District 214's ACT scores continue upward march

For the fifth consecutive year, ACT scores have risen slightly in Northwest Suburban High School District 214.

The latest data put the average composite score at 22.9 for the district's latest batch of graduates, up 0.2 points from the prior year. The figure includes scores from all ACTs taken by 2,710 students.

The state ACT average was the same as last year's at 20.5. The national composite score is 21.2.

The average scores are below what's generally needed to get into the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, according to one District 214 college admission counselor.

A student with a B-plus grade-point average will generally need an ACT score of 27 or 28 to gain admission into the university's liberal arts school, said John Hammond, Wheeling High School college counselor. If that same student wants to get into the university's engineering college, he or she will need an ACT score of 32.

"There are variables such as essays and many other things that come into play, but the University of Illinois is the most popular school with our students," Hammond said. "It's also very selective."

The same B-plus student needs an ACT score of 24 to get into Illinois State and a 19 to get into Northern Illinois University, Hammond said.

Illinois is one of only two states requiring all juniors to take the ACT during a standardized test sequence. That rule kicked in starting with the Class of 2002.

Since 2001, John Hersey and Prospect high schools have made the largest composite score gains of 1.9 and 1.4 points, respectively. Hersey's English score was the most improved subject area, increasing from 21.9 to 24.9.

Steve Cordogan analyzes ACT data for District 214.

"Every year, our district's ACT scores have gone up with remarkable consistency," Cordogan said. "Because our district is so large, you'll almost never see large fluctuations, but we have seen stable increases."

The three-hour ACT tests English, math, reading and science. Between 40 percent and 50 percent of District 214 students take the ACT a second time in hopes of getting a better score, Cordogan said.