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Indiana ACT scores above national average for 18th straight year
Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Suellen Reed announced today that 2008 Indiana high school graduates scored above the national average on the ACT college entrance exam for the 18th consecutive year. “The ACT results clearly show that Hoosier students benefit from taking more rigorous courses,” said Reed. “This underscores the significance of Indiana’s Core 40 curriculum now being required for all high school students as the best way to prepare them for success in college and beyond.” While the national average composite score slipped one-tenth of a point from 2007 (21.1), Hoosier students held steady from last year with an average composite score of 22 points. Indiana students also continue to score higher than the national average in all elements of the ACT test; English, math, reading and science. Eight Indiana students scored a perfect composite score of 36 points in all study areas. Typically, as the number of students tested rises, the average score falls, but not so in Indiana. The current score results are based on a record 15,884 Indiana 2008 high school graduates who took the ACT at some point in their high school career, an 11 percent increase from last year. This represents 22 percent of the state’s 2008 high school graduating class. More than 1.42 million graduates, a record number, took the ACT nationally. College readiness improves Besides measuring academic achievement, the ACT also measures college readiness – how likely a student is to earn a “C” or higher in college coursework. The percentage of Indiana high school graduates who met or surpassed the ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks increased by 1 percentage point in two of the four subject areas this year compared to last year: mathematics (52%) and reading (60%). The percentage ready for college in English (74%) and science (32%) – and the percentage of students meeting all four benchmarks – remained steady compared to 2007. Importance of challenging courses Test results also indicate that students who took more rigorous courses in each subject area scored better than students who only took the basic requirements. For example, students who added one advanced math course scored 2.1 points higher than did students taking the minimum requirements. When advanced math, trigonometry and calculus were added, the average college readiness score for those students jumped nearly 8 points above those taking the minimum requirements. Similar conclusions can be drawn in other subjects including science. Students taking only the core biology requirement scored on average 18.5 points in science readiness, but students who added chemistry and physics averaged 23.7 points. About the ACT The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement test designed to measure the skills and knowledge taught in school and deemed important for first-year college students to succeed. ACT scores are accepted at all four-year colleges and universities across the country. ACT scores are also used to make appropriate course placement decisions by the majority of four-year schools in the U. S. The ACT is administered in all 50 states and is taken by the majority of graduates in 26 states. For more information about ACT, visit www.act.org.
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Indiana Department of Education |
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