The difference between being awarded a huge scholarship and not getting one at all is often the matter of a 2 or 3 point swing on the ACT; however, as anyone who has even taken the test can testify, it is a difficult test and a 2 or 3 point gain can be tough to achieve. To help over come that at Alliance High School every student grades 9 through 11 will have the chance to participate in John Baylor Test Prep, a program which claims to help students earn those critical, difference making points.
The program will be presented in English classes during twelve, 45-minute sessions. The test prep grogram will cover content information in the areas of English, science, math, and social studies, along with information about test format and how to take the ACT. David Strang, a junior at Alliance High Schools said, “What I want to get out of the program is to understand what is going to be on the ACT because I have not taken the test yet. I think John Baylor is very funny and he is easy to fallow and understand.” Strang began the prep program Monday, December 5 in Mrs. Michelle Schnell’s Junior level Honors English class.
Ms. Carrie Ransom, sophomore English teacher, said she was optimistic about teaching this material. “I think that the John Baylor program is very well organized [and] teacher and student friendly. My class will be missing a literature lesson; [however], I want the students to feel more comfortable about taking the test and feel more self assured.” Some AHS students will began participating in the program as early as Monday, December 5, and, depending upon their English teacher’s, schedule they will complete all the sessions in time for the April test date.
The grant to fund this test prep program came from the Nebraska Department of Education which is also paying for all AHS juniors to take the ACT, in the Community Learning Center on April 14, 2012. The State selected 10 schools to test their entire junior class. Dr. Dan Hoesing said, APS Superintendent said, “If we [are going to] ask the kids to take [the test] then we had to prepare them. The Baylor program, on average, raises the test score 2 to 3 points.”
The Department of Education contacted Dr. Hoesing with a proposal to have every AHS Junior take the ACT and he signed off on the grant. The John Baylor Prep program was selected, instead of the ACT online prep because, according to Dr. Hoesing, of…“the success of the program.” He added, “I also saw how he presented the lessons and it is more fun and interactive. My goal is to get kids who never wanted to go to college to think they can go and to open up some doors and [give them] the option to choose to go to college with greater confidence. Kids are smarter than we are testing. They are better than that. I want the students to improve the belief in themselves.”