Howell High highlights ACT gains; student board representative shares leadership experience

The board heard a presentation from Francis Howell High School principal Dr. Dave Wedlock and English staff about a multi‑year program to improve ACT scores. Wedlock said 102 students in the class of 2025 improved their composite ACT score by three or more points during high school, a number he described as the highest the school has recorded since the district began tracking the metric in 2017.

“We have been looking… at the number of students increasing their ACT score by 3 points or more,” Wedlock said. He explained that moving, for example, from a 16 to 19 carries college‑readiness implications, and called out work by English teachers to embed ACT skills into regular curriculum rather than interrupt it for test prep.

English teacher Sean Wheeler described classroom practices: full‑length practice tests, targeted lessons based on item‑level scoring data, warm‑up activities and formative assessments. Wheeler said one student reported a six‑point pre/post improvement on practice tests.

Earlier in the meeting the board recognized Francis Howell Central’s esports team for winning the 2024 Overwatch State Championship and welcomed student board representative Anika Jain from Francis Howell High School, whom Principal Wedlock introduced. In a prepared speech, Jain described extracurricular leadership roles including Future Business Leaders of America and Youth and Government and said she and peers are working on projects that support digital literacy in other communities.

The presentations were informational; no board action was required.