Morgan County Schools performed better than the state averages on the new ACT Aspire test, according to data released this week by the Alabama Department of Education.

In all but three of the 12 categories, the percentages of students who met or exceeded the standards for the Aspire Test were above the state average. In the three that fell below, Morgan County’s numbers were very close to the state average.

Patrick Patterson, Director of School Improvement for Morgan County Schools, said the test scores for this year are a baseline for comparison and cannot be compared to previous years.

“This is a brand new test for the State of Alabama, and it is much more rigorous than the old ARMT (Alabama Reading and Mathematics Test),” Patterson said. “Everyone’s numbers went down. Basically the ARMT was  just a regular doctor’s checkup, but the ACT Aspire was a physical. It shows us really where we stand, and we have our work cut out for us.”

The ACT Aspire test scores were divided into four levels – Level 1, not meeting any benchmarks; Level 2, meeting some benchmarks; Level 3, meeting all benchmarks; and Level 4, exceeding all standards. When a school system’s level of proficiency is measured, it will look at Levels 3 and 4 for state standards.

Patterson said the test data included many positives and negatives for the school system.

“Our numbers for the most part are very similar to the state averages, with some being lower and others being higher than the state average,” Patterson said. “It showed us some skills where we were deficient. Some were specific to a school while there were some that were across the board. In those cases where we saw a deficiency across the board, we are offering teachers professional development to give them training to help the students improve their proficiency in those areas.”

Patterson said each of the school systems were given the test data in September. He then developed spreadsheets to help his teachers see what specific skills the students had either mastered or where they needed work.

“We received an individual report for every student in our school system,” Patterson said. “Those reports were given to each of the teachers so that they know what the needs of each student are. My job is to provide them the data that they need to help each of their students succeed.”