4 Corners
A Publication of Lauderdale County Schools
Volume V Issue 2
September 2017
LCSD ACT SCORES IMPROVE
Lauderdale County School District continues to be among the best in
the state. Our latest accomplishment centers around ACT. As we
know, the ACT is the most popular college entrance exam recognized
by institutions of higher learning today. This assessment provides an
indication of a student’s readiness for college level work and is a pre-
dictor of college success. During the 2014-2015 school year, the Mis-
sissippi Department of Education added the ACT as an additional as-
sessment requirement for all high school juniors. Since that imple-
mentation, our district continues to see improvements in scores. In
2014-2015 our average composite ACT score was 18.6. In 2016-
2017 the average was 19.4, which is well above the state average of
18.0. When you dig a little deeper into our data, you see that we
Randy Hodges, Superintendent
have a great deal to celebrate. Out of 240 high schools reporting data,
Clarkdale High School ranks 3 rd in the state in the area of English, 20 th in the state in the area of
reading and science, and 37 th in the state for math. Their average composite score of 20.5 ranks
them 13 th in the state, which is in the top 5% of high schools. West Lauderdale High School ranked
14 th in the state for math, 15 th in the state for science, 36 th in the state for reading, and 38 th for Eng-
lish. With an average composite score of 19.8, WLHS ranks 27 th in the state, which is in the top
11% of Mississippi High Schools. Northeast High School has also shown great improvements since
2014-2015, as average composite scores have increased from 17.9 to 19.3. NEHS ranks 20 th in the
state for English, 49 th for math, 44 th for Science, and 61 st for Reading. They rank 41 st in the state for
average composite scores, which is in the top 17% of high schools. The Lauderdale County School
District as a whole ranks 23 rd in the state which puts us in the top 16% of all school districts in Mis-
sissippi.
The ACT improvements in LCSD are not by accident. A district initiative was launched in 2014-
2015 for the purpose of not only improving scores, but also to provide more testing opportunities
for students and improved remediation. As a result, a weekday ACT testing opportunity in the fall
was started and schools developed intervention times in the school schedule to help students pre-
pare. We also wanted better communication with parents and students concerning the beneYits of
higher ACT scores. A high ACT score can equate to Yinancial rewards through scholarship opportu-
nities for college for students and families. At the LCSD school board meeting in September,
twenty-Yive seniors across the district were recognized for scoring 29 and above. We are so proud
of their accomplishments! Thank you to our teachers, counselors, and administrators for under-
standing the importance of this initiative and working hard daily to ensure every student achieves
his or her goals.