Rising, even record ACT scores tallied

Naperville North High School and Lisle's Benet Academy are celebrating record ACT scores this year.

Three other area schools -- Naperville Central, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley -- also are boasting scores that either rose or stayed level with last year.

The combined scores at North and Central -- a composite of 25.1 -- was the highest in Naperville Unit District 203's history, topping last year's 24.5.

In Illinois, all 11th-graders are required to take the test that includes English, math, science and reading and is graded on a 36-point scale.

All five area schools scored above the state average of 20.5 and the national average of 21.2.

Benet

Benet Academy earned its highest scores ever with a composite of 28.2, up from 28.0 last year.

Assistant Principal James E. Brown said "talented students, energetic teachers, a challenging curriculum and … supportive parents" contributed to the record score.

North

Naperville North came close to breaking a record itself. Its score of 25.1 tied its all-time high and was a jump from last year's 24.6.

Principal Ross Truemper said the previous 25.1, achieved in 2000, occurred when only college-bound students took the test. Now all 11th-graders are required to take it.

He said he's proud of the investment students made in their education.

"We're happy they scored that well and it's obviously rewarding to the entire district because the vast majority of students are here in elementary, junior high and high school," he said. "We all celebrate that because they're well-prepared and can meet those expectations."

Central

Naperville Central's score skyrocketed from 24.1 last year to 25.0. It's the school's second-highest score in at least 25 years and, officials believe, in school history.

Last year the district disputed its results after finding that roughly 124 of the individual scores did not belong to Central students. The district estimates Central's 2006 score should have been 24.3, but the state's official records have kept the original score.

Regardless, Principal Jim Caudill said he's pleased with the improvement in the most recent scores and credits the school's push to help students who struggle to meet No Child Left Behind standards, expanding the AP program, and promoting after-school tutoring.

He said one of the school's goals this year is to continue developing even stronger relationships with students.

"The better we know our kids the better we can meet (their) needs, so hopefully we'll have a continued trend upward," he said. "The bottom line is what are you doing to help all the kids in your school."

Neuqua

Neuqua's composite score this year climbed to 24.2, up from 23.8.

Principal Mike Popp said he's excited about the score, especially in light of having 155 more students take the test than last year.

He credits reading programs with being a key to the increase and said they carry over to each area of the test.

"Our work in reading over the last bunch of years is really paying off and helping us be better prepared for college," he said.

In addition, math teachers have adjusted the sequence of their lessons to make sure students have learned the necessary skills before taking the test.

Over the past five years, Neuqua saw an increase of 1.1 compared to the statewide average increase of 0.3.

Waubonsie

At Waubonsie, Principal Jim Schmid said the combination of direct classroom instruction and online programs, especially in math and reading, helped the Aurora school's composite score rise over the years.

This year it remained steady at 22.6.

"I think that's real solid," Schmid said. "We had the large jump last year … so I was hoping to stay here or move up a little bit. We showed growth in three of four areas so I was pleased with the overall scores."

Over the past five years, Waubonsie saw an increase of 1.2 while the state's average over the same period is 0.3. It has been on the rise since 2002 until leveling off this year.

"Obviously it's harder to increase when scores get higher," Schmid said. "So that's a good trend."

Area ACT scores

ACT scores are on the rise in the area with Benet breaking its school record and Naperville North tying its own high score. A comparison between this year and last:

2007 2006

Benet 28.2 28.0

North 25.1 24.6

Central 25.0 24.1*

Neuqua 24.2 23.8

Waubonsie 22.6 22.6

State 20.5 20.5

Nation 21.2 21.1

*Naperville Central disputed its 2006 score because it included results from roughly 124 students not from the school. Naperville Unit District 203 estimates the score should have been 24.3.