Louisiana's overall ACT score drops slightly, trails national average
by John Pope - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

One year after Louisiana's high-school seniors attained the state's highest-ever overall score on the ACT college entrance examination, that composite figure dropped back slightly to the level it had held in 2006 and 2007. According to data that ACT Inc. released today, the overall Louisiana score this year in the four areas the test covers -- English, mathematics, reading and science -- was 20.1, down from 20.3 last year, and exactly one point below the national composite of 21.1. Even though the decline may seem small, ACT Inc. spokesman Eric Gomer said a change of at least 0.1 point in either direction is significant because of the large amount of students involved -- 34,548 in Louisiana and nearly 1.5 million nationwide. In each of the test's four fields, Louisiana's graduating seniors' average score trailed the national figure. The statewide and national scores, respectively, were: English, 20.3, 20.6; math, 19.6, 21; reading, 20.2, 21.4; and science, 20, 20.9.