Jan 18, 2018
The Volunteer State's $2 million initiative saw a dramatic improvement in high school seniors' second-round scores last year – giving them a critical leg up as they prepare for college.
Tennessee’s 2017 ACT Senior Retake Day saw around 52,000 high school seniors – that’s roughly 75% of all the state’s seniors – re-sit the ACT free of charge and on a school day, thanks to the two-year-old initiative to boost high school seniors’ test scores and access to college financial aid. It’s also a potential boon for test prep tutors, as more states like Tennessee (and 12 more that currently require their juniors to sit the SAT or ACT) adopt the SAT or ACT in place of state-specific standardized testing.
About 40% of Tennessee seniors retaking the test scored higher the second time round, with 2,333 students hitting 21 or higher for their average composite score. (The highest possible ACT score is 36.) Those students are now eligible for college tuition aid of up to $16,000 through the state’s HOPE scholarships
Tennessee estimates that the seniors’ improved test scores will save around $8 million in remedial coursework, and inch the state closer to hitting the national average composite score of 21 (the Class of 2017 averaged 20.1) by 2020. Tennessee juniors have sat their first ACT test free of charge since 2009.
banner image from https://ny.chalkbeat.org/posts/tn/2018/01/17/act-do-overs-pay-off-for-40-percent-of-tennessee-high-school-seniors-who-tried/
ACT do-overs pay off for 40 percent of Tennessee high school seniors who tried https://ny.chalkbeat.org/posts/tn/2018/01/17/act-do-overs-pay-off-for-40-percent-of-tennessee-high-school-seniors-who-tried/
