Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Kentucky, Indiana scores on ACT up, More students took the test this year

ACT college-entrance scores rose slightly in both Kentucky and Indiana for the class of 2007, according to results released today.

In Kentucky, the average score rose from 20.6 last year to 20.7 this year. In Indiana, the average score rose from 21.7 last year to 22.0 this year. The national composite score for 2007 is 21.2 out of a possible 36.

The test, which measures students' readiness for college-level work, is given in four sections -- reading, math, science and English.

More than 14,000 students took the test in Indiana, an increase of more than 1,000 over last year. In Kentucky, nearly 31,000 students took the test, up from 29,800 in 2006.

"This is good news for our state, especially since more students are taking the test," said Lisa Gross, spokeswoman for the Kentucky Department of Education. "Usually when you increase the testing pool, scores will go down."

An area of concern is the performance of the state's minority students. The average score for black students was 17.8, while Hispanic students averaged 20.7. White students scored 23.1.
All of Kentucky's public colleges and universities and most of the state's private schools use the ACT exam as part of their admissions criteria. That is not the case in Indiana, where most students take the SAT as an entrance exam.

Starting in fall of 2009, incoming freshmen at Kentucky's public universities and colleges will have to score a 19 in math and 21 in reading in order to be guaranteed admission.

This from the Courier-Journal.

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