Missouri high school students who took the ACT exam in the 2014-15 school year scored higher and turned out in greater numbers than previous classes, Missouri state education officials reported Wednesday.
The 2014-15 school year was the first time the state offered the college-entry exam to all 11th-grade students. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education reported 49,640 students took the test in 2015, compared to 48,864 students the previous year.
Among the 2015 graduating seniors taking the college-entry exam, the average composite score was 21.7, up from nearly a decade of maintaining a statewide average of 21.6. The national average was 21.
Missouri graduates also outscored the national average in each subject area. The subject, Missouri score and national score are:
• English, 71 percent, 64 percent
• Reading, 51 percent, 46 percent
• Math, 44 percent, 42 percent
• Science, 42 percent, 38 percent
• All four subject areas, 30 percent, 28 percent
Ninety-one percent of the Missouri graduates who took the exam said they planned to pursue post-secondary education.
"More students are seeing that this is a useful tool for them to fulfill their post-secondary education goals," said Sarah Potter, communications coordinator at the DESE. "The more students that take the test the more complete the picture is. We do expect the scores to go down because we will have more students taking it that don't think post-secondary education is right for them."
The same statewide administration of the exam will be offered to 11th-grade students during the 2015-16 school year.
College and career readiness is a goal of Missouri's Top 10 by 20 program, which aspires to have Missouri students rank among the top 10 states by 2020. Better preparation and support for Missouri teachers, increased participation in primary education and better vocational and career exploration programs offered at the high school level are all being implemented to meet the goals of Top 10 by 20, educators say.