WHITE RIVER VALLEY — Average composite scores on the ACT college readiness exam for students in the Prairie Grove and Elkins school districts exceeded the state average by more than a point.

On Wednesday, the ACT group released information about national and state trends on the results from the spring 2009 tests.

The ACT exam is made up of four subject tests, which are English, math, reading and science. Students can score 1 to 36 on any individual subject test, and the average of all subjects forms the composite score.

The state average score for Arkansas was 20.6 and the national average score was 21.1 for 2009 high school graduates.

Prairie Grove graduates had an average score of 21.8, and Elkins graduates had an average score of 21.9, according to information released by the district superintendents.

"For 2008, the composite score was 20.3," Prairie Grove Superintendent Randy Willison said.

Also, 68 students at the school took the ACT in 2009, compared to 63 in 2008.

Elkins had 44 students take the exam in 2009 and 46 take it in 2008, when the composite score was 20.7, Superintendent Mike Harris said.

The districts' scores for 2007 to 2005 were as follows:

◊Elkins: 21.3, 2007; 21.9, 2006; 20.5, 2005.

◊ Prairie Grove: 21.1, 2007; 21.0, 2006; 20.6, 2005.

The Farmington School District's 2009 graduates had an average score of 21.4, and in 2008, the graduates made an average of 21.5 on the test, according to Terri Strope, district director of instruction. Scores from the previous three years were 20.8, 20.4 and 19.4.

Strope said she is pleased the district's scores are above the state average, even though there is still room to improve.

Greenland had some of the area's highest average scores for 2008, when its composite score was 22.1. The district even received an Arkansas College Readiness Award for its continuous improvement in ACT scores from 2003 to 2007.

For 2009 graduates, the average score was 21.1 on the test, Superintendent Roland Smith said.

"I'm still pleased to see us above the state average," Smith said. "At the same time, we're going to work to see that this year's class exceeds that."

Smith said he had a conversation with the high school counselor about the results and found that students enrolled in the Smart Core curriculum track had higher ACT scores than students who opted out and took the Core curriculum.

The Smart Core is a set of college preparatory courses, which are approved by the Arkansas Department of Education, that students must pass in order to graduate. Students can, however, graduate under the less rigorous Core curriculum with parental consent.

"When you look at the [2009] kids who took the Smart Core curriculum, their scores were 22.8, and the others were 16.6," Smith said.

Also, in 2008 there were only six students who took the ACT who opted out of the Smart Core curriculum. For 2009, there were 10 students enrolled in the Core curriculum who took the test.

Smith said he believes that taking more rigorous classes helps students prepare for college better and score better on the exam.

"I believe in that," he said.

Specific numbers from Lincoln were not available, but Superintendent Frank Holman said in a press release about school happenings that his district's composite ACT scores are above the state average.

Fayetteville Public Information Officer Alan Wilbourn said that school district had not yet received any information on its 2009 ACT results.

Education, Pages 7, 8 on 08/27/2009

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