Teachers of Trinity sophomores and juniors continue to use the Cambridge Program to prepare students for the ACT exam.

The ACT prep program was initiated last school year during the second semester.

After using the program for less than a year, faculty and students point to positive results.

Mr. Frank Ward, director of Trinity’s Advanced Program, said, "The practice ACT tests so far suggest that real results have come from this work. The course really divides into two broad areas: review and reinforcement of basic skill areas (done primarily in sophomore year) and practice testing (junior year). The sophomore program basically covers the entire year and the junior program through the early spring."

Sophomore Tanner Jacobs said, "These classes help me out because I'll be more confident when I take (the ACT). I'll have an advantage over others who take it."

Junior Chad Byron explained the schedule his teachers follow:

"Every Friday, we have ACT prep classes over various subjects. These subjects give us examples of what we'll see on the test."

Trinity’s emphasis on the Cambridge Program is designed to help students avoid falling prey to some problematic trends reported by the ACT.

A recent ACT report entitled “Crisis at the Core: Preparing All Students for College and Work” shows that “only 22 percent of graduates in 2004 who took the ACT had the skills to succeed in all three of the college-level academic areas of English, math and science.”

In addition, “only 26 percent of ACT-tested high school graduates had scores indicating they are ready to earn a ‘C’ or higher in their first college biology course, and only 40 percent had scores indicating they are ready to earn a ‘C’ or higher in their first college algebra course.”

reported by Bret Saxton