How much Miss-Lou students should worry about ACT scores depends on their plans for the future.

Natchez and Concordia Parish students earned an average composite score just below the state averages for 2000 on the ACT, a national test of college readiness.

Natchez students who took college-prep classes earned an average composite score of 18.6 this year, and all Natchezs tudents who took the test earned an average 17.6. These numbers are up slightly from 18.4 and 16.6, respectively, in 1999.

Statewide, college-prep students in public high schools earned a 19.8 statewide, the same as last year’s score.

Students are scored on a scale of 1 to 36, with individual scores in English, reading, math and science. They are also given a composite score.

Gwen F. McCalip, director of admissions and records for Copiah-Lincoln Community College, said the two-year school has an open admissions policy and does not require a certain ACT for admittance.

But, students younger than 25 years old are required to take the ACT to determine class placement.

For example, students must score at least a 14 in English and a 16 in reading section, or they must take developmental or remedial classes.

They must have taken Algebra II in high school and have a 19 on the math section of the ACT to take college algebra, she said.

But the school works with all its students to prepare them for college-level work, McCalip said. &uot;That’s one of the real (advandages) of a community college,&uot; she said. &uot;We give them a more solid foundation in preparing them for college level courses.&uot;

Students older than 25, do not need the ACT to take Co-Lin coureses unless their major requires it, McCalip said.

And Emanuel Barnes, director of admissions at Alcorn State University, said Mississippi’s eight public universities look at ACT scores on a sliding scale. College-prep students who have at least a 2.5 GPA or who are ranked in the top 50 percent of their class must have at least a 16 on the ACT to be eligible, he said. Students with a 2.0 GPA must score an 18.

And college-prep students with a 3.2 GPA or higher do not need an ACT score, except possibly for scholarship applications, Barnes said.

But students who score a 16 on any of the ACT subject areas must take remedial classes in college, said Pam Smith, spokeswoman for the state’s Insitute of Higher Learning.

&uot;That’s because we want them to succeed overall,&uot; Smith said.

Student who do not meet these requirments are still eligible but must go thorugh an on-campus placement process. Students should take as many higher level courses in high school as they can, to prepare them for college, Smith said.

Natchez-Adams Superintendent Dr. Carl Davis said the school system wants to help students score higher on the ACT.

The district plans to give students more test training, have 11th-graders take the test as practice and also give students a practice version of the test.

&uot;I think any practice we can give them is going to help us,&uot; said Davis, who is pleased with this year’s scores.

Natchez school board members say they are also pleased with student scores on the ACT but they want to see improvment. &uot;You always want our district to always be on par (and) at least no less than the state average,&uot; said board president Kenneth Taylor.

Taylor said he thinks the district is putting measures in place, such as an emphasis on accountability, that should also help ACT scores improve.

Board member Terry&160;Estes said he thinks the school district is &uot;holding its ground&uot; and getting stronger with its test scores.

Estes said he would like to see Natchez’s ACT scores at the state average or higher, but he thinks the district is making improvments. &uot;We’re a lot more structured and organized than we were five years ago,&uot; he said.