ACT Scores and Participation
Education Department Commissioner Candice McQueen today announced that Tennessee public school students have once again broken the previous year’s record by earning an average composite score of 20.2 on the ACT in 2018. Tennessee public high school graduates improved from the 2017 average of 20.1, with more than 2,000 additional students taking the exam this year, bringing the state’s participation rate up to 97 percent – also a new record high. The results also show that 1,463 more Tennessee public school graduates became eligible for the HOPE scholarship by earning composite scores of 21 or higher.
Oak Ridge Schools had a participation rate of 100 percent. Our average ACT composite score is 23.3 and 65.7 percent of on-time regular education graduates in our district scored a 21 or higher (or the equivalent SAT score). Last year, Oak Ridge schools had a participation of 100 percent, with an average ACT composite score of 22.8, meaning we increased our average composite score by 0.5.
“The ACT provides an opportunity for our students to show they are college and career ready, and seeing a higher average score at the same time more students are taking the test is a true testament to the work that is happening in Tennessee schools,” Commissioner McQueen said. “Our schools are increasingly moving toward deeper teaching and learning that meets our higher expectations, and that focus pays off on tests like the ACT and SAT. With these results, more students are able to receive scholarship dollars, gain entry to post secondary programs, and eliminate the need for remedial classes, allowing them to start their journey to lifetime success from day one.”
Tennessee has focused on improving ACT results and expanding all students’ access to college and career readiness opportunities more broadly. The class of 2018 was the second group to have access to a free opportunity to retake the ACT, which the department expanded to ensure more students can retake the exam. As Tennessee has removed barriers to retaking the ACT, the state has seen promising results from all students, specifically those who are economically disadvantaged. Tennessee is the first and only state to offer this opportunity on a statewide scale.
ACT results serve as a nationally normed measure to indicate college and career readiness. Under a new state accountability measure, called the Ready Graduate, earning a 21 on the ACT (or the equivalent on the SAT) is one of the four ways that students can indicate that they are prepared for life after high school and able to seamlessly enroll in post secondary education and enter the workplace or the military and help to make sure students are ready for their chosen path after high school.
To read the full press release, go to: https://www.tn.gov/education/news/2018/10/31/tn-students-break-records-with-highest-ever-act-score-and-participation-rate.html
