Florida lags on ACT scores... again
Another year, another sour set of test results.
ACT scores released Wednesday put Florida at No. 47 nationally among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. It's a bottom-of-the-barrel position the Sunshine State has found itself in annually for the past decade.
Lee County's 2014 graduates weren't even able to match the Florida average, falling short on all four sections of the standardized test. Florida allows potential high school graduates to substitute ACT scores if they fail a state-developed exam, so more non college-bound students have been taking the ACT.
"That is a result of us pushing kids to use a concurrent test score," said Christy Kutz, Lee's assistant superintendent for teaching and learning.
Collier County did not provide a school district breakdown Wednesday.
Colleges use the ACT in their admissions process to determine if a student is prepared for the rigors of a postsecondary education. The ACT measures English, math, reading and science reasoning skills, while SAT tests math, writing and critical reading.
Both exams were used before high-stakes testing became the norm in public education. Despite initiatives like No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top and a host of other programs, one local testing expert said flat ACT scores show a "total failure" from a policy standpoint.
"The lack of progress toward excellence and equity will provide further ammunition for the country's growing testing resistance and reform movement," said Sanibel's Bob Schaeffer, public education director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing. "Ending the counter-productive fixation on standardized exams is necessary to create the space for better assessments that actually enhance learning and teaching."
Nationally, the composite ACT score earned by the class of 2014 was 21.0 on the 1-to-36 scale. Florida's average was 19.6, while Lee graduates earned a 19.1.
Florida's composite score of 19.6 only topped averages for Hawaii (18.6), North Carolina (18.9), Mississippi (19.0) and Louisiana (19.2). Massachusetts topped the chart at 24.3. Lee County's score was 19.1.
The release by ACT, an independent, non-profit organization that provides testing and educational research, contained national and statewide data. Overall, 1.84 million graduates, which represent 57 percent of the class of 2014, took the ACT. That's a 3 percent increase from 2013 and 10th consecutive year the number of test-takers eclipsed the prior year.
"The increases we are experiencing are good news for the nation, as they point to growing interest in higher education among our young people," said Jon Whitmore, ACT's chief executive officer. "In today's global economy, it is more important than ever for individuals to continue their education beyond high school. The skills needed to compete in the job market are becoming increasingly advanced."
ACT RESULTS
Class of 2014
- Lee County: 19.1
- Florida: 19.6
- Nation: 21.0
Class of 2013
- Lee County: 19.0
- Florida: 19.6
- Nation: 20.9
Class of 2012
- Lee County: 19.2
- Florida: 19.8
- Nation: 21.1
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