News

ISBE releases ACT results

Posted November 09, 2015 10:00 pm

By Pete Spitler Staff Writer

Out of 44 public high schools in Southern Illinois, Red Bud was one of only five schools at which students performed at or above the state average on the ACT in the 2014-15 school year.

The Illinois State Board of Education recently released its Illinois Report Card on statewide ACT results, which showed RBHS students had the state average ACT score of 21 and were near the state average in 2013 and 2014.

RBHS students had an average of 20 in those two years. The ISBE ties the scores to a state-defined benchmark in which a student who scores 21 or higher is considered "ready for college."

"This is an exam that is a college-bound exam," said Jonathan Tallman, superintendent of Red Bud District 132.

"We all look at that score as a district and it's a good measure, but our goal is to meet the needs of all of our students."

RBHS also ranked the highest among Randolph County's public high schools in college preparedness (51 percent) and graduation rate (95 percent). The school ranked second only to Carterville (62 percent) in the region on the percentage of students ready for college.

Carterville students had an average ACT score of 23, the best in Southern Illinois.

"Our teachers have been working very hard to meet the needs of our students and I give them all the credit in the world," Tallman said.

Data showed Steeleville and Chester high schools on an ACT roller coaster during the three-year period. Steeleville students had an average score of 19 in 2013, 20 in 2014 and 18 in 2015.

Thirty-six percent of its students were declared ready for college in 2014-15, while the school had a 86 percent graduation rate.

"Right now, we're being told the state will not be paying for the ACT," said Steeleville High School Principal Jennifer Haertling, who added that the majority of her students took the test last school year. "Last year, (the state) did and we encouraged the kids take it."

Chester students had averages of 18, 21 and 19, respectively, with 34 percent declared ready for college and an 86 percent graduation rate.

Sparta High School students had a 19, 18 and 18 average in the three-year comparison, with 23 percent declared ready for college and an 82 percent graduation rate.

According to Illinoisreportcard.com, Red Bud also spends the least, of the four county public high schools, in instructional spending per student at $5,332. Sparta ($5,684) spends the most, followed by Chester ($5,515) and Steeleville ($5,354).

Just a snapshot

School administrators were quick to point to the ACT as not an indicator of the "total" student.

"I really appreciate that there are lots of colleges and universities that look at more than just ACT scores, which is just a snapshot of a student," said Bill Riley, interim superintendent of Chester District No. 139. "The total student is more than a one-day snapshot on a test."

Tallman noted that of his 2015 graduating class, only 40 percent were planning on entering a four-year institution. An additional 14 percent planned to go straight into the workforce.

"I've got 60 percent of my graduates going to a two-year school, four-year school, vocational school or military," he said. "I look at that ACT score and that's an assessment for college-bound students.

"Fourteen percent of the students who are forced to take that test will never go to college."

Haertling said her school does teach some ACT preparation skills, but do not teach specifically to the test.

"We don't try and teach to the ACT," she said. "We focus on a strong curriculum all around. We will do some test prep things as far as what to the ACT looks like."

Curriculum plays a part

Aligning school curriculum to meet the goals and objectives of both the state and the students has been a tricky endeavor during the past few years, a process made more difficult by declining general state aid.

"One of the best predictors of college success is looking back at the transcript and seeing what kinds of classes the student took and how they did," Riley said. "Usually, they go hand-and-hand, but not always."

"We're small, so we can't always offer a lot, but we try to offer as many college prep courses as we can," Haertling said. "But we also don't want to lose our vocational kids."

Time constraints factor in

Each of the four components of the ACT has a time element to it, which also makes a difference. The English section features 75 questions that must be answered in 45 minutes.

Mathematics requires a student to complete 60 questions in 60 minutes, while Science and Reading Comprehension each have 40 questions that need to be answered in 35 minutes.

"Science also has a very strong reading component to it," Haertling said. "If you struggle with reading, you're going to have a hard time with science."

Year-to-year is different

Haertling said that the different average scores from year-to-year reflect the different types of classes in the school.

"It's hard to compare year-to-year because you have different kids," she said. "Some years you have kids do well on the ACT, other years the kids do not do so well.

"We encourage kids to not leave anything blank. The ACT doesn't count against you if you answer anything wrong."

Article Categories
News