That compares with 40 percent a year ago. “I am confident the Class of 2017 will meet our school board strategic plan goal of an average composite score of 24”. “We view these scores as a reflection of our district’s ability to prepare students for work or college and to meet the Profile of the SC graduate”.
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“It really is a testament to the teachers, and not just those teaching ACT prep, that’s your core teachers reaching out and teaching a rigorous curriculum to all students”, Harris said.
Ooltewah High School saw one of the biggest increases in scores overall, from 19.5 to 20.6.
Zachary Zhao, now a senior in Florence One’s International Baccalaureate Program (IB) at Wilson High School, made a ideal 36 on the ACT.
Across the nation, 17 other states require ACT participation and 21 percent of their students, on average, tested ready for college this year.
The ACT is one of the two college entrance exams in the United States.
The federal law calls for states to develop new accountability systems that will close achievement gaps.
Scores typically decrease as more students who are not college bound and have not taken preparatory courses for the ACT are required to take the exam.
More than 70 percent of MA students showed proficiency in both reading and math. RPS also considers NWA assessments to look at how students are doing throughout their time in the district, “to see if they are on path to being college and career ready”, he said. The benchmarks represent scores that would indicate a level of preparation needed to have at least a 50 percent chance of getting a B or above in entry-level college courses.
For the 2015 graduating class, about 26 percent of students met all four predictors for college success, equaling the national average. Thirty-four percent of students did not hit a single benchmark score.
The testing requirement took affect in the 2014-2015 school year when the 2016 class was in its junior year.
There is a stark divide, too, among students who come from wealthier homes and those who grew up less well off.
Students at East, North and West combined for an average composite score of 20.9 on the 2016 exam, up from 20.7 the previous year, and a tad above the national average of 20.8.
Having to take remedial college courses, which don’t count toward graduation, increases the cost of education and makes it less likely for students to complete, according to the committee. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln wants first-time freshman to obtain an ACT score of at least 20. Forty-three percent of Kansas students met the science benchmark, which is above the national average of 36 percent. Germantown Municipal School District now leads the entire state with the highest average. In the category that shows the percentage of students who improved in all four subjects, LPSS officials say.
“I feel that maintaining a competitive score is something to be proud of when you see increases in the numbers of test-takers”.
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Like the rest of the nation, Minnesota’s students continue to struggle to score high enough on the ACT to be considered college-ready. That was still below the national average of 22.2. Forty-eight percent met the mathematics benchmark in Kansas, compared to 41 percent nationally.
