The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts Class of 2015 posted the highest average composite score on the ACT of any graduating class in the 23-year history of the school.
Graduates in the Class of 2015 posted a composite of 29.8 on the national college admissions and placement test, according to data released by ASMSA on Wednesday. The Class of 2014 had the previous high with a composite score of 29.4.
Many ASMSA students take the ACT during their sophomore year of high school as part of the school’s admission criteria. All students take the Universal ACT in March of their junior year at ASMSA’s expense. The general increase in their scores reflect the students’ academic preparedness. The Class of 2015’s final composite score was a 4.2-point increase over its incoming score. The class entered ASMSA with a 25.6 composite score.
“While it is important to note that scores on standardized exams do not tell the full story of a student’s capacity to learn and contribute, we are proud of our student body’s commitment to excellence on the ACT,” ASMSA Director Corey Alderdice said.
“Even with a growing number of opportunities across Arkansas for students to be challenged, it is a testament to our faculty, academic support staff and residence life team that students choose ASMSA to grow as students and Arkansans.”
The ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, with 36 being the highest possible score. Students also receive scores in four individual testing areas, which are combined for the composite score. The individual testing areas are English, mathematics, reading and science.
ASMSA’s score outpaced the state and national averages by several points. The average composite for Arkansas students who took the test was 20.4, which was unchanged from 2014. The national average was 21.0, according to a report released by ACT on Wednesday.
The Class of 2015 also scored significantly higher on the individual testing areas than the state and national averages. The 102 ASMSA students received the following average scores in each testing area compared to state and national averages:
• English: ASMSA, 31.1; state, 20.0; national, 20.4;
• Math: ASMSA, 28.6; state, 20.0; national, 20.8;
• Reading: ASMSA, 31.7; state, 20.9; national, 21.4;
• Science: ASMSA, 29.9; state, 20.3; national, 20.9.
Bob Gregory, dean of academic affairs at ASMSA, attributed a significant portion of the students’ success on the test to the students’ hometown school districts throughout Arkansas.
“The scores are an indicator that schools around the state are preparing students to be successful as they progress through their school careers. The advanced coursework that students experience at ASMSA creates learners who are able to handle any kind of assessment,” Gregory said.
Alderdice said that ASMSA strives to be viewed as an extension of every school in the state. He said such scores are only possible with the combined preparation students received from their home institutions and continued study at ASMSA.
All ASMSA classes are taught on the college level, and the school offers more than 60 classes that allow students to earn college credit. Many of the school’s graduates begin college at the sophomore level.
While the ACT is designed to measure how prepared academically students are for the first year of college, it does not reflect ASMSA’s efforts to create confident learners who are able to handle college life and beyond.
“ASMSA is a college bridge environment — it combines the academic rigor, research experience and opportunities to study abroad of college and with the supervision, safety, support systems and structure of high school,” Alderdice said.
“There’s this idea of college readiness being measured by ACT score benchmarks, which predicts how good of a chance a student will have making a C or better in a college class, but there’s more to consider than academic capacity. Can the student live independently? Can they act autonomously and make decisions as a young adult?”