NCSS 2018 ACT Scores On The Rise

NCSS Releases 2018 ACT Scores
Posted on 10/17/2018
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2018 NCSS ACT Results (This is Alt Text)
Group  #Tested  English  Math  Reading  Science  Composite 
 Alcovy High  152 17.2  17.4 19.0 18.7 18.2
 Eastside High  244 19.8  20.0 21.8  21.2  20.8 
 Newton High  276  17.0  17.0  18.3  18.3 17.8 
 NCSS  672  18.1  18.2  19.7  19.4 19.0
 Georgia  56,481  20.9  20.7  22.1  21.2 21.4
 Nation  ---  20.2  20.5   21.3  20.7 20.8

While scores nationwide decreased in every category, Newton County School System (NCSS) students increased their scores across the board on the 2018 ACT. Overall, NCSS students improved math scores by two tenths of a point and science by three tenths of a point this year. The district reading score increased by four tenths of a point and English saw a half-point surge in 2018. As a result, Newton County School System’s district composite score on the ACT rose by four tenths of a point this year.

Unlike the SAT, a reasoning test that measures critical thinking skills and assesses how well a student analyzes and solves problems, the ACT is a series of curriculum-based, multiple choice tests that cover content knowledge in four basic skill areas: English (College English Composition), Math (College Algebra), Reading (College Social Science), and Science (College Biology). Students also receive a composite score on the exam, which is scored on a scale from 0 to 36. The ACT also has an optional writing test.

Through collaborative research with postsecondary institutions nationwide, the ACT has established college readiness benchmark scores for designated courses—the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50 percent chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75 percent chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing courses, which include English Composition, Algebra, Social Science and Biology. The College Readiness Benchmark Scores are:

• English Composition 18 on the ACT English Test
• College Algebra 22 on the ACT Mathematics Test
• Social Science 22 on the ACT Reading Test
• Biology 23 on the ACT Science Test


2018 SCHOOL LEVEL DATA

According to the official ACT report, Alcovy High School students posted increases in English, Reading, Science, and the composite while maintaining their average score in mathematics in 2018. The school increased its Science score by one-tenth of a point and English by two-tenths of a point. Alcovy’s Reading score ticked up three-tenths of a point in 2018. As a result of the increased scores, the school’s composite score improved two-tenths of a point last school year.

Eastside High School bested the nation in both Reading and Science in 2018 and matched the country’s overall composite score of 20.8. The school posted increases across the board on the ACT last school year. Reading scores improved by seven tenths of a point and Math by three tenths of a point in 2018. Eastside’s English score rose by two tenths of a point while Science improved by one tenth of a point last year. As a result of the improved scores in every category of the test, Eastside’s composite score rose by three tenths of a point in 2018.

Newton High School improved in English by three tenths of a point and Science by one tenth of a point in 2018 while slipping slightly on both the Math and Reading test last year. Overall, Newton High School students maintained their 17.8 composite score in 2018.

“I am very proud of the commitment and dedication of our teachers, students, and leaders,” said Samantha Fuhrey, superintendent of Newton County School System. “While our results are not yet where we wish for them to be, we have made progress and continued to strive for improved outcomes. We are unpacking our results to identify areas where we might make additional curricular and instructional adjustments to strengthen our students’ academic experiences. These results, coupled with the PSAT, SAT, and Iowa results, help us to plan strategically as early as kindergarten.”

For more information contact on Newton County School System’s 2018 ACT results, contact Dr. Allison Jordan, Director of Testing, Research, and Evaluation at [email protected].

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