Being a relatively new class, not many new students know about ACT Prep. In a survey, Cambia yearbook staff found only half of the freshman class have heard about this course. This class has benefitted a number of students, not just to get a higher ACT score, but to obtain a better understanding of what college classes are actually like.

English language arts teacher Callie Smothers and math teacher Matt Duffy have paired up to help students turn the complexity of the ACT into simple strategies that make taking the four-hour test so much smoother.

According to Smothers the ACT prep class was supposed to, “prepare you for the ACT obviously, but also to develop a realistic picture of what college is actually like, not this scary picture, but also not this simplified version. We talk about the complexity of what different classes look like, the free time in college, etc.”

After students learn about the strategies to take the test, Smothers and Duffy both let students ask them as many questions that they want about what college is like, you can ask about different majors and how they work, you could ask about how many parties college actually has, or you could question if college is anything like movies depict them to be.

Some students may think that this course is unnecessary because they are able to access ACT books online and they could just take practice tests at home, but Duffy thinks that, “some students when they go to study for the ACT don’t have the discipline or motivation if they study on their own and this class provides this for them.”

Also Smothers said, “the ACT book isn’t very clear, and when you get to see someone model it in front of you, where you can isolate questions and they can show you specific examples of what you’re wanting to know, that’s the kind of assistance that you need to further your growth.”

Juniors James Macken and Chloe Hilgenkamp are both grateful for the class because their test scores have improved. They also now know the strategies and are able to implement them to improve their scores even more.

Macken said he took the class because he, “was concerned I wasn’t going to get a high enough score on the act to get into the school that I want to get to.”

Students come up to Duffy and Smothers booming with gratitude for their teachers and for the strategies they learned in the semester course.

Smothers said, “somebody grabbed me by the arm and was like ‘I wanted to tell you that I qualified for Bright Flight!’ and going from that 28 to a 31 is phenomenal and also those kids that come in are like ‘I got a 21! I got the 21!’ and that’s exciting for them because they’re getting into school where that seemed like kind of a far off goal that they didn’t know they could obtain.”

Duffy said, “at one point in time [2014 graduate] Mariah Studebaker came back and she had increased her score by five points so she was ecstatic about that. And of course when you start talking about how much money is being directed to you because of an increased ACT score, I think that students get pretty excited about that, so it’s good to hear when students are excited about their new test scores.”

“Definitely worth it, and I think that everyone should take it,” Hilgencamp said.