Admin leans into W-hour to provide further ACT training as standardized test looms
Stiff backs and shaky hands may be the only tangible results from the grueling, three-hour-long ACT test, well, except the score on a 36-point scale. On March 7, juniors will take the ACT test, which assesses students on four subjects: math, english, reading, and science.
Junior Matthew Foley brings a vast amount of experience, having taken the test twice already.
“It was extremely stressful,” he said. “There was a lot of fidgeting and worrying that I would not do well.”
Assistant Principal Aaron Herm had his own challenging experiences with the ACT, especially considering the lack of test-optional schools pre-COVID.
“I took the ACT on a Saturday morning, and I was extremely nervous,” he said. “At that time ACT scores were extremely important for getting admitted to UW-Madison, which is where I really wanted to go.”
Having survived the test himself, Herm now has the responsibility of seeing how the entire junior class performs each year.
“Our school’s average ACT score over the last six years is 20.04, which is higher than the state average,” he said. “Last year it was 19.95. Our trendline is pretty flat and, though we’re above the state average, we’d love to see that trendline start to go up.”
Juniors have noticed a change compared to previous years regarding test preparation.
“In past years, we had a headache managing the messy process for juniors to opt out of final exams based on ACT Aspire scores and at the same time requiring them to attend ACT practice,” he said. “That process needed improvement, and so with input from our department chairs, we changed things to the way we’re doing them this year”
Assistant Principal Cory Beaulieu has coordinated efforts to maximize available time for student preparation.
“This year we’re utilizing extended w-hours where everybody takes practice tests,” he said. “Then over the course of the next month, we have sessions specifically designed to provide lessons and strategies for each subject area.”
Beaulieu hopes this approach will provide students with insight into how they will perform on test day.
“The idea was to ensure that students see their test score and become familiar with what the test looks like to gain experience,” he said.
Beaulieu believes that, despite how scary and content-based the exam may appear, familiarizing students with the form of questioning and test-taking strategies will impact test scores the most.
“The ACT prep courses that you can take at the college, they're not teaching content,” he said. “The real key to passing the ACT is learning strategy.”
Many students who seek help with the ACT are faced with the fact that almost all ACT help classes outside of the district must be paid for. Beaulieu thinks that students shouldn’t have to deal with the money aspect of the exam on top of the test itself and can spare themselves the additional burden simply by accessing testing resources through Xello.
“Our goal behind providing these lessons is that everybody gets the opportunity to have something free built into their day,” he said.
While the new W-hour sessions may be just for juniors, Herm says that the freshmen and sophomores also get to join the party, just not the same one.
“Something new being done statewide is that the ACT Aspire exam for Freshmen and Sophomores is being replaced by the PreACT exam,” he said. “The PreACT more closely resembles the actual ACT test and is scored on the same 36-point scale as the ACT, so I’m hopeful it will help students feel more prepared when they’re juniors.”
Learning ACT strategies from books and classes can help, but learning strategies from peers who have already taken it can be just as beneficial. Senior Cameron O’Brien has her own experiences with preparing for the ACT.
“I did poorly during my practice tests and the free Methododize test prep through Xello helped my score immensely,” she said.
Senior Hans Larson believes juniors should be aware of the clock, considering each section of the test is timed.
“Time is what really gets you,” he said. “You can't think about each question too long, because it is a fast-paced test. You have to make a strategy that is yours.”
While there are many options to prep for the ACT months prior to the exam, as a last-minute boost, Larson emphasizes the importance of keeping students’ bodies fueled.
“You can’t focus on a test with an empty stomach,” he said. “I recommend the breakfast of champions: eggs with lots of sauce, toast, sausage, and milk.”
The exam is split into two parts, with one break in the middle. Foley agrees with the importance of eating before and during the break for success on the test.
“Using your brain will drain your stomach,” he said. “Bring snacks and water. It'll really help when the second portion of the test comes along.”
Senior Tessa Whitcomb thinks that time management is very important.
“I made sure that if I couldn't answer something, I skipped it because I knew that there were going to be a lot of questions that I could answer,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that I answered as many as I could since you aren't penalized for wrong answers.”
Whitcomb also explained that even though students can study the night before, it’s important for juniors not to over exhaust themselves the night before the big day.
“I made sure to get a good sleep, and I didn't stay up super late studying,” she said. “It's better to get sleep than to be tired and groggy the next morning from studying too much.”
Overall, with the new system, Herm wants kids to be able to learn and improve so that they are 100% ready on test day.
“We’re hoping to give students a better understanding of what to expect on the test and where they’re strengths and weaknesses lie,” he said. “We want to point them toward resources available to them so they can improve in their areas of weakness.”
by Fahad Milan
Published Febuary 21, 2023
Oshkosh West Index volume 119 issue V