Pillow Academy prides itself on being a college-prep school.
Part of that preparation boils down to not only getting students into the universities of their choice but also helping them get the test scores needed for top-tier scholarships.
“Our standardized test scores have always been high,” said Jay Watts, principal at Pillow’s high school. “But there’s always room for improvement.”
This year, the faculty and staff have developed a plan to help students improve their scores.
Watts says teachers will adapt their curriculum to incorporate preparation for the American College Test, the school’s most popular college entrance exam, into the classroom.
Watts said the school already offered some preparation through a twice-a-year workshop, but changes will be made to introduce exam vocabulary and other skills into everyday learning.
“We work hard each year to look at our curriculum and see where changes need to be made to help our students continue to stay competitive,” Watts said. “There didn’t need to be any drastic changes. This is just a slight shift from our current curriculum.”
Romney Brock, an English teacher at Pillow, is looking forward to adding new test prep into her classroom for the first 10 to 15 minutes of class once a week.
“I really feel that devoting some classroom time to this will help our students,” she said. “We are not just concerned about our graduates getting a good education. We want them one step ahead.”
Brock says she will start by going over test instructions and testing skills before moving to subject skills such as vocabulary and critical thinking through practice questions.
Throughout the year, Brock and her fellow faculty members will build students up to taking the timed practice tests.
“What we’ve done at Pillow is looked at our students’ ACT scores to see areas that need improvement,” she said. “English class covers two of the main sections of the test (vocabulary and reading comprehension), which accounts for more than half of the questions. That is really important.”
Brock is also hoping the regular preparation will help ease the stress associated with test taking.
“We will go over when to take the test, how much time is needed to study and how to prepare the night before,” she said. “When it comes to test day, there will be an opportunity for us to talk about test-taking skills.”
Brock also says the goal is not just to prepare them with skills for the national test but to see that the critical thinking strategies they learn can be applied to weekly unit tests and other classroom activities.
The English teacher said since students can take the tests multiple times, she loves to see their confidence as their scores improve. Often parents will call the school as well.
“We are hoping to get more of those positive calls from parents,” Brock said. “It is encouragement for the teachers, too.”
The school has also received a donation to put toward a new entrance, according to Watts. Renovations are under way.
• Contact Andrea Hall at ahall@gwcommonwealth.com.
