Iberville lags on ACT test scores

Iberville Parish public school students reversed a four-year slide in ACT test scores and showed a three-tenths of a point improvement in 2011, but remained nearly three points behind their peers in Louisiana and the nation, according to information released by the state Department of Education.

Local scores reached a high of 17.8 in 2007, but slipped to 17.5 in 2008, 17.1 in 2009 and 16.9 in 2010 before going up to 17.2 this year.

The state's average composite score moved up from 20.1, in 2010 to 20.2 in 2011, and the national average composite score went up from 21.0 to 21.1 in the same period.

The state department said the average scores for African American students were 17.5, compared to 17.0 nationally. Scores for African American students in the Iberville School system were not immediately available.

The ACT test, once called the American College Testing program, is scored on a scale of one to 36. Students receive a composite score, representing an average of their reading, English, math and science sores. The test is designed to measure the skills and knowledge deemed essential for success in college and the workplace.

The test is administered to high school students in all 50 states, and is used by most Louisiana colleges and universities to determine eligibility for admissions, scholarships and placement in college courses.