By Katie Allin
In the 2014-2015 school year, Nevada joined 12 other states in requiring all high school juniors to take the ACT. By their own admission, this requirement comes as the Nevada Department of Education tries to discern the level of college readiness that public high schools are providing. This year alone, Nevada colleges reported that nearly one-third of their students needed to enroll in remedial courses.
Sierra Lutheran High School (SLHS), in order to produce academically competitive students, encourages all juniors to take the ACT. In fact, they advise them to take it for the first time as sophomores. SLHS considers itself a college prep school, with rigorous academics that prepare students for whatever college or university they choose to attend.
As the 2015 ACT scores are released, it appears that the school is doing just that. On the ACT College English Composition test, 92% of SLHS students scored as “college ready” (compared to the national and state averages of 64%). In College Algebra, 77% of SLHS students are considered “college ready” (compared to the 44% state average, and 42% national average).
Besides their committed faculty and competitive course offerings, one of the reasons SLHS has found success on the ACT is because of their preparation. SLHS is very intentional about helping students prepare for the ACT and SAT. All freshmen take the ASPIRE test which is an ACT-style test that measures college-readiness. All sophomores and juniors take the PSAT test to both measure college readiness and help them prepare for the SAT.
Even if most colleges and universities scrutinize the numbers, SLHS’s focus remains not on the scores themselves, but making sure that students are ready for the path they choose after graduation.
“God gives each student unique gifts and talents,” expresses Dr. Tami Seddon, SLHS Academic Dean. “We want to work with students to nurture those gifts and build strong academic foundations so that students not only get into the college of their choice, but are prepared to be successful in college.”
Over the last five years, 93 percent of Sierra Lutheran’s graduates have gone on to college, with 66 percent matriculating on to 4-year colleges and universities (2010-2015). Additionally, over the past four years, SLHS graduates have earned an average of over $32,000 per student in scholarships and grants.
“We are extremely proud that our alumni have been accepted and are currently attending schools such as George Fox, Boston University, UNR, ASU, Oregon State, Pepperdine, Biola, and others,” lists Pastor Juls Clausen, SLHS Principal. “But we take greatest pride in the fact that many alumni have contacted us, explaining that our fantastic faculty prepared them well – and they are successful now because of their time at SLHS.”
