Natchez students’ scores on the ACT — a national test of college readiness — are just below the state averages for 2000.

At Natchez High School, 84 students who said they were college-bound earned an average composite score of 18.6.

&uot;I think that we did good. I’m pleased with it,&uot; said Natchez-Adams Superintendent Dr. Carl Davis. &uot;It shows that we have some work to do.&uot;

A total of 173 Natchez High students — all of which did not take college prep classes, took the test and earned a 17.6.

Statewide, 10,361 college-bound public school students took the test and scored a 19.8.

A total 18,316 Mississippi students took the test and scored an 18.6.

Davis said the district has developed plans to help students improve those scores this year such as providing students with more test training and having 11th-graders take the test as practice.

In Concordia Parish, 118 students took the test this year and scored a composite score of 18.2 just down from the Louisiana average of 19.6.

Louisiana also saw an increase in the number of ACT test-takers — up 2,000 this year — with 80 percent of its public and non public school graduates taking the test.

Mindy Crain, with the Louisiana Department of Education said the ACT is important because state universities use it as a entrance tool.

&uot;It’s a test that’s supposed to predict how well students will do in college,&uot; she said.

The national average composite for the ACT is 22 for college-prep students and 19.5 for all students.

A composite score is made up of the English, math, reading and science reasoning parts of the ACT.

Students are scored on a scale of 1 to 36.