Dateline: November 6, 2003

CHS outperforms state, national ACT scores

The Clarendon High School Class of 2003 outperformed students at both the state and national levels on the ACT college entrance exam, according to a report from the organization which runs the test.

With about 80 percent of regular education students testing, ACT officials reported the CHS average composite score was over two points higher than the Texas average and about one and a half points higher than the national average. 

“What is very impressive, besides just the scores themselves, is that we outperformed the state while having such a high percentage of students testing,” said CISD Counselor John Taylor.

The CHS Class of 2003 topped the state and national averages on all tests, beating the state average in English by 3.7 points, math 0.9 points, reading 3.0 points, and science 1.1 points.

Clarendon’s composite score of 22.2 shows an increase over the last five years of 1.9 points.  During the same period, both the state and national composite averages dropped by 0.2. 

CHS has also shown growth on all test scores over the last five years.  The most significant increase has been in English with a 3.6 points- an increase of 18.5 percent.

“While the Texas Education Agency Gold Performance Acknowledgment Standards were suspended for 2003 due to the change from the TAAS to the TAKS test, had they been implemented, the testing rate met the Gold Performance standard set for 2002,” he said. 

“While CHS is following a national trend of increased numbers of students taking the ACT, it is doing so while increasing, not decreasing average scores.”

Scores for the ACT composite range from 1 to 36 - distributed over a normal, or bell, curve with about 60 percent of all students scoring between 16 and 23.  Scores for CHS students graduating in 2003 ranged from 16 (at the 7th percentile) to 33 (at the 99th percentile).

CHS Principal Larry Jeffers cited several reasons for the increasing scores, including campus wide initiatives such as block scheduling, the College Board Advanced Placement Program, the emphasis on the Recommended and Distinguished Achievement graduation plans, and the implementation of the TEKS, or Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. 

Jeffers said the scores, “primarily represent the hard work and dedication on the part of Clarendon High School students and teachers.”