The stay-at-home order for the state of Kansas expired on May 3rd, 2020 . Johnson County, Kansas had extended its stay-at-home order through May 11th, 2020. While the county and state progressed through the four phases for reopening, Get Smarter Prep has:
- Hosted tutoring sessions and classes virtually via GoToMeeting. Each Tutor will send invites directly to their students
- Virtually proctored at-home practice tests, both for incoming students as well as for our currently enrolled students
As of May 11th, 2020, we have transitioned back to in-person classes for the large majority of our students. As a part of the safety precautions, we will:
- Disinfect all solid surfaces between meetings with students
- Encourage students to wash their hands before/after their session
- Hand sanitizer will be available in all classrooms and shared spaces.
- Students are encouraged to wear a mask (masks will not be provided by GSP) – UPDATED – see 4/29/21 below
- Maintain physical distance between students and instructors – UPDATED – see 4/29/21 below
- Continue to offer virtual tutoring to individual families if that is their preference
More information, including updates regarding the status of each exam, is below.
Thursday, April 29th, 2021
While safety precautions continue to be updated, Get Smarter Prep will continue to serve our students as well as possible in all situations. As always, if you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact the office or your student’s tutor.
Masks & Physical Distancing Update
As we anticipate that the Johnson County Board of Commissioners will vote to end the mask mandate in Johnson County, KS later this evening, we have established a transitional policy regarding masks for both of our offices beginning May 1st, 2021. We have made these updates based upon guidance from the CDC and Johnson County. Please review the details below:
- In no case will a GSP staff member directly ask if a student has been vaccinated for SAR-CoV-2.
- Masks will be required during all small group courses and testing events until further notice.
- During Private Tutoring & Semi-Private Tutoring, students and tutors will decide together if they will wear a mask during the session. If one party feels more comfortable wearing a mask, all parties will be required to wear a mask.
- When in shared spaces, masks are encouraged at all times but only required when a six foot distance cannot be maintained.
- Physical Distancing will continue to be maintained in all instances. When masks are used by all parties, three feet of separation are required. When all parties decide that masks will not be used (see bullet point three), individuals should maintain six feet of separation.
Wednesday, November 18th, 2020
Get Smarter Prep is still regularly working with students – both in-person and virtually. We will continue to cap our Testing Events and group classes for the foreseeable future.
ACT Update
The ACT website has now been updated with the current Test Site Cancellations for the December 12th exam. If you’re currently scheduled to take a test at one of the locations listed, please be sure to log into your MyACT account to update the test site preference. As of this date, the sites that have opted not to host the testing include Blue Valley West High School, Blue Valley Southwest High School, Grandview High School, Shawnee Mission West High School, Washington High School (KCK), Center High School (KCMO), Notre Dame de Sion, and UMKC. For a complete list of cancellations, please visit the ACT site.
Tuesday, October 20th, 2020
Get Smarter Prep is still regularly working with students – both in-person and virtually. We will continue to cap our Testing Events and group classes for the foreseeable future. Even during this difficult time, our students have shown great resiliency and have continued to have outstanding score improvements. We’re excited to continue to offer our amazing services in a safe environment!
Thursday, July 2nd, 2020
Governor Laura Kelly of Kansas has released an Executive Order stating that all patrons to businesses in Kansas will be required to wear masks for the duration of their stay. As we enter the newest phase of our shared COVID experience, the Get Smarter Prep team will continue to serve our students and their families in the best way possible. We will be working to fully comply with the directives provided earlier today. Here are the details pertaining to Get Smarter Prep’s response.
Tuesday, June 30th, 2020
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has announced that she will be signing an Executive Order later this week that will make wearing masks compulsory. Read more here. Students and staff will be expected to wear a mask into the meeting space, but once settled in the classroom or testing center with a minimum of six feet between people, each individual will have the choice to discontinue wearing their mask. Get Smarter Prep has provided each staff member with cloth masks but will not supply them for students.
ACT Update
The ACT has started to update their list for cancellations of the July 18th test sites. Of note, Center High School, Saint Teresa’s Academy, and UMKC have all canceled their testing. You can find the full, interactive list here.
