RIDE Launches Partnership with Khan Academy to Support SAT Preparation, Student Success in Rhode Island High Schools

Published on Thursday, December 05, 2024

PROVIDENCE, RI – Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) today announced a new partnership with Khan Academy, offering a no-cost opportunity to all local education agencies (LEAs) across Rhode Island to enhance SAT preparation and student success through the integration of Khan Academy Districts and Khanmigo tools. The pilot program will be available for the remainder of the 2024-2025 school year and the full 2025-2026 school year, and will provide districts with access to impactful resources that support college and career readiness and broader learning outcomes in their high schools. 

"RIDE’s partnership with Khan Academy aligns with our MathMattersRI initiative to boost math skills statewide and is another step toward ensuring that every Rhode Island student has access to the tools they need to succeed,” said Governor Dan McKee. “By leveraging innovative, data-driven resources like Khan Academy Districts and Khanmigo, we are accelerating progress toward our goal of meeting Massachusetts' student performance levels by 2030. This is about giving our students every opportunity to thrive and building a stronger future for Rhode Island."

“Rhode Island is proud to lead the way in providing innovative, high-quality resources for students to achieve their full potential,” said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “Our partnership with Khan Academy will help schools and districts equip students with essential tools for academic success and prepare them for the future whether college or career. This work aligns with our broader mission to ensure all students, no matter their zip code, have access to the academic resources they need to thrive.”

Khan Academy Districts complements Khan Academy’s free resources by providing LEAs school-level implementation plans to support schools in monitoring student progress, growth, and academic strengths and weaknesses to support targeted improvement. Participating LEAs will receive access to Khanmigo, an innovative AI tool designed to act as a teaching assistant for educators and a study buddy for students, and to all Khan Academy content, which includes math and financial literacy support, content for English Language Arts (ELA), multilingual learners, digital SAT, AP test prep, and more. 

"We are proud to partner with the Rhode Island Department of Education to provide Rhode Island students and teachers with Official SAT preparation resources designed in collaboration with College Board,” said Khan Academy founder Sal Khan. “By equipping students with these tools, we’re opening doors to higher education and future career opportunities." 

“College Board has long partnered with Khan Academy to provide free resources to the students and educators to boost both performance and instruction,” said Priscilla Rodriguez, senior vice president for the SAT Suite at College Board. “RIDE continues in that effort by making sure that all students have the resources they need to succeed.” 

As of March 2024, the College Board transitioned fully to a digital SAT Suite of Assessments, offering adaptive tests tailored to each student’s performance. While maintaining its focus on reading, writing, and mathematics, the digital SAT now employs a scoring methodology used in national assessments like NAEP and state exams. These updates, along with the introduction of a new test format and item types, have established a new baseline for results in Rhode Island and around the nation. Learn more about the SAT/PSAT in RIDE’s assessment results press release.

LEAs must opt in to Khan Academy Districts by January 15, 2025 for the 2024-2025 school year and June 30, 2025 for implementation in the fall. RIDE, Khan Academy, and the College Board will hold informational webinars for LEAs December 11-13, 2024. School and district leaders can register here. Contract request forms can be found here. LEA leaders may reach out to Melissa.Kusinitz@ride.ri.gov with questions. 

About Khan Academy

Khan Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Khan Academy is piloting an AI guide called Khanmigo that is a tutor and teaching assistant. Khanmigo is designed for the classroom and integrated into Khan Academy’s award-winning platform of more than 70,000 practice problems, videos and articles. School districts across the country use Khan Academy’s district offerings—Khan Academy Districts and Khan Academy Kids—to support teachers and students. Worldwide, more than 170 million registered learners have used Khan Academy in 190 countries and more than 50 languages. For more information, please see research findings about Khan Academy and our press center.

About College Board

College Board reaches more than 7 million students a year, helping them navigate the path from high school to college and career. Our not-for-profit membership organization was founded more than 120 years ago and pioneered programs like the SAT® and AP® to expand opportunities for students and help them develop the skills they need. Its BigFuture® program helps students plan for college, pay for college, and explore careers.

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