Putnam Trying To Improve ACT Scores

Putnam Schools Officials working to improve the average student’s ACT score from 19.5 to 21 across the district.

While a point and a half may seem like a minor increase, Curriculum Supervisor Bubba Winningham said that a score of twenty-one allows students to be eligible for many more kinds of scholarships. Winningham said reaching that benchmark also opens up lots of new opportunities for which colleges students may be accepted into.

“That’s one of the reasons we’re wanting, we’re working so hard to try to get students to understand that hey, the difference between an eighteen and a twenty-one or a twenty-one and a twenty-six and the higher you get, possibly the more scholarships, the more money comes to your pockets,” Winningham said.

Winningham said the district is currently using a website called Shmoop that allows students to take practice exams and review the skills they need for the ACT. Winningham said they set time aside every week for students to work in the program and prepare for the test.

“Right now during our advisement times at all three of our high schools our administration is working in Shmoop to those advisement times to work on ACT prep,” Winningham said. “And so we just kind of want to drill those students and get them access to whatever tools they need to boost those scores.”

Winningham said they are also having an ACT boot camp this weekend at Cookeville High School where students can spend Friday evening and most of Saturday and Sunday preparing for the test. Winningham the boot camp is expected to boost students’ scores by three to seven points.

“The boost in the score itself is worth it,” Winningham said. “And again, if these kids, if college is on their radar a 21, again that benchmark sets you up for that much success. So I know it’s a weekend, I know it’s pretty expensive, but again I think a lot of us who are older now looking back would give anything to go back maybe and try to boost, or at least for me I would, and try to boost my ACT score any chance I could get.”

Winningham said the camp costs $199 after a special coupon code for Cookeville High students and $399 for all other students.

“They can enroll in that ACT camp by going to Tutors Across America Dot Com Slash ACT Course,” Winningham said. “And then they can find that boot camp and register online for that. Also I want to promote that too, ’cause if they go to Cookeville High School’s Instagram page they have a post about it as well that can walk them through how to sign up.”

Winningham said they are also encouraging students to go to the ACT’s own website and practice with the free resources found there including old tests to review and online tests to take.

“I think the big thing is just nailing down some self-discipline and saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to spend this much time outside of school on this prep to help me get better,'” Winningham said. “Again, practice, we all know that if you can practice, if you can build up that endurance to take that exam I think that would help.”

The ACT goal is one of Putnam County’s TISA Accountability standards.