Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen announced Thursday that the state is expanding its ACT Senior Retake Day to all public high school students for the class of 2018, totaling roughly 70,000 students.
“Tennessee is once again a national leader in education as the first state to offer an ACT retake opportunity to all public school seniors,” McQueen said in a statement issued to the Elizabethton Star. “By expanding our retake day, we send a strong signal that our state is committed to further increasing access, especially among students who stand to benefit the most from this opportunity.”
The State Department of Education also announced public schools will be offering the second opportunity during the school day in students’ own schools. According to the Department, the new changes in effect will give all students equal access to take advantage of the opportunity with no preregistration needed due to it automatically being provided.
October 2016 was the first time in the state’s history that public high school seniors had the chance to retake the ACT for free, but only for students that had previously taken the ACT as juniors as the testing took place at a specific testing site on the weekend. Now with the new changes in place, school districts can offer the retake on Oct. 3, Oct. 17 or on both days.
High school students in Carter County and Elizabethton will now have the chance to see their ACT score increase, which is a sight to see according to Elizabethton Director of Schools Dr. Corey Gardenhour.
“One of the things we’re finding is that retaking and practice for the ACT is extremely important for the future of our students,” Dr. Gardenhour said Friday. “We feel that the State’s decision to expand the retake is a great thing for students across the state.”
The director of schools noted that, on average, students at Elizabethton High School have seen a two- to four-point gain when they retake the ACT.
The Department of Education reported that in the first year of offering a free ACT Retake Day, an additional 1,300 students earned a composite score of 21 or above — providing access to $21 million in additional HOPE scholarship funds.
“It’s a very important opportunity,” he added. “A couple of points can be what decides a student’s eligibility for lottery money, athletic scholarships or enrollment at their school of choice following graduation.”
Focusing on students’ development for the ACT is an item taken seriously by Elizabethton City Schools.
“We feel it’s important to have the retakes and we also provide ACT prep courses,” Dr. Gardenhour said. “We want to make sure we give our students the opportunity to get a leg up for their futures. Whether it’s moving on to college, a postsecondary school or entering the workforce, we want to provide the opportunities to help them succeed for the future.”
Individuals can visit tn.gov/education online to view resources about the ACT, including an ACT retake guide and ACT toolkit.