LVUSD Students Outperform State in ACT Exam

Las Virgenes Unified students scored significantly higher than students statewide on a key college placement test this year, according to ACT results released Wednesday.

The ACT results show how public and private high school graduates in the state fared in the test's four sections of English, math, reading and science. Colleges use the test results for admissions and scholarships.

LVUSD scores have risen consistently each year for the last four years, with an average cumulative increase of one point in each test subject since 2006, according to a media advisory released by the district last week. 

Data for the 2010 ACT also showed that LVUSD students who were enrolled in higher-level coursework before taking the test scored significantly better than pupils throughout California who completed the same courses.

"Both of our comprehensive high schools in partnership with our parents strive to provide a rigorous and relevant educational program that has enabled our students to be 'university ready,'" said Superintendent Don Zimring. "As a result, our students are prepared not only for the SAT and ACT, but for their first year of college as well."

Dr. Dan Stepenosky, assistant superintendent of personnel, said he was thrilled with the results.

"As a district, we continue to look closer and closer at how our students perform on this and many other assessments," Stepensoky said. "Performance like this validates how skilled our teaching staff is."

Thirty-one percent of California's 2010 high school graduates met or surpassed all four of the ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks, according to state schools chief Jack O'Connell. Not only did a record number of students in California take the ACT in 2010, but those who did also "outperformed the nation," said O'Connell.

In a statement, O'Connell also noted that an achievement gap still exists, with fewer Latino and African American students meeting ACT standards than white and Asian students. 

Implementing a rigorous curriculum, providing individual academic and career counseling, and regularly measuring and evaluating student progress were just a few educational strategies and techniques that O'Connell listed.