The 2016 ACT report released this week showed that Coweta County School System students outscored state and national averages for the college entrance exam.
The school system’s average composite ACT score rose to 21.4 in 2016, compared to a Georgia composite score of 21.1 on the exam and a national composite score of 20.8.
All three Coweta County High schools outperformed state and national ACT averages, and the Coweta County School System’s overall results place the district in the top 10% of Georgia school districts.
The ACT is a national college admissions examination that measures what students learn in high school to determine their academic readiness for college. The ACT composite is the exam’s overall score, which combines the ACT’s four subject tests (English, Mathematics, Reading and Science). ACT results are accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. The ACT results released this week were for test-takers who graduated in 2016.
“It is encouraging to see the positive gains that have occurred on this national assessment,” said Superintendent Steve Barker. “While it is important to note that our school system’s vision of ensuring the success of each student can’t be measured with a single number, student achievement data such as this week’s ACT results do provide us with valuable feedback on our instructional strategies and on our overall instructional program.”
“These positive results reflect the strong alignment of our efforts as a school system and as a community. The hard work of our teachers and students and the support of our parents and community stakeholders are appreciated,” said Barker.
2016 graduates’ average scores on the exam, by overall composite and subject test, were:
Overall student performance on the ACT placed the Coweta County School System in the top 10% of 167 Georgia districts reported.
909 students – approximately 60% – of Coweta County’s 2016 graduates took the ACT exam. That is a 5% increase from the 863 students who took the exam in the 2015 graduating class.
2016 was the third year in a row that the Coweta County School System’s average ACT score increased from the year before. Coweta test-takers’ average composite score increased from 20.7 in 2013 to 20.9 in 2014, to 21.2 in 2015, and to 21.5 in 2016 (see chart, below):
The Coweta County School System’s average scores in the ACT exams’ four subject areas have also reflected positive trends in recent years. In 2016, Coweta students outscored state and national averages on three of the four test sections (English, Reading and Science) and scored the same on one (Math).
“Many don’t realize that, due to our high school block scheduling structure, students in our high schools take 32 courses over four years,” he said. “In many school systems across our state, using a traditional schedule, only 24 courses are offered during a high school student’s career.”
“This increased opportunity for students to take advantage of advanced-level coursework during high school, such as dual-enrollment and advanced placement, helps better prepare our students for future success,” said Barker.
Georgia students’ average composite score increased from 21.0 last year to 21.1 in 2016. National averages on the ACT decreased, from an average composite score of 21.0 to 20.8.
Georgia’s average composite score of 21.1 was higher, for the first time in state history, than the national average of 20.8. Georgia students overall outperformed the nation in ACT English, Reading, and Science as well, and scored the same as the national average in Mathematics.
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