District 211 ACT Scores

District 211 ACT scores surpass state and national averages

All five District 211 high schools' composite scores for the Class of 2011 on the American College Test (ACT) examination were above both state and national composite scores this year.

District 211's Class of 2011 students who took the ACT had a composite score of 22.8 (note: this is the final data for those students who graduated in June 2011, not the 2011 Prairie State Achievement Exam ACT results). The District 211 composite score is notably higher than the state composite score of 20.9, as well as the national composite score of 21.1.

Though the ACT is primarily taken by students who are college-bound, Illinois is one of 10 states that administers the ACT to all students. Of the 10 states administering the ACT to all students, Illinois students scored the highest average composite score with a composite score of 20.9. District 211's composite score of 22.8 outperforms the state of Illinois. The State of Illinois scores increased due in part to the utilization of the EXPLORE-PLAN-ACT test series which allows growth on skills to be monitored from 8th grade through ACT testing in 11th grade. District 211 has used this series for several years, prior to the state adopting this practice.

The ACT, which is taken by nearly 60 percent of America’s college-bound students as well as all junior students in Illinois as part of the PSAE, is comprised of tests in English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning. Each test is scored on scale of 1-36, and a student’s composite score is the average of the four test scores.

District 211 Class of 2011 - ACT Mean Scores

	Students Tested	English	Mathematics	Reading	Science	Composite
District 211	2,769	22.4	23.5	22.3	22.6	22.8
State Mean		20.6	20.9	20.8	20.7	20.9
National Mean		20.6	21.1	21.3	20.9	21.1

District 211 ACT Highlights

71.4% of students in the Class of 2011 achieved a 19 or higher on the ACT which provides options for enrollment into multiple universities in the State of Illinois.
77% of students tested in District 211's Class of 2011 met college readiness benchmarks in English, compared to 65% of students in the state of Illinois. The English sub-test for ACT has been shown to be the best predictor of college readiness.
District 211 administers the EXPLORE (8th grade) and PLAN (10th grade) tests as part of the District’s regular student assessment program, with both tests being similar to the ACT exam in that each contains separate sub-tests in reading, English skills, mathematics, and scientific reasoning. Benefits of this assessment program include early and ongoing identification of academic strengths and needs, greater parent involvement in educational issues, and an earlier career and needs assessment.
For the Class of 2011, 62% of students scored 5 or more points higher on the ACT than on the Explore test as 8th graders (composite). An increase of 5 or more points on the composite score outpaces the expected average growth.
The average composite growth between Explore and ACT for the Class of 2011 was 5.5.
48.3% of students in the class of 2011 were enrolled in Advanced Placement courses as seniors.
2,412 students completed 5,034 AP Exams; 82% of exams earned passing scores.
211 has made a concerted effort to work with Harper College to eliminate the enrollment of students in developmental (non-credit) courses. Dual enrollment programs between District 211 and Harper college allow high school students to earn college credit prior to enrollment at Harper College.
During PSAE testing in 2010, the class of 2011 narrowed the achievement gap in reading between Hispanic and white students as well as in mathematics between both Hispanic and white students and between black and white students.
Of the thousands of students who take the ACT exam each year, only one in 3,300 students score a 36. Last school year, District 211 had students earn scores of 36 on the ACT, the highest possible composite score, on 10 separate occasions. Since 1998, District 211 has had more than 40 students achieve this milestone.