The state of Nebraska released its statewide ACT scores for 2022, and the number has educators and students disappointed. The average statewide composite score was 19.8. The last time students in the state of Nebraska scored that low, it was 1991, and Nebraska football fans had not even heard of Tommie Frazier yet.
So, what is happening? Why are ACT scores the lowest they have been in 31 years? I know some people will be quick to point to COVID, and I think the pandemic certainly played a small role, but it is certainly not the lone cause. Not even close, really. In fact, 2022 marked the fifth year in a row that ACT scores across Nebraska have gone down. So, while COVID might have contributed to the declining scores, the ugly truth is that Nebraska students have
been struggling with the ACT for years.
Providing the solution to declining test scores is one of the reasons why I started ACT-Now Test Prep, an ACT Prep solution geared towards making things easier for today’s students. As a classroom teacher with over 23 years of experience teaching everything from 7th-grade Reading and English to College Calculus (not to mention being a father of five teenagers), I get to see exactly how high school students work. High school students have changed night and day over the last two decades.
Are you having a problem with your phone or iPad? Give it to your average high school student, and they will fix it immediately. Unfortunately, technology is not a section of the ACT. In so many ways, high school students today are so much more intelligent than high school students of twenty years ago. At the same time, however, most students today do not possess the same study skills and perseverance. Knowing how to study for the ACT is half
the battle!
What’s the capital of Zimbabwe? How many fluid ounces are in a gallon? If students want to know those answers, Siri or Google will answer those in a matter of seconds. Students are used to getting answers quickly. Unfortunately, a student cannot raise their ACT score in a matter of ten seconds. Heck, they cannot even raise it in ten minutes. It takes about ten hours of prep and practice to make sure a student’s score improves. That is hard for some students to adjust to. They expect results quickly, which does not happen with the ACT or overall performance in school.
So, what can be done to help Nebraska’s students? I started ACT-Now Test Prep with one goal in mind: to meet the needs of Nebraska’s students! Having examined the last 15 years of ACT tests, I have found a way to maximize any student’s scores. I have broken down each of the four sections given on the ACT, introducing students to 80 strategies (20 in each section) they never knew existed.
I make things as easy as possible with numerous examples from
past tests. I spread out the instruction over five weeks. When students complete the five-week test training and preparation course, they often rave about how much they learned, not just in the subject area but also about studying and looking at things from a different perspective. Listen to what these students who recently completed the course had to say. Testimonial Video.
Students and families have less time than ever before. Everyone has things going on. As a result, the ACT-Now Test Prep course has built a schedule for each student to complete over 35 days, both on our time for two hours per week and on their own time. Students who follow the plan have seen their scores increase by an average of over 4 points from their previous high scores. I know it may sound weird, but almost all students are actually seeking directions to follow. They want to succeed but often do not know where to begin.
That is where I come in. This is what I do. I provide them with a
blueprint to follow so they can succeed, just like so many students who have completed the course before them. I hope to help you and your family as well! You can get more information if needed or sign up for our course here at this link: https://www.act-nowtestprep.com /events/in-person-act-test-prep-event-november-december-2022.
Please note that the course for the Dec. 10 test date will start soon.
Hope to see you there!
Kevin Hermeling
ACT-Now Test Prep
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