Statewide gains on ACT test

Statewide gains on ACT test: State education leaders said Tuesday that the class of 2009 scored higher than the class of 2008 in three of the four areas tested on the ACT exam, and that the state's overall composite score went up for the third year in a row. Illinois Class of 2009 students scored a 20.5 in English, a 20.8 in reading and a 20.7 in science on the ACT, all higher scores than the previous year. In math, state students scored 20.7, exactly the same as last year. Illinois is one of only seven states nationwide in which at least 90 percent of graduates take the ACT. Among those states, Illinois' 2009 composite ACT score of 20.8 ties it with Colorado for the highest score. Illinois requires 11th-graders (minus certain exempt students) to take the ACT, regardless of whether they plan to attend college. ACT scores for individual suburban districts will be released gradually in the coming weeks, and they'll all be included in the state report card data coming at the end of October.