Vol. 41, No. 53
August 15, 2007
CONTACT: JIM MORRIS
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State Score is Stable, but the Number of
ACT Test-takers Rises Sharply in 2007
Missouri’s average score on the ACT college-entry exam stayed the same for the third year in a row, but the number of 2007 graduates taking the test increased to an all-time high.
State education officials say they are pleased by the trend.
Missouri’s average ACT score this year is 21.6, compared to the national average of 21.2, which increased this year by one-tenth of a point. The maximum possible score on the ACT is 36. The ACT is the most popular college-entry exam in Missouri and most other Midwestern states.
New statistics for the nation and each state were released today by ACT. The new data reflect the performance of all 2007 high school graduates who took the exam as sophomores, juniors or seniors.
In Missouri, 45,354 graduates took the ACT – an increase of nearly 2,500 over 2006. The percentage of Missouri graduates taking the ACT jumped to 74 percent this year from 70 percent last year. The total number of ACT-takers in Missouri has hovered at about 42,800 for the past four years.
Among states in which at least 50 percent of all high school graduates take the ACT exam, Missouri now ranks ninth with its average state score of 21.6.
“It appears that many of the additional ACT test-takers in Missouri this year were African-American or other minority students, and that is an encouraging sign,” said D. Kent King, Missouri Commissioner of Education.
“Across the country and in Missouri, too few minority students are going to college and succeeding. Students need to see the ACT as an essential part of the process of pursing higher education,” he said.
According to ACT, the number of white students taking the test in Missouri dropped slightly this year (99), to a total of 32,801. The number of African-American test-takers increased by 362, to 4,563. However, the number of students in the category of “other/no response” jumped by more than 2,000 – more than 50% – to a total of 6,003.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education encourages all high school students to take a full menu of challenging academic courses, regardless of their immediate plans after graduating.
In Missouri, less than half of this year’s graduates (47%) reported that they took the “core curriculum” recommended by the ACT. The recommended core courses are:
4 units of English and at least 3 units each of math, science and social studies.
Under new graduation standards adopted by the State Board of Education in 2005, all students, beginning with the Class of 2010, will be required to take a slate of courses in high school that meets or exceeds the ACT recommendations.
Students who take at least the recommended core curriculum in high school always score higher than the average on the ACT and substantially higher than students who do not take the more rigorous academic courses.
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| All Graduates |
Missouri |
National |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 |
21.5 |
21 |
| 1999 |
21.6 |
21 |
| 2000 |
21.6 |
21 |
| 2001 |
21.4 |
21 |
| 2002 |
21.5 |
20.8 |
| 2003 |
21.4 |
20.8 |
| 2004 |
21.5 |
20.9 |
| 2005 |
21.6 |
20.9 |
| 2006 |
21.6 |
21.1 |
| 2007 |
21.6 |
21.2 |
Source: ACT