpScore's approach is unique in that it provides a universal and equitable approach to test prep and college readiness, benefiting students, schools, and educational programs. Through its innovative use of technology, UpScore aims to level the playing field for underserved learners, helping them achieve their college and career goals.

UpScore's solution serves underserved students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are seeking to improve their ACT scores and enhance their college readiness skills. This population includes students who may not have access to effective and affordable test prep resources, limiting their opportunities for success in higher education and beyond.

Currently, these students are underserved due to a lack of access to quality ACT test prep, which can hinder their ability to achieve competitive scores and pursue their desired college and career paths. Many of these students also face economic and educational barriers that make it challenging for them to access resources that could help them improve their ACT scores and overall college readiness.

UpScore addresses the needs of these students by providing a comprehensive e-learning platform that offers personalized learning plans, practice tests, and feedback tailored to their individual needs. By utilizing personalized adaptive learning, and customizable analytics, UpScore ensures that each student receives the support they need to succeed in the ACT and beyond.

By improving their ACT scores and college readiness skills, UpScore's solution will have a direct and meaningful impact on the lives of these students. It will increase their chances of gaining admission to colleges and universities, opening up new opportunities for higher education and future career advancement. Additionally, by focusing on STEM careers, UpScore aims to help students enter fields that are often high-paying and in high demand, further improving their long-term prospects and economic opportunities. Overall, UpScore's solution has the potential to transform the lives of underserved students, providing them with the tools and support they need to achieve their academic and career goals.

The UpScore team is uniquely positioned to deliver our solution to the target population of underserved students seeking to improve their ACT scores and college readiness skills. Our team leader, Dr. Kyle Mann, grew up and currently resides in a rural Kentucky Appalachian town, giving him a deep understanding of the challenges faced by students in underserved communities. As a dentist, Dr. Mann has mentored numerous underserved students seeking to pursue STEM careers, further solidifying his connection to the community.

Additionally, Brenda Mann, a retired educator and administrator with 34 years of experience, brings a wealth of knowledge about educational systems and challenges faced by underserved students. Her extensive network of educational professionals provides valuable insights into the needs of the community.

The design and implementation of UpScore's solution are guided by input from the communities we serve. We are committed to engaging in customer discovery to ensure that our solution meets the needs of all stakeholders. By working closely with educators, administrators, and students, we are able to tailor our platform to address the specific challenges faced by underserved students.

Overall, our team's deep roots in underserved communities, coupled with our commitment to community engagement and feedback, uniquely position us to deliver a solution that will meaningfully impact the lives of underserved students seeking to improve their college readiness skills.

We have selected the pilot phase because we are currently working with  individual students and Cumberland County High School in rural and economically distressed Appalachia Kentucky to evaluate the effectiveness of our program. Through this pilot, we are testing our e-learning platform with a group of underserved learners over a five-month period. This pilot is allowing us to gather valuable feedback from students, teachers, and education administrators to make further improvements to our platform. We are also in discussions with the National Rural Education Association to conduct additional pilot studies in other rural locations.

During the pilot phase, we are focusing on providing personalized learning plans, practice tests, and feedback to students, as well as utilizing personalized adaptive learning, and customizable analytics to enhance their learning experience. By working closely with Cumberland County High School, we aim to demonstrate the effectiveness of our solution at increasing college readiness among underserved and disadvantaged students.

While we are still in the early stages of our pilot, we have already made significant progress in implementing our solution and gathering feedback from stakeholders. We believe that this pilot will provide valuable insights that will help us refine our platform and prepare for a wider rollout to benefit more underserved students in the future.

We are applying because we believe that our solution aligns closely with the core values and mission of the initiative. Like the initiative, we are optimistic that complex challenges, such as the lack of equitable access to high-quality ACT test prep and college readiness training, can be addressed with the right approach. We also share the belief in the power of partnership, recognizing that no one organization can tackle these challenges alone.