Friday, June 19th, 2020
ACT has provided the following update: We are working with state-level officials, as well as test centers around the globe, and have asked them to provide an open/closed status update to ACT by June 24th. Students registered for the July test date can expect an update on their test center status by the end of June.”
Tuesday, June 9th, 2020
Starting this Saturday, June 13th we will offer Free ACT Practice Tests at both our Mission and Leawood locations. Sign up HERE. Our offices will continue to clean and disinfect after each session with our students.
Friday, May 29th, 2020
ACT Update
The ACT released the list of test site cancellations. You can review the list HERE. If your test site is listed, you should have received an email and you will need to reschedule your test for the July 18th ACT test date. As of this moment, we would recommend that you register at one of the following schools: Park Hill High School, Summit Christian School, Truman High School, or the University of Saint Mary – as we believe these sites will more likely host the test.
General Update
As of this morning, Johnson County, Kansas has entered into Phase Three. You can learn more about the update HERE.
Tuesday, May 12th, 2020
As of today, all ACT Test Centers are still planning to host the the exam. If a Test Center elects to reschedule the exam, that information will appear here.
Monday, May 11th, 2020
Our staff offices are now open by appointment only. The GSP staff is happy to schedule an appointment for in-person or via video conference as needed. Tutoring is available either in-person or virtually for the time being – depending on the student’s preference.
Friday, May 8th, 2020
Our offices will re-open for in-person tutoring on Monday, May 11. We will continue meeting virtually for any families who prefer to do so. Your tutor will be in contact with you directly to determine how the tutoring will proceed, but please let us know if you have any questions.
ACT Update
Currently, the ACT has not announced any rescheduled test centers for the June ACT, so they are proceeding as planned at all locations.
Tuesday, May 5th, 2020
Here is the basic timeline and framework with concern to the Kansas Re-Opening Process as a resource.
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Johnson County, Kansas has officially extended the stay-at-home order through May 10th, 2020. Get Smarter Prep will continue to abide by this decision and continue to implement the online tutoring as outlined in intro section above.
ACT Practice Testing Update
We’ll still plan to host testing on May 9th – but it will be conducted as an At-Home Test. GSP staff will be in touch with those already registered to make appropriate plans. To learn more about our At-Home Practice Tests – visit this page. In addition to At-Home testing during the month of May, we also plan to host in-person testing at our Leawood Office ONLY on May 16th and May 23rd. We hope to resume testing at the Mission office on May 30th.
LSAT Update
The June 8th LSAT has canceled the test in all locations. The LSAT-Flex will be available for all candidates already scheduled for the June exam during the week of June 14th. Additional information can be found on LSAC’s website.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
As of now, there haven’t been any announcements from the state of Kansas or Johnson County with regard to extending the Stay-at-Home Order. Governor Kelly will resume her daily briefings tomorrow – so hopefully we’ll all know more then. In the meantime, the details above are still reflective of our current plans.
Friday, April 17, 2020
LSAT Update
The LSAT-Flex will be offered the week of May 18. More information is available on LSAC’s website, but here are some quick highlights:
- If you were registered for the April test, you should be automatically registered for the LSAT-Flex.
- Test takers will select a time for the LSAT-Flex. The scheduling process will open on April 22.
- The LSAT-Flex will contain three sections – one each of Logical Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension. There will not be a break. Each section is weighted equally.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
ACT
While the April 4th ACT was canceled, the ACT currently plans to go forward with its June 13th exam. Also, the ACT has announced additional test dates on June 20th and July 25th (in addition to the previously scheduled July 18th test). ACT will also offer a remote proctored option for students, to be launched in late fall or early winter.
LSAT
LSAC canceled the April administration of the LSAT and has automatically registered April students for the LSAT-Flex, an online, remotely proctored version of the test which will occur in the second half of May. The June LSAT is scheduled to proceed as planned at this time.
AP Exams
Modified AP Exams will be administered to students at home between May 11 and 22. The “timing, format, and content and skills covered” have been shifted.
GRE
Modified in-person testing has been enacted at all official test centers, and GRE now offers comprehensive At-Home Testing in conjunction with ProctorU.
