District 214 ACT scores continue steady climb

For the seventh consecutive year, Northwest Suburban High School District 214's ACT composite score has risen by 0.2 points.

The district has improved consistently every year since the Class of 2002, despite fluctuations in the incoming freshmen EXPLORE scores.

The 1.4 points overall increase in seven years is double the statewide increase of 0.7 points for this time period. The steady growth is indicative of systematic school and curricular improvement efforts, according to district officials.

"Districtwide improvement efforts initiated during the 2000-01 school year were later followed by nonnegotiable district goals for increasing curricular rigor and student academic performance,"said Steve Cordogan, director of research and evaluation.

"Our staff's dedication to meeting these goals and enhancing student achievement have produced a trend of increased ACT performance that is amazingly consistent and substantial in overall size, particularly in light of our increasing at-risk demographics."

The overall average composite ACT score for the Class of 2009 is 23.3, which is 0.2 points higher than the Class of 2008.

All six District 214 schools improved by at least 0.7 points on their composite score since the Class of 2002, and ACT scores are well above those for the Class of 2001, when only college-bound students took the test.

John Hersey and Prospect high schools continue to make the largest composite score gains in the district - 2.7 and 2.2 points, respectively - led by their English scores of 4.3 and 3.2 points, respectively. These growth levels are among the highest of any school in the Chicago suburbs.

This year's state average ACT composite score is 20.8, and the national composite score remained at 21.1.