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ACT Presents Awards to Education Programs

September 5, 2002

IOWA CITY, Iowa —ACT has announced the six recipients of its second annual ACT Awards Program.

The ACT Awards Program is designed to benefit projects, studies and programs that aim to increase empowerment of individuals whose life circumstances and environments could hinder their educational and career quests.

Awards are provided in the form of ACT programs, services, consultation, and resources. Each year, ACT offers four to six awards with a total value of $50,000.

This year's award recipients include:

  1. Kenwood Academy's (Chicago, IL) Project Assist program will establish a resource network to help identify the academic strengths and weaknesses of incoming ninth grade and current tenth grade students to provide a framework to maximize learning while undertaking a rigorous college preparatory curriculum (with the ultimate goal of increasing the likelihood of college attendance).
     
  2. Chicago State University's (Chicago, IL) Career Exploration and Orientation Program (CEOP) is an initiative developed to enhance retention by assisting first-time freshmen with choosing a major. The goals of the program are to reduce the number of undecided majors, increase student retention, and demonstrate increased academic performance by program participants.
     
  3. University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (Chickasha, OK) Linking Assessment to Academic Success project ties assessment to academic success through the improvement of an integrated retention model. The model supports learning interventions that include identification of at-risk students; faculty advising for at-risk, undeclared major students; and learning interventions through academic advising, counseling, and learning resources.
     
  4. The University of Florida's (Gainsville, FL) CROP (College Reach-out Program) is designed to increase the number of students who successfully complete postsecondary education. This is accomplished by providing educational motivation and preparation for low-income, disadvantaged students who otherwise would be unlikely to seek admission to postsecondary education.
     
  5. Miami Northwestern Senior High School's (Miami, FL) POWER (Progressing Onward with Educational Resources) program targets at-risk juniors and seniors and aims to enhance their opportunities for applying to and entering postsecondary education. These students spend their junior year researching colleges and careers, visiting colleges, and preparing for the ACT Assessment. During their senior year, the focus moves towards assisting them through the college admissions process.
     
  6. Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN), in partnership with the Indianapolis Public Schools and the Indianapolis business community, developed the Science Bound program to address the issue that many underrepresented students are not pursuing careers in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. The program involves students, who might not ordinarily go to college, beginning in seventh grade and continuing through college entrance, and mentor teachers.

This award reflects ACT's mission to help people achieve education and career goals by providing information for life's transitions.