Isle prep seniors
do well in ACT test
The Hawaii high school students
By Debra Barayuga
score above the national average
Star-BulletinHawaii high school seniors who took the ACT this year continue to score above the national average, according to a report released today by the American College Testing program. The 2,134 Hawaii seniors who elected to take the college entrance exam scored an average of 21.6, out of a possible 36, compared to the national average, 21.0.
The difference in overall performance of Hawaii students compared to previous years was fairly small, said Selvin Chin-Chance, head of the state Department of Education's test development section.
But in Hawaii, as with other states, performance decreased slightly as the proportion of students taking the test increased, Chin-Chance said. "Even though there's a slight decline, the bulk of the (Hawaii) scores remain above the national average."
Hawaii's overall score dropped from 21.7 last year, when 15 percent, or 1,800 seniors took the test. This year, 17 percent of Hawaii seniors took the test. The numbers do not show the breakdown between public and private school students, but officials are seeing a much wider range of students and ability levels, Chin-Chance said.
Hawaii students clearly stood out in math. Math scores for seniors nationwide were higher this year, but Hawaii students scored an average 22.8, compared to the national average, 20.6, said Greg Knudsen, Department of Education spokesman.
"We do continue to fall below average in English, yet we do exceed the national average in reading, science reasoning and (particularly) math."
The number of ACT test-takers in Hawaii has been rising since 1992, when 1,316 took the test.
The steady increase in test-takers can be attributed to more schools accepting ACT results in lieu of the College Board SATs, or agreeing to accept either one, Chin-Chance said.
Also, testing measures at some schools are more closely aligned with the ACT, which measures reasoning and thinking skills in English, math, reading and science.
The SAT covers only verbal and math.
In Hawaii, more than 50 percent of college-bound seniors prefer to take the College Board SATs, Knudsen said. Th ACT is usually taken by students considering going to colleges in the Midwest.
Also significant in the report was the difference in performance between test-takers who completed core college-prep courses and those who completed less than the core. "Those taking core courses always tend to score significantly higher than those who don't," Chin-Chance said.
The overall score for Hawaii students who completed college-prep courses was 22.2, compared to 20.2 for those who completed less than the recommended college prep courses.
The ACT data, for example, show scores were higher for students who took upper-level math courses than those who only took algebra or geometry.
"It's clear that the largest gains in math are associated with the higher-achieving students, those who have taken more comprehensive coursework," said ACT President Richard L. Ferguson.
If given time and resources, more effort would go into seeing just how effective taking specific courses such as trigonometry or English literature prepares students for the ACT or SATs, Chin-Chance said.
Having that kind of detailed information would give educators a better sense of how well schools are preparing students in specific areas so they can change the curriculum accordingly, he said.
