Letter from the Superintendent - March 2017
The end of winter will soon be here (hopefully) and spring brings a great deal of activity to our school district and students. The required state mandated testing will be happening soon. We want our students to do the very best they can on these tests, and for our juniors, the ACT will be a requirement for the very first time. For a great many of our students the ACT is a must for college, whether that be for a two-year or four-year school. Not only does this test and the score from this test help to fulfill admission requirements for most of the schools in the United States, but these scores can mean scholarship dollars – and in some cases tens of thousands of dollars – for your student.
Some students may say that they do not intend to attend college after high school but do decide later that they would like to attend and they will not have to take the test at a later date, after they have been away from the classroom for an extended period of time. If your child has already taken the ACT they still must take the Nebraska required test administered this spring. Colleges will look for your child’s highest score and some will actually combine the highest sub-scores to get your best overall composite. Every school is different, but a high score can be very valuable. Our teachers have already been working on test-prep for the ACT and juniors have a test prep tool loaded onto their laptops for easy access. Current juniors will still have a couple more opportunities to take the ACT before all of the admission and scholarship applications are due. Mr. Loshbaugh can help your child get registered for those later dates.
It seems that testing has become a huge component of what is required by state and federal mandates, but it does give us a snapshot of what areas we need to work on as a school district. So, please help us out by making sure that your child is well-rested and understands the importance of doing their very best. We appreciate the support you give our students.
Sincerely,
R. Todd Porter
Superintendent