Oak Ridge Today

Oak Ridge Schools ACT scores exceed state goals

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Oak Ridge Schools have announced that students are again performing well above the state average on the ACT in all areas.

In the 2016-2017 school year, the overall average composite was a 22.8. Oak Ridge students particularly excel in English on the ACT exam, at which Oak Ridge students score about 20 percent higher than the state average, a press release said.

In addition, more than 65 percent of Oak Ridge students score at or above a 21 on their average composite, as compared to the state average of 42 percent. [Read more…]

Roane State to host ACT workshops March 18, April 1 at main campus in Harriman

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For college-bound high school students, it’s the biggest test to date of their academic careers: the ACT exam. The test evaluates students’ readiness for college, and scores can determine whether they are admitted to the college of their choice.

Roane State and the private education institution, SailAway Learning, are offering workshops on preparing for the ACT on two Saturdays, March 18 and April 1.

The workshops, titled “Hidden Rules of the ACT Prep,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days on Roane State’s main campus in Harriman. Check-in will be from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. [Read more…]

ORHS juniors take ACT on Tuesday, April 19

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Oak-Ridge-Civic-Center-March-7-2016

ACT testing for Oak Ridge High School juniors will be on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

All Oak Ridge High School juniors will take the ACT on Tuesday, April 19.

Oak Ridge Schools’ goal is to improve the college and career readiness of all Oak Ridge students in order to provide them with a better foundation of knowledge and skills, allowing them to be prepared for a more technologically sophisticated and internationally competitive working world, a press release said. In order to reach this goal, the system has The Seven Keys to College and Career Readiness, and the fifth key is for all students to score an ACT composite of 27 or higher.

“Last year, Oak Ridge High School ranked first among east Tennessee districts in composite ACT scores, but there is still work to be done to reach our goal,” a press release said. “Our next opportunity to shine is coming up in April.”

This year, the City of Oak Ridge is partnering with ORHS to provide secure, quiet space at the Oak Ridge Civic Center for testing, the press release said. All members of the Class of 2017 should report to the Civic Center for testing on the morning of April 19 by 7:30 a.m. Testing should conclude by noon. ORHS school lunch will be available for students who wish to return to ORHS after testing. Students who choose to go home immediately after the testing or immediately after lunch will have an excused absence from their afternoon classes. [Read more…]

OR Schools asks for state help with military program, consistency for teachers

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McDonald-McQueen-Ragan-ORHS-Jan-7-2016

Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen, center, visited Oak Ridge High School on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016. Also pictured are ORHS Principal Martin McDonald, left, and Tennessee Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge Schools could use help with a military program, one of the so-called “seven keys” to college and career readiness, education officials told a state official on Thursday.

State officials can also help by “keeping teachers on the same path for more than one year,” Oak Ridge Board of Education Chair Keys Fillauer told Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen during a Thursday afternoon tour of Oak Ridge High School.

“Let’s give them (teachers) some consistency,” Fillauer said. McQueen’s path is called TNReady, Fillauer said. That’s described as a “new and improved” TCAP (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program), which students have taken since 1988.

McQueen is visiting all districts as part of a statewide tour. On Thursday, it was Oak Ridge’s turn. In addition to Oak Ridge High School, McQueen toured Glenwood Elementary School and Robertsville Middle School. [Read more…]

Sign up for Oct. 17 ACT Prep Workshop at Roane State’s Roane County campus

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Roane State Community College Harriman Campus

The main Roane State Community College campus in Harriman. The college also has a branch campus in Oak Ridge.

Students will learn hidden rules of the ACT during an ACT Prep Workshop on Saturday, October 17, presented by Roane State and SailAway Learning at the college’s Roane County campus in Harriman.

Seating is limited. Register soon.

Students will learn valuable test-taking tips and receive helpful review materials. According to data from SailAway Learning, 60 percent of those who took the workshop improved their overall score by at least one point.

