Some ACT results up, others down in area

High school students in the northern Fox Valley received mixed results on last year's ACT, according to district reports released this week.

Graduating seniors in Elgin Area District U-46, Community Unit District 300 and Central District 301 posted lower marks on last year's test than they did the year before.

However, students in both Crystal Lake District 155 and Huntley District 158 fared better on the state-mandated test, the reports show.

"There's no magic answers to these numbers," Superintendent John Burkey said after District 158's composite score rose from 20.3 to 20.6 on the 36-point test. "They're not going to skyrocket overnight. If we just see steady, continual improvement, that's what I'm looking for."

District 155 officials said they were pleased with their results -- after scores rose from 22.2 to 22.4 -- but don't want to put too much stock in one standardized test.

"This trend is good," director of communications Jeff Puma said. "But it's one test on one day. There's so many other things that make a successful high school student."

District 300 officials say they are taking their scores seriously after watching the district average drop from 20.6 to 20.1 this year.

The state average on the test was 20.5.

"Since 2003, the district has had a continuous trend upward," said Tom Hay, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. "Any time we are not trending upward, we take that very seriously. It's a complex system, and my response to a single year is you don't want two years in a row like that."

Scores in Elgin Area U-46 did drop for a second straight year -- but only slightly, from 19.4 to 19.2.

"We had hoped to see improvement on the ACT, and will be analyzing the data to determine our next steps," spokesman Tony Sanders said.

Sanders also said that a few changes, such as more rigorous graduation requirements and the addition of Advanced Placement classes, should raise future test scores.

Curriculum changes may not be the answer in District 301, however, where scores dipped slightly this year from 21.5 down to 21.3.

Superintendent Brad Hawk said he would like to see improvement, but at the same time, the area's population growth means students are taking the test in District 301 without really going through the system.

"You take this kind of as a snapshot," Hawk said. "We had two years of improvement. This is a step back. But certainly as a whole I think we're doing well."