For the class of 2014, the pressure is off. After a year of intense extended reading and multiple choice passages, the senior class has pulled off the highest composite ACT score in the history of Antioch Community High School. In addition to this achievement, both ACHS and Lakes Community High School met Annual Yearly Progress.

In 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted in all public schools nationwide. This act requires schools to meet certain requirements in order to stay in operation. Some of these requirements include graduation rate, but more importantly the scores on the PSAE (Prarie State Achievement Exam).

On the second day of the PSAE, the class of 2014 scored an average composite score of 22.4 and increased 1.8 points from the year prior. The percent of juniors meeting or exceeding standards in reading jumped from 60 percent from the class of 2013 to 73 percent for the class of 2014, jumping 21.9 percent. The math scores were pleasing as well, increasing 14.3 percent from the previous year.

“We’re proud of the students, and we’re proud of the staff. It’s really just a great feeling,” said ACHS Assistant Principal Aryan Haren.

As most upperclassmen know, the class of 2013’s scores dropped, resulting in them not meeting the school’s expectations. This interrupted a trend of score improvement over the past several years. Because of those scores, the staff and administration did some curriculum renovations to improve both math and reading scores for the next PSAE.

“Our focus was just getting kids to read,” said Dee Andershock, English department chair. “There was a minimum of 40 minutes of reading per week so kids were reading silently, reading in partners, in small groups—just reading anything.”

In addition to added reading time former principal John Whitehurst made the decision to revamp the ACT prep class. As risky as this decision was, the reward paid off.

However, Andershock has some concerns about the class of 2015’s scores.

“Now the challenge is, we hit this number. We can’t go down; ideally, you go up. So all the changes that we put in place will stay. We’re not changing how we teach reading, we’ll just continue to enhance,” said Andershock.

The administration is in the works of finding an appropriate reward for the class of 2014 and their performance on the PSAE.

ACHS’s improvement in ACT scores not only lead to ACHS’s highest average ACT score in school history, but the school also ranked in the top ten in growth among Chicago suburban schools, according to a recent report produced by Steve Cordogan, PhD, Director of Research and Evaluation from Township High School District 214.