Marked Tree School District is proud to announce a new ACT initiative aimed at improving college and career readiness and at increasing equity and access to the ACT for all students.
How do we plan on doing that?
We are going to test students during the school day...FOR FREE...and we have developed a plan that will help prepare them for the ACT years in advance.
Why are we doing?
Traditionally, the ACT is given on Saturday mornings. Students are required to register a month or so in advance. Most people, in the hectic pace of their day to day, forget about registration. Also, Saturday morning is least convenient time of the week for families to have students ready to take the ACT. When you factor in the cost of the ACT in today's economy, there is never a good time to take the ACT.
What does this plan look like?
First, we are going to provide opportunities for our students to take the ACT during the school day. Students will have opportunities to take the ACT in the spring of their sophomore year, fall and spring of their junior year, and fall of their senior year. Additionally, students who qualify for free and reduced lunch have two waivers they can use over their academic career. Students at MTSD can take the ACT six times and not have to pay a dime!
We also recognize that testing opportunities aren't enough to help students. We have to build structures and systems to help support them. We are working to do just that. Very soon, some of our teachers will receive specialized trainings in a course called ACT Instructional Mastery. This will help them provide their students with the knowledge and structure of the ACT so they can be successful. These teachers will provide boot camps during the school day prior to ACT tests. There will also be opportunities for the ACT boot camp on a few Saturdays throughout the year.
To help our kids prepare for the ACT on their own and to help parents make sure their kids are working to prepare for the ACT, we are purchasing ACT Online Prep for all students in 10th and 11th grade. Research has shown that if students dedicate seven hours to this program, it will boost their scores.
Our district recognizes that we can't wait until their sophomore year to begin preparing our students to take the ACT test. To allow us to utilize data and teach in an informed, strategic manner, our students will take the PreACT in the eighth and ninth grade. By using data from these tests, we can begin providing opportunities for growth and begin encouraging college and career readiness for all of our kids.
We recognize that every student might not want to attend college, but kids also change their mind in a moment's notice. At MTSD, we want to keep all of the doors of opportunity open for our students.