More South Carolina high school students show they are ready for college.
According to the Dept. of Education, The Class of 2019 Public school graduates who took the American College Testing exam, A-C-T, showed an average composite score of 18.6.
That's good, that's an increase from 2018's 18.0 statewide score and school aren't required to to administer the test to every student. The National average score is 20.7
Here in Greenville County, 6 schools exceeded that National average... Riverside, J.L. Mann, Eastside, Greenville High, Wade Hampton High and Mauldin High.
2,727 graduates took the ACT this year, compared to almost 5 thousand in 20-18, yet scores are up overall for English, Math, Reading and Science.
From Greenville County Schools:
GCS Seniors Improve Average ACT Score, Exceed State Average
New State Law Makes Test Elective, Not Mandatory
Greenville County Schools’ Class of 2019 earned an average ACT score of 20.0 on the ACT’s 36-point scale. The 2019 score represents a new benchmark as 2,140 fewer GCS seniors took the ACT.
Statewide, public school students recorded an average score of 18.6, compared to a national average of 20.7. The national score reflects both public and private school test-takers.
In 2018, a change in state testing gave eleventh graders students the opportunity to elect to participate in one no-cost school day test administration of the ACT, SAT, or neither exam.
In previous years (2015-2017), all 11th graders participated in statewide ACT testing. Because of the change last year, the Class of 2019 participated in elective testing versus required testing.Scores for the Class of 2019 represent a combination of two student groups: students that elected to take the test on a Saturday and students that participated in state testing.
For students taking more than one administration of the ACT, the most recent set of test scores are included in the reported results.
Greenville County Schools ranks sixth out of 84 school districts in the state on the ACT composite score for graduating seniors.
Six GCS high schools exceeded the national average on the ACT: Riverside - 22.8; J. L. Mann High Academy - 22.3; Eastside - 21.6; Greenville High Academy - 21.0; Wade Hampton High - 20.9; and Mauldin High - 20.8. With an average score of 19.2, Blue Ridge High exceeded the state average.
Subject Tests
The ACT subject test with the highest average score was Reading (20.5), followed by Science (20.0), Math (19.8), and English (19.1).
Press Release from the SC Department of Education October 30, 2019:
Columbia, S.C. – Today, The ACT® released assessment data for 2019 South Carolina high school graduates who took the ACT test. South Carolina public school graduates' average composite score increased from 18.0 in 2018 to 18.6 in 2019. Additionally, 24% of graduates met three or four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks up from 21% in 2018.
The ACT report represents 33,834 South Carolina public school students who took the ACT test, which is no longer required but is paid for by the state and administered either during a designated school day or on Saturday.
"Despite the national decline illustrated in ACT's College and Career Readiness report, South Carolina made significant gains from 2018," said State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. "While we no longer require schools to administer the ACT to every student, we are still seeing a large portion of students taking college readiness exams without having the proper coursework to be successful. We must do a better job of making students and parents aware of the impact a challenging course schedule has on their chance for success on these assessment while continuing to raise expectations and rigor in the classroom for all students."
Nationally, the percentages of graduates meeting the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in math and English are the lowest they have been in 15 years. According to ACT, the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are scores that represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing courses.
In South Carolina and in the nation, taking the proper coursework in high school dramatically increases a student’s likelihood for success on the ACT. South Carolina students taking the ACT recommended core curriculum, who accounted for 56% of test takers, had an average composite of 19.7 compared to 17.1 for students who did not take the core curriculum.
Additional Trends and Observations
Data shows that in South Carolina, 10,193 of the 2019 graduates (28%) taking the ACT two or more times had an average composite score of 21.4, compared to an average of 17.8 for 26,237 of the 2018 graduates (72%) who took the ACT only once.
54% of the 93,433 score reports sent to colleges by 2018 South Carolina ACT-tested graduates were sent to in-state public colleges. The top five in-state schools to which scores were sent were the University of South Carolina (Columbia), Clemson University, the College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina University, and Winthrop University.
In the South Carolina graduating class of 2019, 1,635 (4%) indicated they planned on majoring in education. They had an average composite score of 18.8.
Data shows that historically underserved learners' college readiness levels continue to lag behind their peers both in the state and across the nation. Only 3% of African American students met all four of ACT's College Readiness Benchmarks in 2019, a 1% increase from 2018.
