ACT Supports Programs That Reach Out
to At-Risk Students

The University of California Community Partnership Initiative has established ten Academic Centers of Excellence in churches that serve low-income and educationally disadvantaged students in California. The centers started offering services this school year.

“What we’ve done for a long time is focus on outreach through a school-based approach. We have developed partnerships with 72 high schools and their feeders throughout the state,” Mimms said. “More recently, because a lot of our students don’t get involved in school-based activities and miss various opportunities, we’ve extended our outreach to include community and faith-based sites.”

The project, which emphasizes test preparation and college-readiness skills, earned recognition by ACT this year in the form of EXPLORE^®, PLAN^®, and ACT Assessment^® materials, as well as the DISCOVER^® program for career planning, for participating students.

Mimms expects to serve 2,000 students ranging in age from kindergarten through twelfth grade.

“There’s not going to be a typical student. Within these congregations and in these communities you’re going to find some who are extremely bright, with a lot of potential, perhaps even straight-A students. Within their school district, they may be at the top of the class, but they’re missing courses, they don’t know how to take standardized exams, they’re not planning to take standardized exams. Our goal is to get them on track and help prepare them for college,” said Mimms. “Then, on the other end, we’re going to have kids who are really struggling, and are in desperate need of tutoring and homework assistance.” The program includes components to address health and wellness, parental involvement, academic preparation, financial aid, test preparation, technology, self-esteem and motivation, and mentoring—everything students need to be ready for college.

At the end of the first year, Mimms will evaluate the program’s accomplishments for ACT.

“I’m hoping to say that the kids are better prepared to take standardized tests, that they have some better ideas of career paths, that they are better tracked for college, that they now see that they can go to college and it’s not as difficult as they thought it would be. I’m hoping to say that they’re capable, they’re confident, they have skills, and they have a better understanding that they are, indeed, college material,” Mimms said.

Serving such a range of needs is typical of the programs ACT has recognized in recent years, according to George Wimberly, a research associate at ACT.

“We are seeing numerous programs at the postsecondary level that are working to develop a pool of students ready to meet the requirements of college; many universities have programs in K-12 institutions and in middle and high schools,” Wimberly said. “There is a very good mix of students and a lot of colleges working to provide enrichment to them.”

ACT periodically provides support and services to schools and organizations that help at-risk students succeed in education and careers. Usually the support is in the form of ACT programs, services, consultation, and materials.

This year, in addition to the University of California program, ACT awarded five other efforts to serve the needs of at-risk students.