VERSAILLES, Ky. (LEX 18) — In a teaching career spanning more than two decades, Renee Boss knows what works when it comes to student engagement.
“I love teaching anytime we are reading a common text and having a class discussion. It’s always really rich,” said Boss.
Yet, between every meaningful day spent in the classroom is a day of test prep. According to Boss, students aren't the only ones who dread that little acronym.
“ACT prep is part of what we do in the classroom,” explained Boss. “It’s no one’s favorite part. It’s just a reality that you have to practice it to do well on the ACT.”
Through her lens, neither the exam nor the results are the end-all-be-all.
“I place value to the point that I know it’s a requirement,” said Boss.
Newly released data shows the average composite score for the ACT in Kentucky fell once again. It's now more than a full point beneath the national average. Boss told LEX 18 that she saw it coming.
“We didn’t do test prep during the pandemic because we were paying attention to the students and what they needed and practicing for a test wasn’t what they needed. They were traumatized and horrified by everything that was happening.”
Between navigating online learning and pushing through the pandemic, Woodford County High School aimed to keep students engaged. For Boss, focusing on what she considers meaningful classwork became the priority. She wasn’t the only one putting standardized testing on the backburner.
“It became less of a priority because we were hearing that colleges weren’t going to require it, so our students who are the highfliers who were probably going to do okay anyway didn’t feel the pressure to practice because the colleges were just waving the ACT entrance. For the students who were going to go to trade school or get jobs, it became more irrelevant to them.”
Kentucky’s report card may show failure, but Boss doesn’t see it that way.
“Everything we were hearing was to take care of the students, figure out what they need for their mental well-being and take care of yourselves. We had plenty of support in that regard, and we focused on what we felt was the most important part of learning.”
