D303 says new ACT goal is more realistic

For the first time since the policy was put in place, St. Charles Unit District 303 officials are considering not raising the ACT score expectations for students who will take the exam this school year. But district officials said those students, and their parents, shouldn't take it as a lack of faith in their smarts.

The district created a “score card” three years ago to inform the community of its expectations for student achievement. The policy has been to increase those expectations, in the case of the ACT, by an additional 0.5 on the composite score. That would mean the new expectation should by an ACT score of 23.9. The district had a banner year for ACT achievement last year. Students averaged a score of 23.6, a full 0.6 increase compared to the prior year.

The problem with increasing the expectation this year to 23.9 is that the students set to take the ACT have tested below the crop of students who reached the 23.6 score throughout their school careers. That fact immediately alerted school board members to the possibility of a 23.9 being a bit ambitious.

“Is there a snowball's chance that we're going to hit that?” asked school board Vice President Jim Chimienti at a committee meeting this week.

“I don't think so,” answered Mark Pomplun, the district's executive director of assessment.

In a follow-up interview, Pomplun said the idea of not raising the bar this year is not a slight for the crop of students who will take the ACT this year. Instead, it's creating a reachable, tailored goal for those students just like teachers do in the classrooms.

“Three years ago the board put their stamp of approval on a plan that said if we are clicking on all cylinders, we should be able to make a 0.5 increase in the ACT every year,” Pomplun said. “But part of that recommendation is not saying, ‘Oh, wow. We just had one of our highest achieving groups ever come through.' Realistically, it would probably be a real accomplishment just to keep that ACT score where it is. The board definitely wants to be realistic. You always want to make a goal that's within reach to keep people motivated.”

Pomplun will pitch a score card without an increase in the ACT score expectation to the full school board when it meets next month. The full board must approve the diversion from the established policy.