A new pilot program at the Greenwood-Leflore Public Library looks to help 24 area high school seniors improve scores on the ACT.
The course, taught on Saturday mornings, looks to boost scores by three points or more on the 36-point college entrance exam taken by selected students from Leflore County, Amanda Elzy and Greenwood high schools.
Jenniffer Stephenson, director of the Greenwood-Leflore Public Library System, said she held the first of the approximately two-hour sessions this past Saturday for six seniors from Greenwood High School.
Participating students will attend four total classes. Stephenson said breakfast is being provided for the students and, at the end of the program, the library will pay for the $35 registration fee for students to take the ACT an additional time.
The program is being funded by a $1,000 one-time grant from the Mississippi Library Leadership Institute.
“There’s no cost to the student, there’s no cost to the school, and there’s no cost to the library,” Stephenson said.
If the program proves successful, Stephenson said, she’d be happy to search for other sources of funding, solicit donations or add the courses to the library’s programming budget.
She said she’s already heard from several parents and school counselors about continuing and expanding the program to include younger students.
Stephenson said she’s been working closely with Kalanya Moore, a professor at Mississippi Valley State University, to put together the program.
Students studying education at Valley will be matched up as mentors and tutors to the high-schoolers, an arrangement Stephenson said will help the high-schoolers improve skills and provide valuable field experience for the Valley students.
Stephenson said her classes will also utilize an online resource called Learn a Test, which contains practice ACT tests, classes that let students learn at their own pace and a library of ebooks.
Although enrollment in the ACT prep class is limited, Stephenson said anyone is welcome to use the Learn a Test program, which can be accessed at the library or from a home Internet connection.
“Any patron of the library can use this program, but it’s been underutilized and underpromoted,” she said.
In addition to ACT study materials, Learn a Test features study guides and practice tests for a wide range of exams, including graduate school entrance exams, fireman’s and nursing exams and the U.S. citizenship test. The site also includes study aids and software tutorials.
According to data provided by the library, only 178 patrons had signed up to use the program over the last three years, a number Stephenson said she’d like to increase.
She said she’d be happy to visit local schools to demonstrate the website’s features and help students navigate the program.
By reaching out to students, Stephenson said, she’s fulfilling one of the library’s core missions.
“I believe the library serves as an enhancement to the educational system,” she said.
