In October and November all 9
th
, 10
th
, and 11
th
grade VCHS students took both the PSAT and PreACT exams. Our students’ results are incredibly impressive!
I’d like to give a shout out to 10 VCHS students who joined the 99
th
Percentile or Greater Club on either or both the PSAT and PreACT. We also had one perfect PSAT Math score – 38/38. Congratulations to the following Saints: 9
th
Grade: Christian Dent, Travis Elzinga, Ava Garrison, Jack Hughes, Ryan Hutchinson, Stefan Labenski; 10
th
Grade: Grayson Causey, Colleen Farrell; 11
th
Grade: Ethan Elzinga, Kendelle Smith.
Our strong results don't just happen because of VCHS’s commitment to academic excellence. Our English and Math teachers also intentionally integrate PSAT/PreACT and SAT/ACT preparation into their curriculum. How is this done?
Let me provide two examples. In English, Freshmen participate in a rigorous, foundational grammar program which continues into the Sophomore year and is matched with weekly SAT/ACT essay writing instruction. Junior English students hone in on evidence based reading and writing using non-fiction passages (a key SAT component). Weekly writing assignments increase proficiency in these areas, and multiple close reading assignments focusing on key passages round out preparation. By January of their Junior year, all students will have taken practice SAT and ACT tests, and even more SAT/ACT preparatory work follows during in their Junior and Senior years.
In Math, our Algebra and Geometry teachers focus on reviewing frequently missed items from previous PreACT/PSAT tests, based on annual data results. Their top priority is to instruct or re-instruct content from questions missed by more than 50% of the group.
Way to go Saints!