Our solution embodies the principles of open innovation and human-centered design. We believe that talent and ingenuity exist everywhere, and our platform is designed to address the specific needs of underserved students, involving them in the design and implementation process. Additionally, our use of technology is guided by the principle of inclusive technology, ensuring that economic, cultural, and social barriers are addressed to create opportunities for all students.

We are excited about the opportunity to join the community of innovators and partners who are working towards a more sustainable and equitable future for all. We believe that with support, we can scale our impact and drive lasting change in the lives of underserved students across the country. We are particularly interested in finding mentors who can help us further refine and scale our solution for maximum social impact, and we believe that the network can provide the guidance and support we need to achieve our goals.

UpScore's solution is innovative in several key ways. First, it utilizes personalized, adaptive learning, and customizable analytics to provide personalized and effective ACT test prep and college readiness training. This approach allows us to tailor the learning experience to each student's individual needs, maximizing their chances of success on the ACT and in college.

Second, UpScore's focus on underserved students sets it apart from traditional test prep programs. By targeting students who may not have access to effective and affordable test prep resources, UpScore is addressing a critical gap in the education system and leveling the playing field for all students, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status.

Third, UpScore's emphasis on STEM careers and skills is forward-thinking and aligns with the growing demand for workers in these fields. By preparing students for STEM careers, UpScore is not only helping individual students succeed but also contributing to a more competitive and innovative workforce.

Finally, UpScore's use of data analytics and feedback loops is a significant innovation in the test prep industry. By providing detailed analytics and feedback to students, teachers, and administrators, UpScore is not only improving individual student outcomes but also catalyzing broader positive impacts by informing teaching practices and curriculum development.

Overall, UpScore's innovative approach has the potential to change the market and landscape of ACT test prep and college readiness training. By demonstrating the effectiveness of personalized, data-driven learning, UpScore could inspire other organizations in this space to adopt similar approaches, leading to a more equitable and effective education system for all students.

UpScore's theory of change is based on the belief that providing equitable access to high-quality ACT test prep and college readiness training will lead to improved college readiness and increased opportunities for underserved students.

Our activities include developing and implementing our e-learning platform, which utilizes personalized, adaptive learning, and customizable analytics to personalize the learning experience for each student. We also work closely with schools and educational programs to pilot and refine our platform, ensuring that it meets the needs of our target population.

The immediate outputs of our activities include personalized learning plans, practice tests, and feedback for students, as well as analytical and user-specific dashboards for teachers and administrators. These outputs are designed to improve students' ACT scores and college readiness skills in the short term.

In the longer term, we expect these improvements to lead to increased college enrollment and success for underserved students. By providing them with the skills and resources they need to excel in college, we believe that UpScore can help level the playing field for underserved students and increase their opportunities for success in college and beyond.

Our theory of change is supported by research on the impact of personalized learning and targeted test prep on student outcomes. Studies have shown that personalized learning can lead to improved academic performance and higher levels of engagement among students. Additionally, research has shown that targeted test prep can improve students' scores on standardized tests like the ACT.

Overall, we expect UpScore's solution to have a significant impact on the problem of inequitable access to high-quality ACT test prep and college readiness training. By providing personalized, data-driven learning experiences, we believe that UpScore can help underserved students improve their ACT scores, increase their college readiness skills, and ultimately achieve their college and career goals.

Our impact goals for UpScore are centered around improving college readiness and increasing college enrollment and success rates among underserved students. Specifically, we aim to:

1. Increase the percentage of underserved students meeting ACT college readiness benchmarks by 25% within one year of using UpScore's platform. These benchmarks represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher, or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher, in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses.

2. Increase the percentage of underserved students enrolling in college by 15% within two years of using UpScore's platform.

3. Increase the percentage of underserved students persisting through their first year of college by 10% within two years of using UpScore's platform.

To measure our progress towards these goals, we are tracking several key indicators, including:

1. The percentage of students meeting ACT college readiness benchmarks in English, math, reading, science, and writing before and after using UpScore's platform.