The workshop will be held on Saturday, October 17, from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Roane County campus, 276 Patton Lane in Harriman. The cost is $55.

The $55 non-refundable fee is payable at registration. To register, go to roanestate.edu/ACTworkshop or call (865) 481-2031.

Roane State has ACT Prep Workshop on April 11

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Students can sign up now through April 4 for an ACT Prep Workshop at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus on April 11.

Students will learn hidden rules of the ACT during the workshop, which is presented by Roane State Community College and SailAway Learning at the college’s Oak Ridge campus, a press release said.

Seating is limited, and the registration deadline is April 4. [Read more…]

Sign up for Dec. 6 ACT Prep Workshop at Roane State

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Roane State Community College Harriman Campus

The main Roane State Community College campus in Harriman. The college also has a branch campus in Oak Ridge.

Students will learn the hidden rules of the ACT in an ACT Prep Workshop presented by Roane State and SailAway Learning at the college’s Roane County campus in December.

Seating is limited. The deadline to register is November 29.

At the workshop, students will learn valuable test-taking tips and receive helpful review materials and resources. According to data from SailAway Learning, 66 percent of past workshop attendees raised two or more subtest scores, and 60 percent improved their composite score. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Schools announces ACT results for 2013-2014 graduates

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The ACT college entrance examination “assesses high school students’ general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work.” Students are tested in English, mathematics, reading, and science. They receive a score between one and 36 for each test and also a composite score, which averages the performance on all four subject tests.

The ACT is widely accepted as the premier college entrance examination.

Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said: “In the Oak Ridge Schools, we believe it is crucial for our students to perform well on the ACT examination. It is one of our Seven Keys to College and Career Readiness, and we are proud of how students perform on the ACT and of our teachers who prepare them. This year is no exception.”

The 2014 Oak Ridge High Schools graduating class significantly outperformed the state and national averages on each of the subject components of the ACT examination as well as the overall composite. In fact, Oak Ridge’s 2014 graduating class achieved higher in English, mathematics, reading, and composite than any other ORHS graduating class in the past five years. In addition, the percent of ORHS’s 2014 graduates that met or exceeded all four of the ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores was far higher than the state and nation. [Read more…]

ORHS hopes to win top reform prize in Nashville on Oct. 28

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Oak Ridge High School

Representatives of Oak Ridge High School, selected as one of the best three public high schools in Tennessee for growth in student achievement, will be in Nashville on Oct. 28, when they hope the school wins top honors at the SCORE Prize event.

Leaders, teachers, parents, and students of Oak Ridge High School, selected as one of the best three public high schools in Tennessee for growth in student achievement, will be in Nashville on Oct. 28, when they hope to win top honors at the SCORE Prize event.

The SCORE Prize, sponsored by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, or SCORE, is the hallmark award for Tennessee public schools and districts that have made the greatest gains in student achievement. The prize will be awarded during an event that begins at 6 p.m., Oct. 28, at Laura Turner Concert Hall, Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville.

SCORE is an independent, nonprofit, and nonpartisan education advocacy and research institution that works collaboratively to support Tennessee’s work to prepare students for college and the workforce and was founded by Bill Frist, former U.S. Senate majority leader. [Read more…]

ORHS a finalist for prize recognizing improvements in student achievement

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Oak Ridge High School

Oak Ridge High School is one of twelve finalists, and three high schools, competing for a prize that recognizes schools and schools districts in Tennessee that have most dramatically improved student achievement.

Oak Ridge High School is one of twelve finalists for a prize that recognizes schools in Tennessee that have most dramatically improved student achievement.

Two other high schools, Maryville and Covington, also made the list, which was announced Tuesday by State Collaborative on Reforming Education, or SCORE, a nonprofit organization founded by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

The finalists include elementary, middle, and high schools, and school districts in Tennessee. They are competing for the third annual SCORE Prize. School winners will be announced in October and receive $10,000, and the district winner will collect $25,000. [Read more…]