FAYETTEVILLE -- High school students from across the state in past summers made their way to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. For a decade, they've attended the ACT Academy, a test prep program that also has offered a first taste of campus life to hundreds of students, including many from low-income families or who might be the first in their families to attend college.
But in June the experience will be entirely online, as UA classrooms remain closed to in-person instruction because of the coronavirus pandemic.
About 90 students who applied before the virus reached Arkansas will participate in virtual sessions to prepare for the college entrance exam, said Sarah Draine, director of UA's College Access Initiative. Before the pandemic, UA planned for 150 to 175 students on campus, Draine said.
Students taking part in the program, scheduled for June 8-13, still will get five days of instruction. They also will get to know current UA students, which Draine said is a key part of the overall experience each year. Seven UA students who serve as "near-peer mentors" have been hired for the program, Draine said.
Participants will miss out, however, on visiting campus, which can play a big role in helping students envision themselves going to college and succeeding, said Kirra Williams, executive director of the Little Rock nonprofit We Apply Inc., which provides one-on-one college prep services.
"Exposure to college campuses, as simple as it sounds, can really be a turning point in helping students increase their insight into what they think they can achieve," Williams said.
Tracy Stephens, a college and career coach for Mountain Home High School Career Academies, said her son is among those planning to take part in the ACT Academy.
"I would say he's not as excited as he was about getting to go to the college for it, but he's looking forward to the training," Stephens said in an email. "These students have had to learn to adapt with this Covjd-19 ruining their scheduled events, so it's just become the accepted outcome."
Draine said the university is waiving for all participants the program's standard $30 fee. The fee is typically waived for low-income students who qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches, according to UA's website. Students must cover the cost of the ACT exam or have an exam fee waiver.
The application process for the program requires a short essay. Preference is given to low-income and "first-generation" students who would be first in their families to attend college.
The program's application does not ask students about their race or ethnicity, but the selection process includes parts of the state with large percentages of minority-group students, Draine said. The geographic diversity "typically provides for that racial and ethnic diversity as well," Draine said.
Even though the experience is online, Draine said the program's goals remain the same as in past years: teach students about topics on the ACT, help them learn about college and prepare for life after high school, and connect them to support offered by UA students and staff members.
Draine said a survey was sent out to program applicants before moving forward with an online-only version of the program. She said about 105 students expressed some interest.
From there, "all of the applicants were invited to attend and participate," Draine said.
Draine said the mentor aspect of the program is "hugely important."
The UA students working as online "near-peer mentors" this summer will sit in on the main instruction periods and assist in smaller review sessions. Apart from the test prep sessions, they'll also be working with small groups to facilitate icebreakers and talk about "college readiness" topics, Draine said.
She said she's heard previous ACT Academy participants, in their words, say how "the mentor staff showed me it was possible for someone who looks like me or is from my community to go to college."
Draine said she has not heard from students expressing concerns about accessing technology to take part in the program, though she said that perhaps those questions might come up as the program's start date approaches.
Williams in March gave a talk at the Arkansas ACT Summit about working with low-income students. She said low-income students often have challenges when it comes to accessing technology for extended learning sessions.
"Not only is having a computer or technology available to do that a barrier, but time is also big barrier," Williams said, as students may have work obligations or need to care for siblings.
"It could be any number of things that could divert their attention from this, versus if they're on a college campus and that's all they have to deal with," Williams said.
She praised the efforts by UA in running the program. It began in 2010, according to the university's website.
"I definitely think that programs like this are so essential," Williams said.
Another summer program run by the College Access Initiative, the Jump Start program, also is going online-only this summer. It is scheduled for July and aims to help students complete college applications, Draine said.
UA spokesman Mark Rushing said the summer Accelerate Student Achievement Program for incoming freshmen also will begin online this summer. The initiative is described by UA's website as a five-week "summer bridge" program that gives students a chance to earn college credits before the start of fall classes.
It was started in 2016 with help from a $2.4 million Walton Family Foundation grant as a way to help "first-generation" and low-income students in eastern Arkansas counties.
"Students in the [summer] program will attend orientation online in June and will be contacted again in July for more specific virtual introductions to programs, advising and campus life," Rushing said in an email. "Students in the [summer] program would begin scholarships, peer mentoring and programming this fall either remotely or in-person, assuming, as we hope, that students are able to return to campus at that time."
Metro on 05/31/2020