Greetings from Tri-County Academy’s Counseling Office! We are very proud of Tri-County’s rich legacy and academic accomplishments. As our school prepares students for living as successful and responsible citizens, the faculty and staff together make it a priority to establish a challenging environment conducive to academic success, therefore establishing a path to higher learning and lifelong success. My personal goal as school counselor is to assist in providing a supportive academic climate for students. This is accomplished through counseling processes that foster balance between academics and the developing of the whole student. It is the responsibility of the counseling program to work closely with teachers, parents, and students with the purpose of guiding students towards a love for learning and success.
At Tri-County Academy, one of our main forms of measuring academic success and achievement is through standardized testing. Students in K-5 through the 8th grades are given the Stanford Achievement Test (10th Edition) during the spring of each school year as a means of measuring academic achievement in the following academic areas: Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Listening. A total of 147 students were tested during the Spring, 2009. Of those students tested, all grades scored an average of 2.4 points above their grade level in reading and 3 points above grade level on the Total Battery. Further, 80% of all students tested scored at or above the 50th National Percentile Ranking with 73 % of all students scoring at or above the 75th percentile.
Our secondary curriculum provides each student with a college preparatory plan of study. This plan of study has been created to adhere to the Mississippi Institutes of Higher Learning standards for college admissions. Formal college counseling begins during the junior year. One important aspect of college preparation is ACT participation and preparation. The American College Test is used as an indicator of a student’s success in college. At Tri-County Academy, ACT prep begins in the 7th grade. All secondary students are highly encouraged to participate in preparing for and taking the ACT. For seventh graders who qualify, the ACT is offered through the TIP Program sponsored by Duke University. As 8th and 10th graders, the students are required to participate in the EXPLORE and PLAN testing programs as a means of ACT preparation. All juniors need to participate by the spring of their junior year and seniors are encouraged to take it as much as possible during their senior year. ACT workshop and preparation materials are available in the Counseling Resource Area and weekly ACT reviews are held within individual classes. The average ACT score of 23 attained by the 2009 graduating class is the highest ever achieved. The average score of 23 places these students at an average of 2.5 points above the National Average of 22, Regional Average of 21, State Average of 20, and MPSA average of 21.
These scores confirm the quality of education our students are receiving as well as verifies the level of dedication of our faculty and staff have for the students of Tri-County Academy. We remain as committed as ever to upholding high academic standards as well as providing a well-balanced school environment that creates a community of learners.
I know that you will find Tri-County Academy to be a place of integrity and whose developmental goals are firmly grounded.
Welcome!
Chandra Hays, NCC
School Counselor
tcrebelshays@bellsouth.net
601-879-8517