Ohio students outpace nation in ACT scores

Ohio also had a higher percentage of students deemed college ready based on the test.

STAFF REPORT

Ohio 2009 high school graduates who took the American College Testing entrance and placement test scored higher than the national average in all four test categories.

“Ohio students have outpaced the nation on the ACT for the last 15 years,” said Deborah S. Delisle, Ohio superintendent of public instruction. “We must continue our commitment to excellence and our efforts to ensure students have rigorous coursework that will help them excel academically and compete globally.”

The ACT is made up of segments covering English, mathematics, reading and science.

Ohio students outperformed the national average ACT score with an average composite score of 21.7, compared to the national average of 21.1, according to the Ohio Department of Education.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education had no comparable data for students in that state, where students are more inclined to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test rather than the ACT entrance and placement test, said spokesman Michael Race.

Ohio students also were ahead of the national average for percentage of students deemed “college ready” based on ACT scores in all four test categories.

Ohio had 26 percent of the 88,754 students taking the test rated as college ready. The national rate was 23 percent.

Average subject area score:

XEnglish: Ohio, 21.1, national, 20.6.

XMath: Ohio, 21.4, national, 21.0.

XReading: Ohio, 22.2, national, 21.4.

XScience: Ohio, 21.7, national, 20.9.

A perfect ACT score is 36.