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Illinois high school students have had the highest average ACT score for at least nearly three decades, but this success is tempered by the dramatic drop in the number of students who have taken the test.
Illinois high school students in the 2018 graduating class posted an average composite score of 23.9 out of 36 points at ACT – one of two widely used tests to help determine the degree of preparation of college students.
That score broke the national average score of 20.8 and beat the state's 2017 average score in 2017, according to an annual report released by ACT early Wednesday. The average scores for Illinois were 20.8 in 2016 and 20.7 in 2014 and 2015.
However, the number of graduate students in 2018 who took ACT has dropped significantly compared to previous years because of the state's decision in 2015 to transfer students to the SAT, the other entrance examination. at the well-known college. The SAT test is now given to all high school students and paid by the state.
Yet, more than 93% of students in the class of 2017 followed ACT despite the fact that the state was no longer paying or demanding more the tests. The experts had said that Illinois would probably have seen a bigger drop if the district and some schools did not choose to pay for the test.
The decline should be even more dramatic in 2018, and the numbers now show that only 43% of graduates – 62 626 of more than 145 000 students – passed the test.
"So, in fact, 43% still took the ACT even if they got free SAT," said ACT spokesman Ed Colby. "We are very happy with that."
Individual high school scores were not published by ACT on Wednesday.
Colby said ACT had reliable data dating back to 1991 and that the 2018 score for Illinois is the highest since. The previous highest score since then was 21.6 in 2001, when 71% of this year's graduates took the test.
Colby warned that this year's scores are not necessarily indicative of improvements overall, as fewer students take the test. Those who pass the test are probably students who are trying to improve their results in order to enter the college of their choice.
"The fact that ACT is no longer needed in Illinois means that only students who are preparing for college are likely to take the exam, which increases the results over- over previous years, "said Colby.
The ACT has been given to every junior in Illinois for about 15 years.
READ MORE: When the state moves to the SAT exam, some districts also pay to offer ACT "
Illinois performed well compared to other states, where the percentage of students taking the exam was similar, according to the ACT report.
Oregon saw 42% of its graduates in 2018 pass the test, posting an average score of 21.3 points. In Texas, 41 percent of students took the exam, averaging 20.6 points, according to the report.
Nationally, 19 states offer exams to their students and pay the price, of which 13 states require students to undergo it.
College admissions managers are increasingly downplaying the importance of achieving good ACT and SAT results – long considered to be an essential element of future student applications – to enter their schools. choice, as more and more colleges and universities demand it. their.
Earlier this year, the University of Chicago joined a number of other schools, including DePaul University, when officials announced they would no longer require SAT and ACT exams as part of the process. admission of the university.
READ MORE: University of Chicago to stop requiring ACT and SAT scores for prospective undergraduates
The reason for the decision was that by requiring test results, the University of Chicago told prospective students that good results mattered and that it was unfair to low-income, first-generation, low-income students. minorities, for whom the cost of preparing the tests was a financial test.
Some schools in Illinois, including New Trier Township High Schools and Southland College, have continued to offer the ACT exam to their students in 2018 in addition to the state-prescribed SAT test, according to the data. of ACT.
At Southland College Prep in Richton Park, the 125 students who graduated in 2018 earned an average grade of 22.8, according to school principal Blondean Davis.
Davis said that school officials view the test as an additional set of data to be provided to colleges in order to give their students the best chance of being accepted into the schools they wish to attend.
"Many of our kids go to private schools, and if you look at a school like Princeton, Yale or Vanderbilt, you want to publish as much data as you can," Davis said.
ACT and SAT have different structures, which means that students can do better one than the other. Davis said the school would continue to administer ACT to students in the near future, not only to help them get into the colleges of their choice, but also to help teachers and staff fine-tune the curriculum and programs. teaching methods of the school.
"One of our goals is to be competitive not only in the state, but also at the national level. You can only do this if you address all the issues related to student competition, "said Davis. "We view this not only as a college entry tool, but also as a tool we use over the summer to analyze and modify our teaching process."
Twitter @ mattwalberg1
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