St. Mary trying to reverse drop in ACT scores

CENTERVILLE — In response to a steadily decreasing ACT scores, the St. Mary Parish School Board announced an “ACT Improvement Plan” for the upcoming school years.

In a three-page letter outlining the district’s next course of action, school officials said they will attempt to improve scores by recommending students take classes such as Calculus and Physics.

According to ACT research officials, taking physics over non-physics courses can improve science test scores by 2.6 points. Students who take Calculus over those who do not also improve math scores by 5.3 points.

The improvement plan also includes an ACT prep class, which will be offered at all St. Mary schools.

“The accountability standards aim for students to earn a diploma and achieve a composite score of 18 or better on ACT. Because of the new expectations, St. Mary Parish district staff has developed an ACT preparation plan that details strategies for student success on the test,” said the Board collectivity in a prepared statement.

The board in its proposed improvement plan said it will utilize pre-ACT readiness test called Explore and PLAN.

Eighth- and ninth-graders will take Explore while 10th-graders will take the PLAN test.

Across the district, schools have noticed a decline in composite scores. Centerville scored a 16.6 in 2014, 0.3 percentage points down from 2012. Franklin scored a 16.3 in 2014, a 1.5-percentage point drop from two years ago.

West St. Mary also noticed a significant drop from 18.5 in 2012 to 16.9 in 2014. Overall the Parish dropped more than 1 percentage point from 20.3 in 2012 to 19.2 in 2014.

District officials said the ACT test becoming a state mandate had an impact on scores in recent years. St Mary Parish had a record-setting 564 students take the test in 2014.

“The degree of motivation varies greatly among the tested population,” said St. Mary Parish assistant superintendent Teresa Bagwell.

The board’s seven-step plan also outlines workshops and computer software for students to use during the school year to prepare for testing.

Teachers are set to analyze Explore and Plan reports and analyze the scores during the high school’s department meetings.

“Success on ACT increases work force development and college completion opportunities. I encourage all stakeholders to become involved in advancing plan implementation,” said St. Mary Parish Schools Superintendent Donald Aguillard in a prepared statement.