Chickasha schools report rising ACT scores and outline steps to curb rising dropouts

District staff presented a multi-part college-readiness and dropout report that highlighted gains on statewide ACT measures and outlined interventions to keep students on track.

Jennifer and district staff said Chickasha's ACT composite scores have trended slightly above the Oklahoma average for the last three years and rose by about a full point last year. Speaker 4, who delivered the analysis, said reading and English results showed notable growth and that the district is using ACT AIM professional development and crosswalks between ACT items and state standards to reinforce classroom practice. "We are the highest that we have been in several areas, especially reading," the presenter said.

Staff described a schedule of formative ACT practice: timed section tests in classrooms in August, October, January and March, an online mock test in March, and a spring boot camp arranged by ability groups. The district is also sending two teachers to the Oklahoma ACT conference and plans additional national-conference attendance to adjust to test-format changes.

At the same time, staff reported an increase in dropouts. The district said middle-school dropouts rose (from a prior 1 seventh-grader to a current mix of four seventh-graders and two eighth-graders flagged in 2025) and high-school dropouts increased from 18 last year to 21 this year, with the largest single cohort coming from tenth grade. Staff itemized causes including family needs, felony charges, homeschooling that still counts as dropout under reporting rules, mobility and health issues.

To address the trend, the district described several targeted interventions: an expanded use of the local academy to re-engage sophomores, credit-recovery efforts led by Robin Gross Nicholas, transportation assistance for at-risk students, five-day-a-week advisory for career planning, weekly mailed ineligibility notices for at-risk students outlining teachers and failing classes, and a push to boost extracurricular participation through theater and a Chick-fil-A Quality Academy.

District staff also flagged process and reporting constraints. They noted the October 1 reporting date can cause students who re-enroll after that date to still be counted as dropouts for the school year. "If they come back October 2, they still count as a dropout," staff said, underscoring a timing gap that affects the numbers.

The board praised the ACT progress and asked clarifying questions about how format changes to the ACT could affect preparation. Staff said the test now includes fewer questions and less time and that some math sections start with harder items, which affects strategy and timing.

The board did not take formal action on the report beyond discussion and requested continued updates on progress and intervention outcomes.