Lisle ACT scores remain steady
Students at Lisle High School know a little something about consistency - at least when it comes to their ACT scores.
Seniors who took the test this spring scored a composite 22.1 - at least the fifth straight year Lisle students have averaged between 22.8 and 22.1.
"We've been continuing to stay at a pretty consistent pace over the past five years," Christine Messina, director of curriculum, said Thursday. "We have a nice component here for learning."
Statewide the average composite score was 20.7; nationally it was 21.1.
All Illinois graduates take the ACT, comprised of tests in English, math, reading and science.
This was Lisle's smallest graduating class in five years, Messina said, with just 118 students - down from 145 a year ago. That accounts, at least in part, for some dips in the test scores, she said.
The 22.1 composite was down from 22.8 last year, with decreases in English (21.8 from 23.0 last year), math (21.8 from 22.8) and reading (22.2 from 22.8). Science scores remained unchanged at 22.0.
With the start of the new school year less than two weeks away, Messina said the district is preparing to use new diagnostic tools to work with students from kindergarten through high school that ultimately could help boost some of those scores.
The system, she said, will allow educators to measure individual student's proficiencies in the fall and then work with the youngsters throughout the school year to improve their performances in certain areas. The diagnostics can be broken into specific goal areas that will allow teachers to determine exactly what portions of, say, the math curriculum a student is having problems with, so teachers know what areas to focus on.
By the numbers
Lisle Unit District 202 has released its 2008 ACT scores. The scores reflect tests taken by the senior class that graduated this spring.
Lisle High School
Composite: 22.1 (last year: 22.8)
English: 21.8 (23.0)
Math: 21.8 (22.8)
Reading: 22.2 (22.8)
Science: 22.0 (22.0)
State avg. composite: 20.7
National avg. composite: 21.1
Source: Lisle Unit District 202