Test Results Show More Good News for Education

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell issued the following statement on the release of ACT scores.

"I'm very pleased that California students continue to score higher than students across the nation on the ACT college entrance and placement exam. I’m also pleased that our scores are holding steady at the same time that the number of students taking the exam increased for the eighth consecutive year, and those students increasingly reflect a more diverse population.

"While it is heartening to see more of our students preparing for college, the ACT data also underscore the need for our high schools to offer more rigorous courses. It’s important that high school students not only take the right number of courses to graduate but that they take more challenging courses that will help them succeed in college and the workplace."

ACT reported that California’s ACT-tested high school graduates in 2005 earned an average composite score of 21.6 on the exam, unchanged from last year but up from 21.5 in 2003 and 21.4 in 2002.  The California average continues to be significantly higher than the national average ACT score, which remained steady at 20.9 this year.  A total of 51,600 graduating California high school students in 2005 took the exam, a 33 percent increase compared to five years ago and a 3 percent increase from last year.

ACT is an independent, nonprofit organization that provides assessment, research, information, and program-management services in education, planning, career planning, and work force development. For more information, please visit http://www.act.org/ (Outside Source).