AYNOR, SC (WBTW) – Students in the JROTC program at Aynor High School spent part of the school year working on a plan to improve ACT test scores, and teachers said the results are inspiring.
First Sergeant Allen York is the senior Army instructor at Aynor High School, and he said the most challenging parts of the ACT for students were the English and the reading comprehension portion. York supervised the JROTC students, and said they did their own research to find out where other students were struggling.
The students created this ACT Improvement Plan in October, and since then, York said they’ve seen a 3.7-point increase on English, and a 2.1-point increase on reading comprehension. He said this helped students become eligible for scholarships and improve their chances of getting into college. “We see a lot of students, all of a sudden, start to see something that they thought is impossible,” said York. “Just through having discipline and the commitment and the dedication into a program like improving test scores can all of a sudden open up that possibility.”
Part of the improvement plan included practicing ACT vocabulary, and working with online video game-style programs with practice questions from the ACT. Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Cheyenne Burchell, said this ACT Improvement Plan helped her score high enough on the ACT to get a scholarship for college. She also said her senior feels more complete having worked on this project. “It really makes me feel better knowing that I’m going to leave high school helping my cadets,” said Burchell. “Knowing that I’ve left something behind for them to work on and for them to self-improve.”
York said they will be making this improvement plan available to other schools in Horry County in hopes of inspiring other students to go to college and apply for scholarships.