Parish aims to increase ACT scores

The Louisiana Department of Education recently announced a record number of high school seniors earning scores of 18 or higher on the ACT.
St. Landry Parish public school students had an average composite score of 18.7 in the 2014-15 school year, up from 18.4 the previous year.
However, St. Landy Parish composite scores have been on the decline since 2004 when they were 19.1.
The highest ACT composite scores from 2004 to 2012 were in 2009 and 2012 when they topped out at 19.5.
And, the parish’s recent score of 18.7 is below the state average of 19.4.
St. Landry Parish Superintendent Edward Brown, in an email, said, “Increasing the rigor in all content areas assessed on the ACT has been a priority of the district since the Louisiana Department of Education began testing all students in grade 11 on the ACT in 2012-2013. Since spring 2013, the district has been testing all students at grade 11 on the ACT assessment. This includes students who have not followed the Core 4 curriculum. Testing all grade 11 students on the ACT has resulted in a greater number of students taking the ACT than at any point in the district’s history.
“As the district moves forward to the 2015-2016 school session, an even greater emphasis is being placed on preparing students for the ACT. This August, the district will assess all grade 11 students along with grade 12 students who have not yet scored a composite of 18 with an ACTPrep Diagnostic. Individual score reports from the diagnostic assessment will be provided for all students. Data from the score reports will be utilized by teachers in the content areas to increase relevance and rigor in preparing students for the state ACT testing on March 1, 2016.”
The Department of Education stated a score of 18 or more leads to more graduates entering college without needing to take remedial courses.
Among seniors in spring 2015, 24,619 students earned a college-going score (18+), an increase of nearly 1,000 students from 23,660 in 2014 and an increase of more than 6,300 students from the 18,307 who met the mark in 2012, the department stated.
The 2014-14 ACT composite score for Acadia Parish was 17.9, no change from 2013, and Evangeline Parish’s score was 18.8, up from 18 in 2013.
From 2004 to 2012, Acadia Parish composite ACT scores ranged from 18.7 in 2004 to a high of 19.6 in 2009.
Evangeline Parish scores ranged from a low of 18.6 to a high of 19.2 from 2004 to 2012.
The state improvement comes after years of raising expectations for math and English in Louisiana, teaching to nationally competitive standards, the state department news release said.
The state said the growth is due to comprehensive high school policy changes the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and local school systems began implementing in 2012, including an overhaul of the state’s accountability system, the creation of the Jump Start career education program, and expansion of Advanced Placement courses.
The increase in ACT scores resulted in a 0.2 point rise in the state’s average composite score – now 19.4 in 2015 as compared to 19.2 in 2014 – as determined by seniors’ best score on the test. The “best score” method, used by colleges and universities for the purpose of admission and by TOPS for purposes of scholarship awards, calculates a student’s top score achieved any time the student took the test.
ACT composite scores for 2013-14 by school in St. Landry Parish were Eunice High School, 19.5; Opelousas Senior High School, 18.7; North Central High School, 17.3; Beau Chene High School, 19.2; Northwest High School, 17.7; Port Barre High School, 19; and Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts, 18.7.
Evangeline Parish 2013-14 ACT composite scores were Basile High School, 20.3; Mamou High School, 18.6; Pine Prairie High School, 18.7; and Ville Platte High School, 16.4.
Acadia Parish 2013-14 ACT composite scores were Church Point High School, 17.6; Crowley High School, 17; Midland High School, 20.1, Rayne High School, 18.3; and Iota High School, 20.5.