Welcome Roosevelt High School Students!

On behalf of Breakaway Test Prep, we are grateful for the opportunity to work with you this spring and look forward to helping you prepare for your upcoming April 19th ACT!

Breakaway has developed a comprehensive ACT prep program to guide you through all four sections of the ACT – English, math, reading and science – and provide you with invaluable insights about the test and how you be ready for it.

To help you make the most of your prep class, here is some important information about the class and what you can expect:

  1. Breakaway has developed a series of EIGHT ACT lessons for you to watch online at your convenience.  Each lesson is one hour in length and will include important insights about frequently tested concepts, test-taking techniques and time management strategies.
  2. You should work through the eight lessons in numerical order, as each lesson will include some homework that you will need to complete in advance of the next lesson.
  3. You have also been furnished with a “binder” of materials, including printed copies of a lesson manual and four ACT exams. Separately, you have also been provided with two “loose” ACT exams and two bubble forms.
  4. You should plan to have your binder of materials with you when you watch the videos. You will do homework and in-session practice using the tests in that binder.
  5. The loose tests and bubble forms can be used for our weekend practice tests, which I describe below.
  6. Breakaway recommends that all students take one or two of our weekend practice tests.  Breakaway runs full-length proctored live practice exams EVERY weekend and you are welcome and encouraged to join us anytime. You will take the practice test from home but log into a Zoom session through which we live provide proctoring.  Please click here to see a list of test dates and to register for a test. There is NO cost for a Roosevelt High School student to take a test with Breakaway.
  7. From our experience, we know that students do NOT like taking these tests, as, like the real ACT, they are three hours in length and require students to get up early on a Saturday or Sunday and spend the morning testing.  That said, we believe there is no better way for you to practice what you are learning in your lessons or to get your mind and body prepared for a long and stressful ACT exam.

I am pleased to introduce you to the two instructors who will lead your prep classes.  Nancy Loewen, who will lead the lessons on English and reading, is an accomplished author, who has published more than 130 books for children and young adults. Four to the Pole (co-authored with polar explorer Ann Bancroft) and The LAST Day of Kindergarten were Minnesota Book Award finalists. Nancy has also received awards from The American Library Association, the New York Public Library, and the Society of School Librarians International. Nancy earned a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Minnesota State Mankato (graduating summa cum laude) and an MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University.

For math and science, Rod Olarte will provide the instruction.  Rod is a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Biology at the University of Minnesota. Rod has a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Cell Biology and a minor in Art Practice from UC Berkeley, a master’s degree in Plant Pathology from Cornell University and a PhD in Plant Pathology from North Carolina State University. Rod has taught high school and college level courses and his teaching strategies may be custom tailored to any student’s needs.

Below, you will find the links to each of the eight lessons.

Thank you for the opportunity to help you prepare for your ACT!

Best regards,

Ron Michalak
President
Breakaway Test Prep

Breakaway’s ONLINE ACT Prep Class

  1. Breakaway ACT Prep Class – Math, Lesson One
  2. Breakaway ACT Prep Class – Math, Lesson Two
  3. Breakaway ACT Prep Class – Science, Lesson One
  4. Breakaway ACT Prep Class – Science, Lesson Two
  5. Breakaway ACT Prep Class – English, Lesson One
  6. Breakaway ACT Prep Class – English, Lesson Two
  7. Breakaway ACT Prep Class – Reading, Lesson One
  8. Breakaway ACT Prep Class – Reading, Lesson Two