Jackson Academy’s own Ann Boswell Carlson is to lead test prep for tenth to twelfth grade students. Carlson’s journey at JA started as a student in K4 and continued through graduation. While finishing her education at Belhaven University, she returned to JA, working with her mom, George Johnson, the Preschool librarian. As Carlson worked each summer, she slowly realized this was where she belonged. After graduating from Belhaven, Carlson continued with the Preschool for two more years. Then from 2014 to 2020, she was the English learning facilitator for the Academic Resource Center. In the fall of 2020, she began teaching tenth-grade English.
The fall semester of 2022 marks JA’s first year with an ACT Certified Educator dedicated to teaching test prep. Carlson teaches four classes of tenth to twelfth graders. The test prep class continually rotates through each section of the ACT–English, math, reading, and science–in two-to-three week units to help students develop skills and strategies for taking the test.
“My class now is geared toward how we succeed on the ACT,” Carlson said. Her goals in test prep are for her students to receive scholarships, gain access to a more significant number of colleges, build their reading comprehension, and increase ACT scores for each student and school-wide. She wants every student who attends JA “to graduate with every single possible opportunity. I want them to view test prep as exciting, a bridge or stepping stone to their future, to be able to work on skills and eventually have fun.”
Carlson, whose family has a long legacy at JA, highly values her JA connection. “I bleed blue and silver,” she said. She is a true Raider — and a classically trained opera singer. And although Carlson was voted most likely to be famous in 10 years during her senior year at JA, she admits, “I am not literally famous; I am pretty sure every Upper School student knows my name. So, that is a type of fame.” She enjoys inspiring her son, a K4 student, and her test prep classes. Carlson’s primary classroom is located in the Upper School in room 123.
Head of Upper School Brandi Richardson is pleased that JA offers greater exposure and comfort with standardized testing for college entrance exams. “I am excited about expanding our test prep opportunities for students at JA by having an ACT Certified Educator on our staff. Ann Boswell Carlson is an excellent fit in our test prep program,” said Richardson. “She truly understands the ins and outs of college entrance exams and the importance of student success on these exams. We look forward to celebrating student gains and achievements as they work with Mrs. Carlson to meet their individual goals!”
Keep an eye out for the possibility of outside offerings for a low-cost ACT tutorial.
