Act on ACT

Courtesy of ACT

Courtesy of ACT

 

 By Amel Fazlagic, News Editor

The ACT comes around every year and haunts the juniors. “I wish I would’ve prepared more for that test,” many students say as they leave the testing area.

    The truth is that it is not entirely the student’s fault. Although the ACT takes a lot of self-preparation, the school needs to do more to get the students ready as well.

    The ACT is a very important standardized test. All competitive universities require the ACT, and most require a composite score above 21. Math, science, grammar, and reading are the four sections emphasized on the test.

    Matthew Griffith, math teacher, quotes on the ACT, “I think it’s pretty important, especially on mid-western schools that rely on the ACT, because it dictates what colleges you get into and what kind of money you can get in terms of scholarships.”

    The school could play a huge role in ensuring success for the ACT. Currently, the school does very little to prepare the students. The main method used is assigning small practice tests regularly during TAP.  Core class teachers do even less by assigning small practice tests occasionally.

    Jasmin Karic, junior, quotes, “We don’t do much to practice for the ACT, only sample questions. I wish teachers would do more stuff like that because I think it helps.”

Students took an even bigger hit when the ACT preparation class at Mehlville was cut due to budget issues.

Griffith mentioned that he tries to teach the content to his students. Many other teachers can agree with this. However, with so little time to do the basic class requirements, this can easily be an issue.

    To solve this issue, ACT content could be weaved into the school’s curriculum. Teachers could be trained to teach ACT material, while blending it into the lessons. Activities involved with ACT preparation could be taken for a grade. Likewise, by teaching the ACT, students’ academic success inside of the classroom would improve as well.

For even more practice, every Friday at least 30 minutes of TAP could be dedicated to ACT preparation. Practice tests and lessons would not take too long, but would be very effective. This content could also be graded.

    By stressing the ACT more, not only in a classroom environment but also through counselors and principals, there would  be an increase in ACT scores. So, why not do this? In fact, an optional class designed strictly towards ACT preparation could be created. Of course, this is a huge step. In order to get there, small improvements should be made first.