St. Charles scores highest in River Parishes

By JOHN HOWARD

Staff Reporter

ACT test scores from 2007 were recently posted, and all schools in the River Parishes except one failed to meet the state and national average. The state’s composite average was 20.1 and the nation’s was 21.2.

St. James is up one point from 2005 and 2006. The average composite score from St. James Parish was 18.4 in 2005 and 18.3 in 2006. This year St. James high schools composite score average was 19.3.

St. John Parish has the lowest scores in the region and has steadily decreased over the past three years. ACT scores for St. John Parish are down three-tenths of a point from 2005. The district’s composite score average has dropped from 17.8 in 2005 to 17.5 in 2007.

St. Charles Parish scores, the highest in the region, took a three-tenths leap to 20.5 in 2006. However, they have dropped three-tenths this year to 20.2. St. Charles Parish is the only district to exceed the state composite average of 20.1. Destrehan High School was the only school in the River Parishes to exceed the state composite average with a score of 20.4.

Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for St. Charles Parish said that St. Charles Parish’s ACT success is due to several things. She says students meet with counselors when they are in eighth grade to establish a five-year plan based on what they want to do after high school.

The students meet with the counselors once a year throughout their high school career because students change their minds about their futures quite often, and the counselors want to accommodate the students’ changing educational needs.

The eighth grade students take a test called the Explore Test. This test determines the pace at which the individual student learns and the tenth graders take a similar test called the Plan Test.

She also credits St. Charles Parish’s ACT success to ACT Preparation Workshops. The workshops are designed to educate the students on test taking skills and are held on two Sundays in the spring and two Sundays in the fall.