I have found out that I will be teaching the English and Reading portion of ACT prep, 2 days a week after school for the next 10 weeks. I don't know how many teachers get excited about ACT prep, but I am (hey, I new...)! The gap in ACT scores fascinates me. To be honest, it's something they should start in September. That's obvious, right? If the gap is so big, our students should be preparing for a longer period of time...
Anyway, 10 weeks is what it is. I found out I'll have the group of kids with the lowest scores because "Ms. Cook has the patience for them." haha I think that was a compliment and challenge all tied up in one.
Here's the thing about the ACT - for a very short period of time in life, your score is very important. I have kids who get a 3.8 GPA and are Mr. and Mrs. school involvement. Their 15 on the ACT (which they have been told is better than others) sets them way back in the college competition. With a 25+ they might have been in the running for some extremely elite universities. (No one at our school scored a 25 last year.) But the ACT average at a school likes ours takes universities like those entirely out of the question. The point is often raised in our meetings that the test is racially biased, as well as a poor assessment overall, and a poor assessment for students in a low socioeconomic bracket. Our principle's response: "but, it's the test they're using, and I don't want a separate test for poor kids."
I like his brutal honesty.
I'll be working on a planning team with 2 English teachers - and me, the music teacher. Yikes! Intimidating.
By the way, I get paid. Booyeah!
Cheers to ACT,
Ren
