FAQs – Enrichment Program

Our students write weekly, working on the core skills needed for effective written communication. Our courses are composition based, which means that we design our lessons to improve and enhance writing technique. In weekly writing assignments and subsequent revision, our instructors focus on the crucial elements of successful writing: sentence variety, grammar and usage, word choice, and organization and development.

 

Papers are corrected weekly during the school year sessions and every other day during the Summer Session. Students respond to the instructor’s corrections in a revision. It is our philosophy that the best way to improve writing is through revision.

 

No more than 12 students participate around the table for our Writing courses, Math, Science, and SAT courses.

 

We offer 3 sessions per school year. The Fall session runs from September – December and the Winter session runs from February – May.  Each session during the school year is 12 weeks long for English related courses and 14 weeks long for Math / Science courses. All courses meet one hour per week.  We offer a Summer session which means for four weeks in June and July, courses meet either Monday / Wednesday / Friday for one hour each or Tuesday / Thursday for 1.5 hours each. Our AP Boot Camp is typically offered during the month of April.

 

The Director, Joyce Wong, selects all the instructors. In an effort to bring the most talented, dedicated, and focused instruction to the MCA, she looks for people who know their subject matter, have a zest for working with talented students, enjoys teaching in a small group setting, and views the world in an optimistic way.

 

Many assignments given by both public and private school teachers call for classroom presentations. Often these assignments are group projects, in which each member of the group is responsible for part of the presentation. Usually, the grade value is significant. Most of us are uncomfortable standing up in front of a group of our peers. To disperse information, to be relaxed, to use humor — most of these tasks are difficult under the watchful eyes of a group. Our public speaking classes are small, no more than 12 students, and are taught by warm, confident teachers. Since these teachers are currently teaching in a local school, they know exactly how to coach the students to a winning presentation.

 

Our summer math and science classes are terrific! Taught in small groups of no more than 12 students, the classes focus on the subject’s content that students will be faced with in September and October. The stress of beginning the school year, with 6 different subjects, is lessened when a student starts already knowing much of the material. We use textbooks, assign relevant drill and homework, and teach students how to master the first semester of their curriculum.

 

For over 15 years, students have been choosing Mill Creek Academy for its intimate, focused SAT preparation.

Our instructors, most of whom teach at high schools in Pleasanton and Fremont, are well aware of the tremendous effort needed to prepare for such important tests. We use a number of published SAT preparation materials, as well as supplementary books and materials designed by our instructors.

In the past couple of years, more tutorial companies have moved into the area and are marketing heavily. Many of these companies are national and international franchises that hire college students and others to instruct. In most cases, the would-be client has no idea who will be teaching the class. We believe who is teaching the class is critical to what a student learns. If corporate headquarters are in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, or Boston, the reach for personal attention is long. Our corporate headquarters is here in Fremont and the owner is still teaching!

At MCA, the teachers are highly regarded and you get what you pay for. You can select the teacher for your son or daughter and read that teacher’s experience.

Finally, students enroll in our program because of our results: we consistently have over 100 or more of our students accepted to the University of California each year. All of our students who complete their homework and attend all classes improve their scores.

Each year, we have a number of students who are National Merit Finalists, all who attended Mill Creek Academy, many taking our courses, including SAT preparation.

In short, we pride ourselves in not being the Wal-Mart or Target of SAT Preparation. We see ourselves as a boutique institution. Think of this in university terms. If big SAT franchises are the University of Texas, we are Rice University. In Oregon, if the big SAT franchises are the University of Oregon, we are Reed College. In Massachusetts, if the big SAT franchises are the University of Massachusetts, we are Tufts.

We like being small and personal.