From AP, staff reports
NASHVILLE (AP) — In Tennessee, ACT scores for the high school class of 2012 show a slight improvement in all four subject areas — English, math, reading and science.
All public school students in Tennessee take the ACT in their senior year, which is over 68,000 students statewide, according to ACT results released Wednesday.
The average composite score for Tennessee seniors in 2012 was 19.7, a small increase over the average composite score in 2011 of 19.5. The percentage of Tennessee students earning scores that indicate readiness for college courses also increased in each of the subjects.
• In English, the average score increased to 19.6 this year from 19.4 last year. The percentage of students meeting the English college readiness benchmark was 59 percent this year, compared to 58 last year.
• In reading, the average score increased to 19.9 this year from 19.7 last year. The percentage of students meeting the reading college readiness benchmark was 43 percent this year, up from 41 percent last year
• In mathematics, the average score was 19.1 this year, up from 19.0 last year. The percentage of students meeting the mathematics college readiness benchmark was 29 percent this year, an increase from 27 last year.
• In science, the average score increased to 19.6 this year from 19.4 last year. The percentage of students meeting the science college readiness benchmark was 21 percent this year, up from 20 percent last year.
In the Obion County School System, students from Obion County Central and South Fulton high schools showed a slight increase in both English and reading and on the average composite score, while they held steady on both math and science scores from the previous year, according to Nancy Hamilton, supervisor of instruction for grades 9-12 and assistant director of schools.
OCCHS is now an ACT testing site.
At Union City High School, principal Wes Kennedy said the average ACT for the Class of 2012 was a 20.3.
“We average the highest score that each student makes, not just the last score, and this includes all students of the class, including those with special needs,” he said. “Fifty-one percent qualified for the Lottery Scholarship by making a 21 or higher and 7 percent scored a 30 or higher.”
Across the state line, Kentucky’s public high school seniors scored higher on the ACT college entrance exam than a year ago, but their performance remained below the national average, education officials said Wednesday.
The average composite ACT score rose to 19.5 for Kentucky’s public high school Class of 2012, up from 19.2 in 2011, according to data released by the state Department of Education.
The national average composite score was 21.1, which includes public and non-public-school test-takers.
This year’s senior class in Kentucky showed across-the-board improvement with higher average scores in English, math, reading and science, the data showed. But those scores still trailed the national average in all four subjects.
When adding non-public-school test-takers to the equation, Kentucky’s average 2012 composite score among graduating seniors was 19.8, according to ACT Inc., the Iowa City, Iowa-based not-for-profit that administers the exam nationwide.
This year’s junior class in Kentucky also made slight gains in ACT scores, the data showed.

Published in The Messenger 8.24.12