Spring Session of New College Readiness Gets Under Way in Fayetteville and Little Rock

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas office of diversity is hosting the Spring Academy of the College Access Initiative, a new program to extend college readiness outreach across the state and enhance the diversity of the student body and increase the number of diverse and underrepresented students enrolling at the university.

In Fayetteville, the College Access Initiative Spring Academy is set in advance of the April 9 ACT test. Classes will meet on the University of Arkansas campus in Hotz Hall on Mondays, Feb. 28 through April 4. Class will not meet March 21, which falls during Spring Break. Space is limited. Applications from current high school sophomores and juniors interested in improving ACT performance are being accepted. The cost is $150 with a limit of 25 students being accepted into the Spring Academy. A limited number of partial fee-waivers will be available to students who qualify for free or reduced lunch.

In Little Rock, the Spring Academy begins March 5. The College Access Initiative staff will be working with Pulaski Youth Services to plan and teach an ACT outreach course every semester, serving close to 150 students.

Students and parents can register for either academy by sending an e-mail to Bryan Hembree at hembree@uark.edu with the following information: student name, high school, grade level, GPA, test scores and dates taken, guardian name, address, home phone, student mobile phone, student e-mail, parent mobile phone and parent e-mail.

“College Access Initiative in an affordable five-week ACT prep program,” said Hembree, who co-directs the program. “The class will focus on motivating strategies and a fresh approach to the ACT, and all four subject areas of the ACT – English, math, reading, science reasoning – will be covered. Sophomores and juniors of all levels will benefit from this unique approach to test prep.”

The class will begin with a parent-student orientation and a broad conversation about the college planning process. Parents will gain insight into program, and students will gain a roadmap for the five-week class, which includes strategies to help students:

• Conquer the balance between speed and accuracy

• Remove mental blocks that inhibit performance

• Gain familiarity and confidence with the test format

• Understand the role the test plays in the college planning process

• Move toward their true potential on the test

“Getting the message to high school students that taking the ACT is key to gaining college entrance is one of our priorities,” said Leslie Yingling, co-director. “The data shows that the more times students take the ACT, the greater their score is, which opens the door to numerous possibilities in terms of college selection and scholarship opportunity.”

The ACT Academy is organized by Hembree and Yingling, co-directors of College Access Initiative, a new educational opportunity program within the University of Arkansas Office of Diversity. College Access Initiative partners with schools, educators, organizations and communities to offer ACT prep and other outreach to improve college access among Arkansas students.

Hembree is the former director of the office of academic scholarships, and Yingling has directed a number of academic enrichment programs such as Upward Bound. Both have extensive experience taking and teaching the ACT.

The spring section of the class will be taught by a team of instructors familiar with the academy curriculum.

During the 2009-10 academic year, Charles Robinson, vice provost for diversity, traveled around Arkansas, building relationships with key high schools. His goal was to determine how the university could provide better services. One result of these conversations is the College Access Initiative, which will consolidate existing ACT outreach efforts and extend new services across the state, allowing the University of Arkansas to take the lead in providing support to students looking to make the transition to college. Robinson is continuing those statewide visits this academic year along with Chancellor G. David Gearhart.