Highland, Triad see higher ACT scores

In the metro-east, ACT scores were up for the graduating class of 2017 over the previous year’s graduates.

That boost comes as the number of students taking the exam is on the decline.

The 2017 graduates could have taken the ACT as sophomores, juniors or seniors, but in any case, individual families, districts or schools had to cover the cost if they wanted students to take the exam.

The state hasn’t administered the ACT to all high school juniors since the 2014-15 school year. Even then, it wasn’t a requirement for students to take the test, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

In the 2015-16 school year, when the class of 2017 graduates were juniors, Illinois couldn’t provide a free college entrance exam like it previously had because of the state’s budget impasse.

More than 150 public and private school districts in Illinois paid for their students to take the ACT during the 2015-16 school year, according to ACT spokesperson Ed Colby. A list of the specific districts wasn’t available.

Reasons for improvement

Of the 26 local high schools surveyed by the News-Democrat, Red Bud High School saw one of the largest increases in its average score among public schools: from 19.1 to 21.6. The highest score a student can get is 36.

About half the schools that the BND surveyed had an average score that was higher than the statewide average of 21.4. The national average was 21, according to ACT’s annual report.

First Baptist Academy, a private school in O’Fallon, had the highest average ACT score for its graduating class of 2017 and the largest increase from the previous year of the schools surveyed.

Sixteen students averaged a score of 26.9 out of 36 — up from 23.7 the previous year when 11 First Baptist Academy graduates took the ACT.

Another private school, Father McGivney Catholic High School in Glen Carbon, had the second highest score locally: 25.14 based on 25 students tested. That’s an increase from the class of 2016’s average score of 24 from 17 Father McGivney students.

The top 10 percent of Father McGivney’s class of 2017 earned an average score of 31.

Larger schools have high scores, too

But small classes of graduates weren’t the only ones with high average scores.

Highland’s scores went from a 21.3 to a 23.1.

“Our test scores have been trending up for a few years,” said HHS Principal Karen Gauen. “Last year, the state moved from testing juniors with the ACT to the SAT. Because so many colleges in the area ask for a student’s ACT scores, most juniors — at HHS and across the state — took the ACT and the SAT.”

“The test was administered differently last year, so we were not sure what to expect,” said Highland Superintendent Mike Sutton. “The results were very positive for our students. Proportionally, our scores increased dramatically over other results in the state of Illinois. We are very proud of our staff, students, and parents for their continued commitment to educational excellence.”

Triad students improved their scores from 21.1 to 22.3.

“It just shows that kids that were taking that that they are ready for college, and that is a positive,” Jason Henderson, Triad assistant superintendent. “The big thing about the ACT in general, we look at the number of kids that are college-ready. Since that went up, that is definitely a positive.”

Decline continues

The decline in the number of students taking the ACT in Illinois is expected to continue for the next graduating class. In the 2016-17 school year, Illinois public schools gave all of their juniors the SAT. Those juniors will make up the class of 2018.

While more than 150 school districts paid for the class of 2017’s ACT tests, only 32 districts paid for the class of 2018’s, according to the ACT spokesperson.

Local high schools started adjusting to the switch to SAT when it was announced in 2016. They administered the new test for the first time on April 5, 2017. Students can still pay to take the ACT, too, or to take the SAT additional times, if they want to.

The SAT also requires reading, asking students to support their answers with information from provided texts in some sections.

Colleges and test scores

All U.S. colleges accept ACT or SAT scores, according to act.org and collegeboard.org.

Students can use their highest score when they’re applying for colleges.

At Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, the typical freshman has an ACT score of about 23.5. The minimum ACT score required to be accepted at SIUE is 17 (or an SAT score of 900).

McKendree University students score a 25 on average on the ACT. But the Lebanon university doesn’t require prospective students to submit their ACT or SAT scores if they had at least a 3.0 GPA in high school.

If students don’t submit test scores, they won’t be eligible for some McKendree scholarships, according to the university’s website.

Lindenwood University Belleville’s minimum admission requirements for freshmen include an ACT score of 20 — or 920 on the SAT.

Students’ SAT scores have not yet been released from testing in 2017.

Because the SAT is both a college entrance exam and Illinois’ new state assessment, those test scores will also be used to determine whether high school students meet state standards. But the state board is still working out what the benchmarks will be.

The board was seeking educators to help with the SAT standard-setting process, which is Sept. 25-29.

This story was originally published September 21, 2017 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Highland, Triad see higher ACT scores."