Huntley Dist. 158 ACT scores prompt scrutiny of recent gains

After two straight years of gains, ACT scores at Huntley High School dipped slightly this year, reinforcing the need for targeted test preparation efforts.

The high school's composite score, a measure of success across all subject areas tested, was 22.3 this year, down from 22.4 in 2009, according to Huntley Unit District 158. This year's score was above the state average of 20.7.

Before this year, the high school witnessed two big jumps, in ACT terms, from 20.6 in 2007 to 21.4 in 2008 and 22.4 in 2009.

While not cause for great concern, the 0.1 drop this year is prompting district officials to make sure the gains of 2008 and 2009 were real.

"When you do that, you want to make sure you didn't just have a bright group of kids come through," Chief Academic Officer Mary Olson said.

The dip may also be a product of a changing student body, as the high school gets bigger and more diverse. More than 400 students took the ACT last year at Huntley High School, up from 258 five years ago, according to the district.

"We've been trying to make sure, with our student growth, we can sustain the gains," Olson said. "We feel pretty sure that we can sustain this level."

In the individual subject areas, it was a mixed bag this year. English scores went down 0.4, math was up 0.2, reading dropped by 0.3 and science stayed the same.

District 158 officials plan to continue its efforts at the high school, where teachers use standardized assessments to identify problem areas for freshmen and sophomores and address those issues before students take the ACT as juniors.