2. The percentage of students enrolling in college within one year of high school graduation before and after using UpScore's platform.

3. The percentage of students persisting through their first year of college before and after using UpScore's platform.

Additionally, we are collecting data on student engagement with the platform, including the number of hours spent on the platform, completion rates for practice tests and college readiness lessons, and student satisfaction surveys. This data will help us assess the effectiveness of UpScore's platform and make any necessary adjustments to improve its impact on underserved students.

UpScore is powered by a MERN stack website design, and is accessible on any device, including mobile phones. The MERN stack consists of four technologies: MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js.

• MongoDB: A NoSQL database that stores data in a flexible, JSON-like format, making it ideal for storing large amounts of data.
• Express.js: A web application framework for Node.js that provides a robust set of features for web and mobile applications.
• React.js: A JavaScript library for building user interfaces, allowing for the creation of interactive and dynamic user experiences.
• Node.js: A JavaScript runtime environment that allows developers to run JavaScript on the server side, enabling the creation of scalable and high-performance web applications.

This technology stack enables UpScore to deliver a responsive and user-friendly experience, crucial for engaging students and educators in the learning process. By leveraging these technologies, UpScore ensures that its platform is modern, efficient, and capable of meeting the diverse needs of its users. This technology stack also ensures that UpScore is highly adaptable and scalable in the future. 

1 full-time and 1 part-time employee currently but around 30 independent contractors have been utilized for content and website creation over the past 5 years. 

5 years 

UpScore is dedicated to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team environment. Our leadership team has been represented by a range of global experts from diverse backgrounds, including rural Appalachia residents, educators, healthcare professionals, and technology experts, ensuring a breadth of perspectives in our decision-making processes. We prioritize creating an inclusive workplace where all team members feel welcomed, respected, and valued. We actively promote equity in opportunity, providing professional growth and advancement avenues for everyone on the team. Upholding diversity goals, we regularly assess our recruitment and retention practices to ensure they are inclusive and free from bias. Furthermore, we engage with our local community and stakeholders to gather diverse perspectives and feedback, ensuring our solutions are relevant and inclusive for all students. We also seek to provide our developed resources with a diverse community so our solution is highly inclusive. Through these efforts, UpScore aims to create an innovative and impactful solution that meets the needs of a diverse range of learners.

UpScore's business model focuses on providing high-quality, equitable ACT test preparation and college readiness training to underserved students. Our key customers are schools, educational programs, and students to improve their ACT scores and college readiness. We offer a comprehensive online platform that utilizes adaptive learning, and customizable analytics to create personalized learning plans for students. Our platform includes five full-length ACT practice tests, lessons covering eighty-one college readiness skills, and detailed feedback for each student. Schools and programs benefit from analytical dashboards tailored for administrators, teachers, and students, enabling them to monitor student progress and identify areas for improvement. Students benefit from a personalized learning experience that maximizes their ACT scores in the shortest amount of time. The need for our services is driven by the lack of access to effective and affordable ACT test prep, especially for disadvantaged students. Through our platform, we aim to level the playing field for underserved learners and improve their chances of success in college and beyond.

UpScore plans to become financially sustainable through a combination of revenue streams, including selling products and services, service contracts to educational institutions, and potentially raising investment capital. We will generate revenue by offering our online platform and ACT test preparation services to schools and educational programs on a subscription basis. Additionally, we plan to explore partnerships with government agencies and nonprofits that support education to provide our services to underserved communities.

To date, we have successfully secured grants and funding to support the development and pilot testing of our platform. For example, we have received grants from Shaping Our Appalachian Future to conduct research, develop our platform, and pilot our services with schools and students. We also have been made an offer from the venture capital firm Keyhorse Capital. We have also generated revenue through early partnerships with schools and educational programs that have subscribed to our platform. These early successes demonstrate the market demand for our services and provide evidence of our potential for financial sustainability in the long term.