MHS seniors working to excel on ACT tests
Staff writer
Marion High School seniors taking the American College Testing (ACT) assessment are faring better on the test than their counterparts statewide and nationwide.
Marion-Florence USD 408 superintendent Lee Leiker told school board members Oct. 11 the district had received statistics showing how Marion students' scores compared to other students in the state and on the national level.
The ACT is the nation's most widely used college entrance exam, assessing what students have learned in high school and their ability to successfully complete college level course work.
The test is designed for students who plan to attend college and have completed recommended college prep courses, known as a core curriculum. The core curriculum consists of four years or more of English, three years or more of math, three years or more of social studies, and three years or more of natural science.
Leiker explained test results are divided into two sections, core and non-core. Core scores are those of students who have completed the core curriculum. During the 2003-04 school year, 39 Marion High School seniors took the test. Thirty-one of those were taking the core curriculum while seven were non-core.
Results show the overall composite score of core students was 23.1, while the composite score for non-core students was 20.9.
In comparison, the composite scores statewide were 22.5 for core students and 19.6 for non-core. Compared nationally, composite core scores were 21.9, while non-core were at 19.4.
"Our core students and non-core students scored higher than the state and national," Leiker said.
The previous year (2002-03), a total of 41 Marion High School seniors took the test with 31 of those completing the core curriculum while 10 were in a non-core curriculum. Composite scores of those MHS seniors were 21.8 for core and 18.4 for non-core.
"More students are striving for academic excellence," Leiker said. "Having higher scores is certainly a trend we want to continue."
Broken down into subject areas, core scores of Marion High School seniors taking the test in 2003-04 were better than the state and national averages. Non-core scores in the most recent results were better in all areas except science reasoning where the state average was one-tenth higher.
"That's one of the few areas where our students didn't fare as well when broken out," Leiker said.
Marion High School principal Ken Arnhold noted that not all students take the ACT test.
"Students going into the military or vocational schools are not required to take it," Arnhold said, but said students are encouraged to take it even if they do not plan on going to college right away.
Arnhold also noted it was not uncommon for students to take the test several times because only the highest score counts. He noted many juniors now take the test.
"It doesn't count (test scores) if you take it as a junior," Leiker clarified, "so it doesn't skew our scores. It's become a heavy instrument for college entrance. Many students are taking it early to get an idea of what it's like."
Board president Rex Savage noted a student's test score is required on many scholarship applications.
USD 408 students don't even have to travel anymore to take the test. Marion was a testing site this past year and will host another test this coming spring, Arnhold said.
Energy efficient buildings
Even though two of the three school buildings in Marion-Florence USD 408 are older facilities, all three are energy efficient.
Leiker told board of education members that John Rule with Building Control Services (BCS) in Wichita had completed an energy analysis on the district school buildings.
The study compared energy costs in USD 408 to other districts determining how much it costs to heat and cool the buildings.
"We gave John our last year's utility costs and square foot information on the buildings," Leiker said. "Even though square footage may vary significantly from school to school you can tell the cost per square foot."
The report includes each school's electricity intensity, natural gas intensity, and total energy intensity. The report assigns each school a code rather than identifying them by name.
Leiker noted the average energy intensity was 100 percent. Explaining a graphic of the report, he noted the top high school building in the report (not a Marion school) in terms of most energy used was at 196 percent.
"That means they're 96 percent over the average," he explained.
The report showed the Marion High School/Marion Middle School complex with a total of 105,466 square feet — averaged 65 percent in terms of total energy intensity, 35 percent below average.
Although the high school dates from the 1920s and the middle school from the 1990s, the two are conjoined which makes it impossible to separate them in terms of energy usage, Leiker related.
Marion Middle School principal Tod Gordon agreed, "The middle school is always trying to pump air conditioning into the high school," he said.
Leiker said the multiple stories in the high school/middle school complex help contribute to the increased energy efficiency.
The unidentified Kansas high school building with the lowest energy intensity ranked at 49 percent.
In terms of energy consumption at Marion Elementary School, its 62,150 square feet averaged 75 percent, 25 percent below average.
In comparison, the top unidentified elementary school in the state in terms of energy usage ranks at 177 percent, 77 percent above average. The lowest elementary school energy usage in the state came in at 13 percent, Leiker said.
Board member Gene Bowers commented the 75 percent energy efficiency rating at MES should improve because new insulation was added this past summer to the east wing when the new roofing project was completed.
Reviewing the information of unidentified statewide usage, board members commented that the cost per kilowatt hour varies significantly across the state.
Summing up the information, Leiker said BCS indicated there was little it could do to improve the energy efficiency of the district's schools in terms of making mechanical system changes, except perhaps re-calibrating boilers to peak efficiency.
"That would be about $500 to do that," Leiker said. "But our numbers don't indicate there's a problem."
Although there's little the district can do in terms of conserving natural gas, Leiker said the district could cut its electricity consumption by turning off lights and computers at night, a suggestion made by the district's custodial staff.
"These are little things but they add to our energy intensity," Leiker said. "We're doing all we can to be aware of that."
