JUNIORS this year are going to be given an incentive when they take the ACT: if they score 18 or higher on English and reading, they will be given an automatic A for fourth quarter.
Although this incentive has not been adopted by the whole school, most eleventh-grade English teachers are going through with this idea. Unfortunately, only Mr. Gibbons, Mr. Locey, and Mr. Tidwell are the only three who are giving out this incentive, so not everyone will be given this opportunity.
It all started as an idea from the English department when they discovered the results from the HMH Growth Reading Test. Students took this test at the beginning of the school year and were given the incentive of removing two zeros from the gradebook if Lancers scored grade level or higher. “The results were pretty good. It was amazing how many people did better when they tried,” Mr. Gibbons said.
The whole idea of giving an incentive, according to Mr. Gibbons, is so that students will want to try. “The reality of it is, you guys are so over-tested that when we give you a test that doesn’t go in the gradebook, you don’t try,” Mr. Gibbons said. “The data we get from those tests is useless if ya’ll don’t try. So, we started with that reading test because we wanted some data that we could actually use,” Mr. Gibbons said.
The HMH Growth Reading Test and the ACT are two major tests teachers use to guide their instruction. With the ability to know what Lancers need education-wise, teachers can educate students far better than having to repeat the same material each year.
All Lancers must do is try on the tests. It may seem as if the tests that are given all year round are inconsistent or useless, but it helps students in the long run.
The ACT is a test, not many students look forward to, after all, it isn’t quite as easy as a third-grade math quiz, it is a test that scares students nationwide.
However, there are ways to prepare. There have been days where Lancers can attend ACT boot camps after school on Wednesdays at 2:30. To find future events concerning the ACT go to https://schools.graniteschools.org/grangerhigh/calendar/.
There are also free ACT prep websites that are available for anyone wanting to study for the ACT. This site lists ten resources which can be found at https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/free-act-prep-resources/.
A college degree won’t solve the $2 trillion debt America holds, but it could create a sustainable lifestyle for those who wish to achieve it.
The ACT isn’t the most pleasing part of high school, but if Lancers actually try, Lancers will realize that it is worth the effort.
