Scores dip at all 3 schools

Local high schools above, below state ACT average score

Local high schools were across the board for their ACT scores, some fell below the state average and some were several points above it.

Jefferson City High School's average score was 19.5 - 1.3 points below the state average - and slightly lower than the previous year's composite score.

Last year was the first year all juniors were required to take the ACT test, which is one explanation for the decreased test scores, Counseling Director Carrie Welch said.

"My overall impression is that I feel our students can do better than that," she said. "I know that we've scored higher in the past. Our AP (advanced placement) scores were up this year compared to last year. I think it fluctuates with classes. I feel they can do much better."

This school year they've added extra, in-class support during students' FAST (Focused Academic Success Time) class. The 45-minute, daily class is a new component of the high school schedule for extra "enrichment" classes and academic intervention. Students will have the choice to take part in ACT prep with teachers trained in that area, Welch said.

They've offered online ACT prep classes before, she said, but this class has the potential to reach more students who aren't willing to part from their regular classes to study for the test.

Blair Oaks High School's average ACT score was 1.4 points higher than the state average but dropped slightly from the previous year. The average score for 2016 was 22.2 - .9 lower than in 2015, Principal Gary Versleus said.

Verslues also cited the new state requirement as the reason for the lower score. In years past, the high school had anywhere from 84 to 94 percent of their students taking the ACT, he said, but in 2016, nearly 100 percent of the students took the test.

"One might look at that and say, we went from 23.1 to 22.2," Verslues said. "But we also went from 87 percent (in 2015) to 100 percent (in 2016). Some may say we went down but the state (average) went down 1.5 points. Although we do make comparisons, I always tell our teachers we compete against ourselves to do the best job to prepare our students for whatever they do after high school. With 100 percent of students taking the ACT, I think that 22.2 (average score) fairs favorably."

Helias Catholic High School's composite score was 24.1 - 3.9 points above the state average, but also slightly below last year's composite score of 24.3. In 2016, they had a 96 percent turn out for the ACT test.

"We work hard to find the best teachers, to continually improve our curriculum, to encourage effective study habits, and to help our students learn the best ways to prepare themselves for their future," Principal Kenya Fuemmeler said in a news release. "We are confident we are preparing our students very well for college. However, there is always room for improvement, and we will continue to look at ways to better serve our students."

ACT is a curriculum-based achievement test that measures the skills taught in schools and deemed important for success in first-year college courses, according to the news release. 

It's a measure some colleges look at for student admissions.

The benchmark scores specify the minimum score students must earn on each of the ACT subjects - college English, algebra, social science and biology - to have about a 75 percent chance of earning a C grade or higher and a 50 percent chance of earning a B or higher in first-year college courses.