Utah’s school population, however, increased by only 1.7 percent. Each year, it’s estimated that 1.9 million students across the country take the exam.
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That comes as the percentage of Iowa students who took the ACT college-entrance exam grew.
“The needle is barely moving on college and career readiness, and that means far too many young people will continue to struggle after they graduate from high school”, ACT CEO Jon Whitmore said in a statement.
Thirty-four percent of Science Hill’s current seniors met the college-career readiness benchmark on all four subjects, which is significantly higher than the 20 percent statewide number.
North Carolina students’ scores on a national standardized test called the ACT are below national averages and are largely unchanged from previous year. And, on the science exam, 32 percent of Arkansas students and 38 percent of test-takers nationally met or bettered the ACT benchmark score of 23. Utah overall scored 19.4 in English, 19.8 in math, 20.9 in reading and 20.4 in science. That’s compared to the 19.8 average score for Hispanic students, and the 17.6 score for black students, results show. “I think above all that’s what we have going for us”, said Jason Dandurand, principal at Columbia High School.
“Georgia students’ ACT performance is on par with the nation and outpaces most other Southern states, and I’m pleased to see that”, said State School Superintendent Richard Woods.
Belleville District 201 has maintained its composite score within eight-tenths of a point for five years, said Melissa Taylor, director of student services for the district.
McKell Withers, superintendent of the Salt Lake City School District, said as Utah classrooms become more diverse, educational barriers like poverty and English as a second language become increasingly important to address.
However ACT spokesman Ed Colby stated, “A number of the initiatives aimed toward elevating the bar in all probability haven’t kicked in but, however our concern is that we’re nonetheless not realizing the on-the-ground effort that’s mandatory for robust progress”. Then language is another factor.
Nielsen says some improvement has been seen since the last time testing was conducted, but she adds the district may be reaching a plateau, in some cases.
Having more rigorous standards will also help minorities, Withers said.
English, math, reading and science marks all exceeded the state numbers, though the high school experienced a slight dip from 2014.
On all four sections of the test, Michigan ranked below the national average of percentage of students ready for college level coursework. The ACT is billed as an achievement test, measuring whether students have mastered core subjects in high school.
The results come from the 73% of Wisconsin students who graduated in 2015 and took the exam in high school.
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“Our staff at Henderson County High School does a fantastic job of working with our kids to prepare them for tests like these as well as the numerous other assessments they are held accountable for because they want each and every child to meet these benchmarks and be able to pursue their goals upon graduation”, said White.