Komal Hatti
15:37 22 Sep 21
Our daughter Meha got 35 on her first try. She had 29 on pre-test with Caleb, worked with him for barely six... weeks. She just started her junior year and we were certain we would be re-testing with more tutoring. Caleb's ability to work with kids is simply amazing!read more
Mary Boessen
21:29 15 Jul 21
We could not be more pleased with our experience with GSP. Both of our children, who have very different... personalities and study styles, really enjoyed working with Caleb. His fun, encouraging, and seasoned approach helped both of them reach their score goals. As a parent, I found Caleb to be a wonderful resource and partner, and I wholeheartedly recommend him!read more
Michael Awopetu
21:19 07 Jul 21
Love all of my tutors, everyone is very friendly and I’m way better at doing ACTs than before this.
Mindy Vaughn
16:13 11 Jan 21
Our experience with Get Smarter Prep was exceptional on every front! Our daughter was so pleased with her... tutoring experience with Caleb and is thrilled with her ACT results after taking the December exam. GSP's custom, personal approach allowed her to be well-prepared for her first ACT exam while still fully engaging with her junior year interests and schoolwork. In addition to efficient, first-class test preparation, we are so grateful for the generous support they have provided to our student (and to us as parents) as we navigate the college process for the first time. Thank you!!read more
BV OT
19:45 20 Oct 20
We had a very unique situation with GSP in that my daughter was involved in ACT tutoring before and during... the pandemic. She had started with tutoring then the pandemic hit. Her ACT test was also cancelled 3 times. During all of the starts and stops Caleb was great about communicating with her and getting her things to practice at home, setting up office hours (when allowed) and working with her to keep her as engaged with practice as possible. After months of starting and stopping she finally was able to take the ACT and did great! She met her goal that she was hoping to meet which helped her get a scholarship to the school she was hoping to get into. We are very pleased with Caleb and Get Smarter Prep and the way that they kept her engaged and focused on her goal despite the all of the craziness and cancellations.read more
Allison Berey
15:41 29 Sep 20
My son worked with Gina at Get Smarter Prep, and we are thrilled with the outcome. He worked very hard and... raised his score significantly. Best of all, Gina was one of the first people he wanted to share the news with, which as a parent suggests to me that he respected her and liked working with her. Thank you!read more
Karen Hughey
13:23 12 Aug 20
Get Smarter Prep has a fantastic team of coaches that meet different student needs from different prep... classes to one-on-one tutoring. They are committed to student success!read more
Samantha Mcfeeters
20:52 28 Jan 20
Our experience with GSP was amazingly professional and personalized to our daughter's needs. Claire... explained things from pre-test that neither myself nor my husband or our daughter would have ever made sense of. Our daughter's strengths and weaknesses were honed in on, and it showed in her final ACT score... she had an 11 point jump! This has opened up her college options to a whole new level.read more
Doug Westerhaus
12:49 08 Jan 20
Because of our son's busy schedule, we wanted to find a tutor who could provide targeted ACT prep (without... need for any parental nagging!). We are very grateful for Caleb helping our son substantially improve his ACT score. In addition to substantive work, Caleb shared test-taking strategies that put our son in a position to do his best on the test. Worth every penny of the cost, and likely to pay back disproportionately in scholarship assistance! Doug & Vicki (BVNW Parents)read more
Scout Webb
12:17 11 Dec 19
Get Smarter Prep helped me so much when preparing for the ACT! Before them I had taken it about three times... and got the same overall score (which was not great) and fluctuating individual scores. After studying with them for about 3 ish months I bumped my score up enough points to get me into the college I wanted!! They have a great staff that is so friendly and willing to help you with whatever needs you may have!read more
Andy Ferrigno
05:13 30 Jul 19
Get Smarter Prep provides a comprehensive program that prepared our daughter for the ACT. We were pleased... with the help she received, and our daughter enjoyed the 10 week program thoroughly. I would recommend Get Smarter Prep to any family looking to understand and navigate the ACT.read more
John Heckert
20:17 09 May 18
Thank you Caleb and the Get Smarter Prep team! They helped my daughter improve her ACT score by 7 points.
David McBee
03:56 27 Mar 08
I cannot say enough about the owner of Get Smarter Prep, Stephen Heiner. Intelligent and professional,... Stephen is always looking out for the best interests of his students and colleagues.read more