COLLEGE and CAREER 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

Spring 2024-2025 READY.SET Cohort

Twelve high school students participated in the 2024 Spring ACT tutorial course. Among the group, 17% identified as seniors and 83% as juniors. Each participant enrolled at one of the following Caddo Parish High Schools:

• CE Byrd (4)
• Caddo Magnet (2)
• Captain Shreve (4)
• Huntington (1)
• Pathways in Education-Louisiana (1)

TOPS eligibility among the cohort before program participation.

• Fifty percent (50%) of the participants qualified for the TOPS Opportunity (minimum ACT 20).
• Seventeen percent (17%) of the participants qualified for the TOPS Performance (minimum ACT 23)
• Zero percent (0%) of the participants qualified for the TOPS Honors (minimum ACT 27).

TOPS eligibility among the cohort after program participation.

• Sixty-seven percent (67%) of the participants qualified for the TOPS Opportunity (minimum ACT 20)
• Seventeen percent (17%) of the participants qualified for the TOPS Performance (minimum ACT 23)
• Eight percent (8%) of the participants qualified for the TOPS Honors (minimum ACT 27)

Subject Specific ACT Performance Improvements

• Fifty percent (50%) of the participants’ ACT composite scores improved.
• Seventeen percent (17%) of the participants achieved the ACT college readiness benchmark for Math.
• Thirty-three percent (33%) of the participants achieved the ACT college readiness benchmark for Science.
• Seventy-five percent (75%) of the participants achieved the ACT college readiness benchmark for English.
• Fifty-eight percent (58%) percent of the participants achieved the ACT college readiness benchmark for Reading.
• Ninety-two percent (92%) of the participants achieved the ACT college readiness benchmarks for any TOPS scholarship.

Program Effectiveness
Spring 2024-2025 Ready. Set ACT tutorial yielded measurable academic gains and led to a marked increase in TOPS scholarship eligibility. These outcomes highlight the program’s positive impact on student college readiness and access to financial aid opportunities.

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.

AAMC Collaboration

The purpose of this training is to educate middle school-aged students about the importance of developing certain soft skills, such as being respectful, kind, compassionate, and sensitive towards one another, all traits essential for an effective physician-patient relationship.

• During the 2025-2026 academic year, the institution will identify three middle schools to participate in the pilot program.
• From 2025 to 2028, the LSU Health Shreveport’s Office for Student and Community Engagement will visit all 18 middle schools in Caddo Parish.
• Students selected to participate in the program MUST be enrolled in a foreign language course.
• The Office of Medical Education will disseminate a campus-wide call for program faculty and senior medical student facilitators.
• Each facilitator group will coordinate a 45-minute hands-on activity (described below) among 6th- to 8th-grade students, promoting cultural awareness, cultural humility, empathy and compassion, ethical responsibility, interpersonal skills, oral communication, reliability and dependability, resilience and adaptability, teamwork, and collaboration.
• Participants will complete an appropriate age survey to evaluate their perception of each activity and HEART.
• The Office for Student and Community Engagement will share this information with the AAMC to describe the program’s effectiveness.

SUMMARY

On May 30, 2025, fifty-one middle school students and four chaperones affiliated with the LSUS-LA Prep program arrived at the Zadeck Conference Room, anticipating a positive and engaging learning experience. Dr. Jamie Toms, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery, led the discussion.

PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES

After the learning experience, participants used their cell phones to scan a QR code, which allowed them to access a six-question online survey. Students who did not have a cell phone completed the paper version of the same survey. Eighty-two percent of the students completed the survey (45/51).

The students' feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with

• One hundred percent (100%) of the surveyed participants expressed their enjoyment of the campus visit, highlighting the positive impact of the event on their overall experience. They also showed their eagerness to learn more about neuroscience, indicating a strong interest in the subject.
• Ninety-eight percent (98%) of the students who completed the survey responded positively to the neuroscience demonstration coordinated by Dr. Jamie Toms. This overwhelming feedback underscores the success of the event in engaging the participants and sparking their interest in neuroscience.
• Sixty-seven percent (67%) of the participants who completed the survey reported that they had acquired new knowledge about the function and location of the central nervous system in different brain regions, as well as how the brain influences behavior and is controlled by brain function, demonstrating the educational value of the event.

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.