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Schools

ACT Scores Dip for District 219 Class of 2011

Officials say students who tested more than once showed improvement.

’s class of 2011 scored slightly lower on the ACT college entrance exam than the classes before them, according to a report given to the District 219 school board Oct. 24.

’s class of 2011 achieved an average composite score of 22.2, while last year’s graduates from achieved an average composite score of 21.9.

In both cases, those are the lowest scores since the class of 2007, according to the report. In addition, scores decreased at least slightly on every topic area on the ACTs taken by the 2011 graduates at both schools.

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Earlier:

Anne Roloff, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the scores didn’t come as a big surprise because the class of 2011 had lower scores on tests they took as eighth-graders coming into high school, so the projected ACT scores were lower.

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Also, all the scores – composite scores and those for each subject area - were above the state average, even though the state’s average scores climbed this year, Roloff said.

On another positive note, the scores included in the final ACT report show improvement from when the class took the ACT as part of the Prairie State Achievement Exam in the spring of 2010. For most students, that marks the first time they take the ACT, but many go on to repeat the test, sometimes several times. The ACT report given to the school board includes each student’s most recent score. In every subject area, the scores on the final ACT report were higher than those from the April 2010 exam.

Earlier this month, District 219 reported the PSAE scores for the class of 2012, and those showed improvement compared to the PSAE scores for the class of 2011.

Roloff pointed out that the classes of 2013 through 2015 show a trend of lower scores on the tests they took when they prepared to enter high school. The class of 2013 will take the PSAE next spring.

The district recently started offering summer school math classes to help students who need a some extra support prepare for high school work, and having those who are not ready for high school algebra to spend extra time on it during the school day.

Superintendent Nanciann Gatta said the district will not see the full effect of those changes on test scores until the class of 2015.

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