Trustees discuss ACT Aspire test

Students at Whitehall High School are currently required to take the ACT during their junior year. At a meeting Monday night, the Whitehall School Board of Trustees discussed the possibility of requiring sophomores to the take the ACT Aspire test which maps learning progress from grades three to high school on a vertical scale, anchored to the scoring system of the ACT.

During her monthly report to the Board, Whitehall High School Principal Hannah Nieskens approached the board with the idea of having the school provide the test at no cost to the student. Nieskens lauded the idea of students taking the ACT Aspire, noting the benefits of getting the results during the student’s sophomore years, rather than just the ACT results during their junior years.

Board member Paul Shaw agreed with the idea of having the school paying for and requiring the Aspire, but also discussed the possibility of having the school do the same for the PSAT test. Shaw said his son had to travel to Twin Bridges to take the PSAT, which is used as a requirement for National Merit Scholarships.

Superintendent John Sullivan said he agreed with the idea of requiring the ACT Aspire, but did not think the PSAT should be a requirement. He did however state he would not have a problem with the school purchasing PSAT tests for students who wanted to take it.

In other business, the board voted to accept the letter of retirements from two teachers.

High School and Middle School Science teacher Todd Breitenfeldt and Amy Severance will both be stepping down at the end of the school year.

Breitenfeldt addressed the board and said moving on is a hard thing to do.

“But you get to a point where it’s time,” he said.