ACT results:

Southeast, Torrington improve, Lingle scores drop

Crystal R. Albers
Posted 8/29/18

Last spring, 11th-graders across the state took the ACT college readiness exam. Thursday, the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) released the results.

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ACT results:

Southeast, Torrington improve, Lingle scores drop

Posted

GOSHEN COUNTY – Last spring, 11th-graders across the state took the ACT college readiness exam. Thursday, the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) released the results.

Locally, Southeast High School students scored higher than state averages across the board, as well as increasing all scores compared to the 2016-17 school year. 2018 Torrington High School juniors also saw an increase in averages from the previous year, and scored higher than state averages in math and science, with an overall composite score even with state performance levels. Lingle-Fort Laramie High School students received scores significantly lower than state averages, and a sharp decrease from 2016-17 performance levels.

“The ACT is a college readiness exam that opens doors for Wyoming students through the Hathaway Scholarship,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow in a WDE press release. “We are appropriately no longer using the ACT to measure academic achievement. We emphasize multiple options for students after high school, and we don’t tie success to a single test. As we implement changes to how we hold schools accountable and offer them support, I know our educators and administrators will continue to do everything they can to better prepare students for the future.”

Possible composite scores for the ACT range from 1-36.

2017-18 district averages (with 2016-17 scores in parentheses):

Southeast: English average: 20.1 (19); math average: 20.6 (19.5); reading average: 21.4 (20.9); science average: 22 (21.5). Composite average: 21.2 (20.3).

Torrington: English average: 18.3 (17.3); math average: 20.1 (19.1); reading average: 19.3 (18.3); science average: 20.1 (18.7). Composite average: 19.5 (18.5).

Lingle: English average: 15.3 (18.7); math average: 16.4 (20.8); reading average: 17 (20.5); science average: 17.9 (21.1). Composite average: 16.7 (20.4).

 “Torrington High School was in the second-year implementation of ACT practice assessment – that is working for that school,” Goshen County School District No. 1 Curriculum Director Donna Fields said. She added Lingle does not participate in any ACT preparations at this time, however district-wide practice assessments are planned. “District-wide, we are implementing an ACT/ASPIRE practice assessment for all students grades 3-10. In addition, we will have every teacher in the district take a sample ACT test in the area of reading, math or science (depending on the subject he or she teaches) to really understand the rigor of the assessment and what is expected of students.

“We really want to help our kids get the highest scores we can,” Fields continued. “As (the ACT) is the score that helps students get scholarships.”

State averages dipped slightly across the board compared to the previous year.

2017-18 state averages (with 2016-17 scores in parentheses):

State: English average: 18.4 (18.6); math average: 19.3 (19.5); reading average: 19.9 (20.2); science average: 19.8 (20). Composite average: 19.5 (19.7).

The eight high schools with the highest average composite scores are: Burlington High School: 24.6; Jackson Hole High School: 22.3; Sheridan High School: 22.1; Lovell High School: 21.8; Central High School: 21.6; Star Valley High School: 21.6; Laramie High School: 21.5; and Cokeville High School: 21.5.

In the spring of 2018, 21 schools administered the ACT online, compared to 14 schools the year before, the press release explains. Individual student results on the ACT help determine Hathaway Scholarship Program eligibility. Students must earn a minimum average composite score of 17 to be eligible for the Provisional level of the scholarship, 19 for Opportunity, 21 for Performance, and 25 for Honors.

Approximately 69.3 percent of juniors met the 2018 ACT requirement for Hathaway Scholarships.

“By 2020, 65 percent of all jobs will require training beyond high school according to the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce,” Balow said. “These results show that through the Hathaway Scholarship, nearly 70 percent of our students have better access to that training at our community colleges or the University of Wyoming.”

Nationally, the release of ACT scores for the class of 2018 has been delayed until Oct. 17. ACT has preliminarily noted an unexpected dip in average composite scores.

For the full report, visit portals.edu.wyoming.gov.