Local students’ average ACT scores dip
Nationwide, scores are lowest in last decade
TEXARKANA — Local students’ average ACT Test scores have declined in recent years, according to school officials.
Texarkana Arkansas School District and Texarkana Independent School District are in step with a national trend, 2022 data show.
Texas High School’s average score went from 21.6 — of a possible 36 — in 2019 to 20.9 in 2022, TISD communications manager Todd Marshall said. And the average ACT score for TASD was 16.79 in 2022, lower than in previous years, according to Arkansas High School 10th-grade counselor Sherry Grimes.
In 2022, the average composite score for students in Arkansas was 18.8, while in Texas it was 19.8, according to recent data from scholarship aid website Scholaroo.
The group’s “ACT Scores 2022 Index” also reported that U.S. students who took the ACT had the lowest results in the last decade.
The ACT tests students on English, mathematics, reading and science. Each category is scored from 1 to 36, and the average of the four is the composite score.
“THS (Texas High School) has seen a slight dip in our scores. … Among our highest ranking students (Summa Cum Laude Graduates) the average decreased from 28.8 in 2019 to 27.4 in 2022,” Marshall said.
Marshall said the district provides test preparation through college and career readiness software Naviance, along with weekend studying sessions throughout the year.
Grimes said AHS juniors have the opportunity to attend ACT prep classes offered at the Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative, along with studying time offered twice a week through in-class intervention. AHS is also offering incentives to encourage student participation in the ACT test scheduled for Feb. 28.
Marshall said COVID-19 has led
most higher learning institutes to make ACT/SAT optional for admission, but are still requiring the tests for scholarships and course placement exams. A few colleges are just now beginning to require ACT/SAT scores in the admission process for the classes of 2024 and beyond, he said.
Students with above average test scores seem to have an advantage in admissions, he said.
“If (a student’s) score is at the average or above for the school to which they are applying, then they should submit the score. Many students must demonstrate college readiness test scores in English and math in order to be placed in freshman level math, science and communication courses,” Marshall said.
Pleasant Grove ISD and Liberty-Eylau ISD did not provide ACT score information in time for the publication of this story.
TEACHER SHORTAGE MAY
PLAY A ROLE
Some local districts — TISD, TASD and Redwater ISD — are using emergency or alternative hiring qualifications to fill vacant positions, according to previous Gazette reports.
A statement from TISD said the district is experiencing staffing issues similar to the rest of Texas. Seven out of 99 teachers hired this school year were hired with emergency permits.
“Our priority is to always find top talent, with a focus on student-centered philosophies.
“We are still experiencing teacher shortages. We are beginning to post open positions for the ’23-’24 school year and are working on recruitment efforts for the upcoming school year,” Marshall said.
In October 2022, TISD Superintendent Doug Brubaker announced a partnership with Texarkana College to create a program called Pathways in Technology.
The program is also known as P-Tech and offers pathways for students to obtain their high school diploma and an associate degree while gaining workplace experience as a teacher.
“The pathway we are focusing on initially is teacher education,” Brubaker said. “The teacher shortage in Texas is a real thing, so we want to expand that pipeline of talent from our high school to (Texarkana College), to Texas A&M University-Texarkana and then back into our classrooms.”
Grimes said TASD is still dealing with a teacher shortage. The district has used a state waiver to hire non-educator prepared candidates with degrees for classroom assignments, according to the district’s human resource coordinator, Rene Corbell.
“The Act 1240 waiver has been used by the Texarkana Arkansas School District for four years now as a successful tool to hire and develop new educators.
“The district is constantly evaluating the needs of these non-traditionally trained educators to make sure they receive the support needed to be successful,” Corbell said.
TASD is also implementing a teacher residency model in partnership with local universities.
The model allows certified teaching assistants and paraprofessionals to pursue a teaching degree with license while learning from a master teacher through hands-on classroom experience.
According to the district, TASD hired 22 teachers under Act 1240 for the current school year, and 58 total.