COLLEGE READINESS PROGRAMS
Our commitment to preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals

• Participants will improve their ACT composite scores.
• Participants will achieve the ACT college readiness benchmarks.
• Participants will achieve the ACT benchmarks required for any TOPS.
• Participants will enroll in a 2-year or 4-year college or university.
• Participants will declare a STEM field of study.

• The Office for Student and Community Engagement plays a crucial role in the Ready Set Program. It is responsible for disseminating the program's promotional material to Caddo Parish's high school counselors, ensuring that the information reaches the right audience.
• High school counselors in Caddo Parish play a crucial role in disseminating the information about the Ready Set Program to their student population, a task they perform with dedication and care.
• The Caddo Parish School District promotes the READY SET flyer on its communication platforms.
• An Office of Student and Community Engagement representative will visit the local high school campuses to identify eligible students interested in medicine, biomedical sciences, or allied health professions.

• The assistant vice chancellor for student and community engagement screens, reviews, and selects the participants.
• Students receive notification about their acceptance or denial of the program via e-mail.
• Parents and students are required to sign the commitment and participation guideline forms, as their active involvement is key to the success of the Ready Set Program

Fall 2024
Participants in the fall cohort enrolled at CE Byrd, Caddo Magnet, Captain Shreve, and Northwood high schools. After receiving the ACT tutoring service offered by the LSU Health Shreveport's Office for Student and Community Engagement:

• Fifty-seven (57) percent of the participants’ ACT composite scores improved.
• Forty-two (42) percent of the participants’ achieved the ACT college readiness benchmark for Math.
• Forty-two (42) percent of the participants’ achieved the ACT college readiness benchmark for Science.
• One hundred (100) percent of the participants’ achieved the ACT college readiness benchmark for English.
• Forty-two (42) percent of the participants’ achieved the ACT college readiness benchmark for Reading.
• One hundred (100) percent of the participants’ achieved the ACT college readiness benchmarks for any TOPS scholarship.

The READY SET Program has demonstrated a meaningful impact on student academic readiness, particularly in improving ACT scores and increasing eligibility for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) scholarships. With measurable improvements in composite scores and subject-specific benchmarks, the program plays a vital role in expanding college access for high school students in Caddo Parish who are interested in the fields of medicine, biomedical sciences, and allied health professions.

SUMMARY

On June 14, 2024, forty-eight students and four chaperones arrived at the Center for Medical Education Building, anticipating a positive learning experience. At the start of the campus visit, the Office for Student and Community Engagement staff divided the LA PREP participants into three groups. Each group had 20 minutes to assemble a large anatomy puzzle (brain, heart, or human body), a hands-on activity to promote engagement. The team that finished first received LSU Health Shreveport paraphernalia. Afterward, the students gathered in the auditorium to engage in a lecture about Anatomical Sciences at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport (LSUHS) through VR goggles. Dr. Kevin McCarty, Professor of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, led the discussion.

PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES

After the learning experience, participants received a text message to complete a six-question online survey. Only 56% of the LA PREP participants completed the survey. The students' feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with

• One hundred percent of the surveyed participants expressed their enjoyment of the campus visit and their eagerness to learn more about anatomy.
• Eighty-six percent of the survey participants believed that learning can be fun and engaging and sometimes requires teamwork.
• Sixty-eight of the participants who completed the survey reported that they had acquired new knowledge about the function and location of the organs and muscles in the body, demonstrating the educational value of the event.

• In the spring semester, the LA PREP director and the OSCE program manager meet to discuss the logistics of the annual summer field trip.
• The OSCE program manager identifies speakers and some educational activities for the group to engage while attending this learning experience. 
• The Director of OSCE collaborates with the AVC to design an appropriate age survey for the students to complete.

• In the spring semester, the high school counselors and the OSCE program manager meet to discuss the logistics of the annual summer field trip.
• The OSCE program manager identifies speakers and some educational activities for the group to engage while attending this learning experience. 
• The Director of OSCE collaborates with the AVC to design an appropriate age survey for the students to complete.