National ACT average scores are down this year and ACT officials are attributing the drop to the increasing percentage of high school seniors who have taken the test. However, thanks in large part to the ACT Review program installed at Great Bend High School in 2015-2016, not only did 16 percent more students take the ACT at GBHS, but the average composite score maintained from the prior year and even increased from two years ago.
Lacy Wolters, career and ACT coordinator at GBHS, hosted ACT study sessions in which more than one-fourth of senior GBHS ACT test takers participated. The attending students Increased their prior scores on average of 1.33 points and averaged a composite of 22.3, 1.3 points higher than the ACT average of the student population at GBHS. Students who attended four or more ACT review sessions with Wolters saw an average of a 3.57 point composite score gain on the ACT.
With such impressive gains for students taking advantage of the ACT study sessions, Wolters says “my goal for this school year is to further increase both the participation rate for the sessions, as well as increase the number of sessions each student attends.”
ACT scores not only help students in the college admission process, but at times a point or two increase on the ACT can mean thousands of dollars in academic scholarships over four years. A high school senior who had a 3.5 or better GPA could see a $4,000 increase in scholarship money from Kansas University in raising an ACT composite score from a 27 to a 28. A GBHS senior who raised their ACT score from a 21 to a 22 could earn $250 more academic scholarship dollars per year at Barton County Community College.
“Lacy has done an outstanding job of working with our students in order to raise their ACT scores this past year. She has provided a service that more of our students should take advantage of. Her sessions have increased individual scores at GBHS. The more students that utilize her service will benefit from it as well as GBHS, as a whole, will show increases across the board. The work that Lacy is doing for our students has been a real blessing,” said Tim Friess, principal at GBHS.
High school students will again have the opportunity for free and effective ACT Review sessions this year, with the September ACT test review sessions starting Tuesday. Sessions will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-8 p.m. in the GBHS library this Tuesday, Sept. 1, Sept. 6 and Sept. 8. Four sessions will be held prior to every ACT testing date.
The current study sessions will be posted on the GBHS ACT website. It is recommended that in addition to attending the study sessions, students work directly with Wolters to personalize their independent study plans to fit their individual needs.
