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Education
PHOTO:Mark Edwards

Kentucky ACT Scores Rise but Trail US Average

By AP

LOUISVILLE, KY - Kentucky's public high school seniors scored higher on the ACT college entrance exam than a year ago, but their overall performance remains below the national average.

State education officials said Wednesday the average composite ACT score rose to 19.5 for Kentucky's public high school class of 2012, up from 19.2 in 2011.

The nationwide average composite score was 21.1.

This year's senior class showed across-the-board improvement with higher average scores in English, math, reading and science, according to data released by the state Department of Education.

After adding non-public school test-takers to the equation, Kentucky's average 2012 composite score was 19.8, according to ACT Inc., which administers the exam nationwide. This compares to 19.7 for Tennessee, 20.9 for Illinois, 21.6 for Missouri, and 22.3 for Indiana.

ACT scores range along a scale of 1 to 36.

On the Net:

ACT scores by state

Published 08:29 AM, Wednesday Aug. 22, 2012
Updated 06:14 AM, Friday Aug. 24, 2012

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- Name: Judy T.
  
  8/22/2012 10:53:25 PM
  
  Bobby M: You have hit the nail on the head about the students. Some time back someone decided that the Easter Seals Center kids should be in the classrooms. Ask some of the teachers about that. My daughter teaches kindergarden and has a downs syndrome child part of the day. The child won't sit down and shut up so class time is lost. Even when the kids have a monitor with them they are still a distraction to the class. They balance the classes which doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If you put the top students in one class and the lower students in the other class you can teach to their level. The top students won't have to be slowed down by the others. We need to get over this touchy feely stuff and get the mentally disabled kids out of the regular classes. Even if they are only there 30 minutes per day that time lost to the class adds up at the end of the year. Someone is also spending a lot of money to hire special aids for kids. Last year there was one classroom for 2 uncontrollable mentaly disabled students. If those aids were used for the slower teachable students the money would be spent a lot more wisely. I thought school was for educating not for babysitting or keeping kids off the streets until they are what is it now 18 yurs old.
  
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  Name: Bobby M.
  
  8/22/2012 8:58:54 PM
  
  Mark makes an excellent point. The same point applies when comparing scores of other nations. In most nations only the top students that are university bound are tested. Those scores are then compared to our scores where almost all students are tested. It's not a true representation. We are also the only country that somehow believes that the smartest students should be educated with the dullest students. Obviously, the smarter students cannot reach their potential when they have classmates that cannot, or will not, learn.
  
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  Name: mark i.
  
  8/22/2012 3:05:15 PM
  
  It is even harder to compare ACT scores among states and even public/private schools. Kentucky has a law that ALL high school juniors take the ACT......even special needs students who cannot understand the questions. All of the scores are counted. Other states and private school s ores are based on studentsnwho WANT to take the test to go on to college. Makes a big difference in the average score. I would like to see the scores of the local schools. I was reading the article on Advanced Placement test results and in the Mccracken county results NO reidland students were listed!
  
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  Name: Independent T.
  
  8/22/2012 11:25:05 AM
  
  McCracken County Schools do have Alternative school for the unmotivated and disruptive. I'm not sure how much learning goes on in Alternative school but those attending do appear to get their rest. The City has "Choices" in which to send their uninterested, disruptive, and on occasion, criminal students. Again, plenty of rest and boredom, but I suspect very little teaching or learning. It would be nice to know if the ACT's from Choices and A School are counted in with the others when averaging a school's percentages. We really, really, really need a new entity is this area who would ask about such things.
  
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  Name: M C.
  
  8/22/2012 10:58:12 AM
  
  CCA can kick trouble making kids out. McCracken has to take everybody in the district that applies, even the unmotivated ones who don't want to go to school and whose parents haven't vested a lot of money or priority in education. CCA doesn't have kids who are only attending there because the law requires it. I do not dismiss that there are benefits to attending CCA over public schools but please, those average test scores don't mean anything when comparing between the apples of public and the oranges of private schools.
  
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  Name: John F.
  
  8/22/2012 10:44:49 AM
  
  Consider going to CCA! Here are their results: 2011 National Average – 21.1 2011 Kentucky Average – 19.6 2011 McCracken Average – 19.9 2011 CCA Average – 23.9 CCA doesn't "teach-to-the-test" either. CCA provides a high-quality education in a Christ-centric atmosphere. It ain't free, and it ain't cheap, but if you want the best for your children, you owe it to them to check out CCA.
  
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