Two Tulsa students scored a perfect 36 on the ACT — each on their first try, according to a recent article published in the Tulsa World.
Was this a result of the students' teachers using Marzano's best practices on them? Did they have nothing but superior teachers on the Tulsa TLE? Did high-stakes tests prepare these students for perfect ACT scores?
Not according to one of these students.
Instead, Cameron Alred believes most of the accountability lies with him:
Alred said he estimates that doing well on the ACT is about 50 percent being mentally and physically prepared, such as sleeping well and eating a good breakfast; 25 percent coursework; and 25 percent luck.
(Emphasis is mine.)
So, in other words, this student, who is apparently an expert in successful ACT test-taking, believes that getting a good night's sleep and eating a good breakfast helped him do well on the test?
This makes one wonder about all those students who are living in poverty-stricken homes where they don't know when the next meal is coming, and where no one insists they get a good night's sleep.
Personally, I think one can also include a student's inherent mental capacity for taking four-hour tests should also be factored into that initial 50 percent.
That said, I think Alred is exactly right about where accountability for his success lies.