College test scores at five-year high

Darleene Barrientos

Local high school students with an eye on college raised their

American College Testing exam scores higher than they have been for

the past five years, district officials said Wednesday.

In the Glendale Unified School District, the 156 students who took

the voluntary test scored an average composite of 22.8 points, on a

scale from 1 to 36, higher than the state average at 21.6 points.

This year’s composite score is the highest ever. The district’s

students scored at 22.0 in 2003-2004, at 22.3 in 2002-2003, at 21.4

in 2002-2001 and 22.2 in 2000-2001.

Glendale students also pulled its scores up in English, reading,

science and math since last year, said Greg Franklin, the district’s

assistant superintendent of educational services for middle and high

schools.

“We’re pleased to see they continue to go up,” Franklin said. “We

beat the state averages for ACT takers.”

The number of students taking the test in the district has

fluctuated over the past five years. The biggest number of local

test-takers was 219 students during the 2002-2003 school year.

The drop in the number of test-takers could also be attributed to

a drop in enrollment.

The local trend is a departure from the total number of students

taking the test, which has steadily risen since 2001 when 39,860

students took the test, to this year, when 51,600 students took the

test.

Glendale students’ best score this year was in math, at 24.2

points, which wasn’t even the district’s all-time high. That score

was 24.3, in 2001, Franklin said. The state’s average score was 22.1

in math. In English, Glendale students scored 22.4, compared to the

state average of 21.1, according to the report. In reading, local

students scored 22.7; the state’s average score was 21.8. In science, Glendale’s average score was 21.4, compared to the state’s score of

20.9.

Most colleges and universities in the nation, including Ivy League

schools, accept the exam’s scores either in addition to or instead of

SAT scores, a more widely recognized test.

Students answer 215 questions in math, science, English and

reading over two hours and 55 minutes. The score, along with a

student’s grade-point average, extracurricular activities and other

information helps determine whether a student is academically ready

for college-level coursework.

“Most students who take the ACT have done research about the

university they’re going to attend, and some universities prefer the

ACT,” Franklin said. “Other students take the SAT and the ACT and can

choose which scores to send to the university.”