THE OKLAHOMAN
NORMAN | STATE
NOVEMBER 3, 2010
VI
17A
Technology center sets career night FROM STAFF REPORTS
NORMAN — The Moore Norman Technology Center will hold a Career Awareness Night for public school students and their parents from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at the campus at 12th Avenue NW and Franklin. Career Awareness Night for students in grades six through 12 and their parents is hosted each year by the center in partnership with Moore and Norman school districts, said Anna Trowbridge, spokeswoman for the technology center. The interactive event allows students to explore a variety of careers, learn about the center’s study
LEARN MORE For more information, call the career night coordinator at 364-5763, ext. 7379, or e-mail iadair@ mntechnology.com.
programs and get firsthand knowledge about work from local businesses and industry, Trowbridge said. Business and higher education professionals will share their expertise and related career experiences with students attending the event, Trowbridge said. Students may participate in a “reality check” exhibit, where they are
made aware of the realities of daily and monthly living expenses, she said. Parents can gather information on Oklahoma’s Promise and other state programs, as well as talk with high school counselors in the Student Transitions room, Trowbridge said. Representatives from local colleges and universities, Moore Norman Technology Center instructors and career advisers will be available, as well. High school students will be given information about summer employment opportunities, internships, college credit courses, higher education opportunities and entrance requirements, Trowbridge said.
Metro-area students struggle with ACTs BY TRICIA PEMBERTON Staff Writer tpemberton@opubco.com
An analysis of metroarea schools’ average ACT college entrance exam scores shows that only four schools scored at or higher than 24, the score desired by most four-year colleges for entrance. The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics led the way by scoring an average composite ACT score of 31.4. The school is a two-year residential high school for academically gifted students across the state. Edmond North High School ranked next highest in the state, with an average composite score of 24.3. Also meeting or surpassing a score of 24 were Classen School of Advanced Studies, with a score of 24.2, and Norman North High School, with an average score of 24. Other metro-area schools came close to the benchmark score. Edmond Memorial High School had a score of 23.6, Deer Creek High School scored 23.2 and Norman and Putnam City North high schools each had scores of 22.9. ACT stipulates the composite score to be college-ready is 24, said Bob Melton, science curriculum facilitator for the Putnam City School District. Colleges such as the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and other four-year schools have picked that score as an entrance requirement. ACT arrived at that score based on data of stu-
AT A GLANCE OKLAHOMA SCORES BEHIND NATION Oklahoma’s 2009 graduating class is behind the national average ACT test score in English, mathematics and science, according to state schools Superintendent Sandy Garrett’s latest “Investing in Oklahoma” report. The state matches the average score in reading. In English, Oklahoma’s average score is 20.5, the national is 20.6. In math, the average score is 19.9 for the state and 21 for the nation. In science, scores are 20.5 for the state and 20.9 for the nation. Reading scores are 21.4. Composite scores for the state are 20.7, and nationally 21.1. Shelly Hickman, spokeswoman for the state Education Department, said it’s important to remember that Oklahoma has more test takers than the national average. “The more students who take an exam, the lower the overall score,” she said. Still, she acknowledges the state has work to do. “We’re very close to the national average in some subjects,” she said, “But math is an area where we need to improve.” TRICIA PEMBERTON, STAFF WRITER
dents who passed the test with that score and how they did in college, Melton said. Students who achieve that score have a 50 percent chance of making a B or better and a 75 percent chance of making a C or better in their freshman year in college, he said. Other colleges, such as community colleges, accept a lower entrance score. Edmond North Principal Jan Keirns attributed her school’s score to the number of Advanced Placement courses students take. Keirns said 65 percent of the school’s senior class has taken at least one AP course. Students took more than 1,300 AP exams last year, she said, maintaining a pass rate that is as high as it ever has been. “If you have a strong,
rigorous curriculum, not only are students learning academically, they are learning how to learn, they’re learning timemanagement skills, analytical thinking, the ability to write,” she said. The Midwest City-Del City School District saw average ACT scores ranging from 22.4 at Carl Albert High School to 16.7 at the Mid-Del Alternative Academy. Putnam City high schools also showed a wide range of average scores on the ACT test. Putnam City North tied for eighth in the state with five other schools with an average score of 22.9. Putnam City High School had a score of 20.5, while Putnam City West High School scored 19.3. Putnam City Academy, the district’s alternative school, scored 17.8.
Norman board to consider projects FROM STAFF REPORTS
NORMAN — The Norman School Board has scheduled a special meeting today to discuss and possibly give authorization to proceed with design plans for a new elementary school in southeast Norman and for classroom additions at three other schools. The meeting is at 5:30 p.m. at the Administrative Services Center, 131S Flood Ave. Representatives from The Stacy Group will show and explain plans for the new school, followed by representatives of Locke Wright Pruitt & Brown discussing the initial designs for classroom additions at Cleveland, Jackson and Wilson elementary schools. The capital improvements are part of the $109.7 million bond issue passed by Norman voters in December. After each design is ex-
plained and discussed, the school board will vote on whether to proceed with the construction document phase.
The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled to begin 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Administrative Services Center.