Director’s Note 

Dear friends, 

We made it to spring! I hope you’re able to enjoy some sunshine after a long winter. Spring brings the excitement of wrapping up the school year and entering celebration season — celebrating 2024 National Campaign results, recognizing our 2024 School of Excellence winners, and gearing up for College Signing Day. 

Thank you for another year of supporting students by hosting college application events. These events are a fantastic way to showcase the benefits of higher education and add extra excitement to College Signing Day, especially after students have submitted applications to numerous universities and colleges.  

At the end of this month, state coordinators will convene to discuss strategies and best practices for our 2025 campaign efforts. I’m eager to learn new ways to make these events even more innovative and interactive so that we can better connect with students and families. 

Let’s keep our energy high and our doors open to motivate students to finish the school year strong as we look ahead to mid-2025. 

With gratitude,  
Lisa King, director 

National Campaign Data and School of Excellence

ACT’s American College Application Campaign has released its 2024 campaign results and announced the 26 schools honored with its sixth annual School of Excellence awards. These exemplary schools were recognized for their dedication to helping students of all backgrounds pursue postsecondary success.  

Read the press release and learn about the winners. 

Data-informed Decision-making 

By: Kris Coles, assistant commissioner for access and college in high school, Utah System of Higher Education 

On Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) officially launched AdmitUtah.org. Admit Utah is an initiative and an online tool to assist all Utah high school students, parents, and counselors in understanding the guaranteed admission opportunities at all 16 public colleges and universities in the state. This website represents the initial phase of a larger, simplified, and direct admissions initiative aimed at increasing the college-going rate for students in Utah. 

USHE developed the AdmitUtah.org website to enhance accessibility and streamline the college admissions process. It features a short-form quiz that asks students general questions about their educational goals, current GPA, and where they attend high school. Based on responses, the website generates a personalized page with a list of Utah public colleges where they would be guaranteed admission. From there, students can explore various programs these colleges offer or apply directly. Best of all, the platform — and applying — is completely free for Utah students, making the college application process even more accessible and streamlined. Admit Utah aims to achieve three key goals: ensure every Utah high school student is informed of their admission to at least one USHE institution, assist undecided students in exploring higher education options, and integrate college-going efforts into K-12 practices. USHE believes every student deserves a chance to go to a technical college, a community college, or a four-year university; no matter where they start, this site lets students know what’s possible in seconds.  

Admit Utah represents the beginning of a fundamental shift in the college application process for students in the state. However, Admit Utah is only as good as the students who use it. So, to help promote its use, Admit Utah was launched to coincide with Utah College Application Week (UCAW), which began in early October and ran through the first week of November. Information sessions and walk-through tutorials were held with high school counselors to show how easy it is to use. Counselors were encouraged to share the resource with students and use the provided assets to help promote the use of the tool and share student successes.  

In the first three months of its launch, AdmitUtah.org saw over 31,000 individual users and had 17,000+ clicks to institutional admission applications! In addition, high school counselors reported the number of students participating in UCAW and the number of applications submitted. Through this collaborative effort, the overall number of participating high schools rose to 148, an increase of 18 schools from the previous year. Students submitted over 50,000 admission applications during UCAW, representing an 8% increase in the number of applications submitted during the same period last year.  

Admit Utah has proven to be a tremendous resource for students accessing higher education in Utah. However, the collaboration with high school counselors has been equally as important and meaningful. By simplifying the college selection and admission process through Admit Utah and using college application event data gathered and reported by high school counselors, we can collectively inform strategies geared toward college access and reach attainment goals in a new and collaborative approach.   

This commitment is already evident with the addition of a new Financial Aid Chatbot to the Admit Utah site to help students ask and receive answers to their questions regarding state and federal financial aid. Additionally, in 2025, USHE will focus on integrating data with the Utah State Board of Education, the state board for K-12 education, to enhance the online portal and plan outreach events for future college-bound students. This comprehensive effort is designed to simplify admissions, increase application rates, and support students throughout their college journey. 

Combating Uncertainty and Work Overload: Maintaining Positive Progress and Achieving Goals 

By: Lisa King, director, American College Application Campaign 

We all know the familiar feeling at the beginning of each school year — inspired and motivated to guide students toward success. But after months of progress, the workload piles up, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The good news? You can find balance without sacrifice.  

Maybe you’ve set goals for the year, but the execution has become routine. How do you reignite the fire? 

• Reconnect with your purpose: Remind yourself why you do this work: to help your students excel. Use that passion to fuel you to revisit the goals you set at the beginning of the year. What’s worked so far? What hasn’t? Use these insights to help inform a new path forward. 

• Be flexible: Not every idea will go as planned and that’s okay! Sometimes, we need to pivot to make the impact we are expecting. Be open to new ideas and to changing course when needed. 

• Collaborate: Lean on your fellow educators and counselors to co-run or lead initiatives, sharing responsibilities and ideas. Participating in lesson studies together also provides the opportunity to share best practices and restructure lesson plans. 

You want to continue connecting with students in innovative and engaging ways, but you have a lot on your plate. How do you do both? 

• Create weekly plans: Having a plan in place reduces stress and the feeling of unpreparedness; planning in weekly increments also helps to break things down into smaller, more manageable tasks. 
• Focus on one task at a time: Looking at the big picture can feel overwhelming. Focus on one task at a time, check it off, and then move on to the next — before you know it, your entire list is complete. 
• Leverage existing resources: Don’t start from scratch if you don’t have to. Use existing templates and tools to save time and reduce unnecessary work. 
• Encourage students to participate in self-directed learning: Giving students autonomy — through group work, educational apps, or self-directed activities — frees you up while empowering them.  

Remember that taking care of yourself helps you take better care of your students. When you plan to bring your best self to work, it reflects in what you do and how you connect with others. While stress is sometimes unavoidable, proactive steps can help lighten the load. Celebrate the small wins — they’ll add up! 

College Signing Day

Deciding what to do after high school is one of the most significant decisions students will make. Pursuing higher education is a choice that deserves celebration and recognition. Join us in celebrating College Signing Day this year to acknowledge this momentous decision and occasion.  

Download and share materials from the 2025 toolkit and use the hashtags #CollegeSigningDay and #BetterMakeRoom on social media.   

Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 5-9. Educators do more than just teach — they inspire, guide, and shape the future. Their dedication deserves to be recognized. This week, we encourage you to take a moment to show your appreciation. A heartfelt thank-you card, a small gift, or even donating classroom supplies can make a big difference. However you choose to celebrate, let’s ensure our teachers feel valued for all they do!  

College Application Events: Sign Up to Be a Host Site  

Give your students a meaningful opportunity, sign up to be an ACAC host site in your state for the 2025 college application season! Hosting an event empowers students to explore the benefits of attending college, discover their options, and find the best path forward. It’s a rewarding experience for both you and your students. Sign up today and help shape their futures.  

Register here. 

ACT Summit  

Join us July 15-17 in Nashville, Tennessee, for this year’s ACT Summit. Across 50 impactful sessions, the summit provides the opportunity to share innovative ideas, best practices, and insights with leaders in K-12 education, higher education, and workforce development to solve some of today’s most pressing challenges. Attendees will be able to network with their peers and collaborate across sectors.  

Register to attend here.