ACT Scores Improve Statewide

A state-wide two percent increase of ACT scores was noted in the Condition of College & Career Readiness 2015 report, released by ACT Wednesday.

The numbers show that students in the 2015 class have improved in overall college readiness, including in the subjects of English, math, reading, and science.

United States college and university admissions use the ACT in addition to the SAT score in their decisions. Each year, it’s estimated that 1.9 million students across the country take the exam.

“The improvements affirm our focus on supporting all students for success after high school,” said superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. “A sustained focus on college and career readiness is showing results for our students. We’re very pleased to see steady progress.”

Ninety-three percent of this year’s 11,957 graduating seniors from both public and private schools took the ACT. A one percent increase in meeting all four benchmarks was made by public school students.

Individual subject improvements were also made. The English subject saw a three percent increase, as did reading scores, while science scores showed a two percent increase and math scores improved by one percent increase

Although the increased composite score, the average of all the exams, remains below the national rate of 21.0, students in Hawai’i showed improvement with a score of 17.5, up from 17.3, and showed improvement while the national score did not.

Scores for the ACT exam are graded on a 1 to 36. In each of the subjects, ACT sets a college-readiness benchmark using national-level data.

“Affording all Hawai’i public high school students the opportunity to take the ACT provides useful information for charting individual college plans,” stated Deputy Superintendent Stephen Schatz. “We are always looking at ways to improve how we teach our students. In taking a national exam of this magnitude, we can measure college preparedness and improvements to our college and career programs in our schools.”