Counselor Doris Willyerd reviews scoring data from the most recent ACT test.

CLAY TURNER – Hoof Prints Staff

While some students at Buffalo Island Central take the traditional approach of summer activities by lounging around the pool, having weekly lake trips or going to ball camps, other students willingly sacrifice part of their summer by spending additional time at high school in order to perfect their ACT scores.

This year about 20 students spent an additional two weeks of their summer to do exactly this. Junior Jodiee Clay was one of the students that took the classes and related that the classes significantly helped to raise her scores, especially in the English part of the test.

“It helped me to realize that redundancy was a big part of the ACT test,” Jodiee said. “You wouldn’t think there’s that much repeating on the test but there actually is.”

Having made a 25 overall, she feels that she wouldn’t have done as well if not for the classes. Seniors Wes Colbert and Logan Dewitt also found that the classes helped them significantly as well. Wes thinks that the classes helped make him more aware of how much time they actually have on the tests and also more aware of the kinds of questions that he will see on it. Logan Dewitt thought that the repetition of seeing the problems and doing the practice tests at the end of each week was what made it so effective with him. After having taken the classes, Wes raised his score from a 22 to a 24 and Logan scored three points higher his second time.

Apart from the progress the students make after taking the classes, they also enjoy how much more laid-back the classes themselves are from actual high school classes. Jodiee was surprised that they were able to wear clothing not normally allowed at school such as pajama pants.

The students also liked the structure of the classes and the long lunch break they were all given as well. During this time they were able to simply enjoy one another’s company more than in a regular high school atmosphere.

The students don’t think the work load of the classes is that overwhelming either. During the two weeks all they did was either work on worksheets during class time, work on the board or take the practice tests on Wednesdays and Fridays.

“You don’t have that much work load,” Sarah Roddy, senior, said. “But you work the entire time in each class.”

If given the choice to take the classes again, the students would say yes. Logan thinks that without the classes he probably would have made a 20 instead of a 23. The same is true for Jodiee and Wes. Without the classes they both think that their scores would have been three to four points lower than what they ended up having.

The students plan on taking the ACT again. Jodiee hopes to use her scores to go to Arkansas State University, University of Arkansas or Harding. Logan hopes to take the ACT until he makes a 24 so that he can go to Arkansas State University and Wes is trying to raise his score to a 26 in order to go to University of Arkansas.