CHEYENNE – State, district, and school-level results are now available online for the ACT taken by students in grade 11 in the spring of 2018.

“The ACT is a college readiness exam that opens doors for Wyoming students through the Hathaway Scholarship,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow. “We are appropriately no longer using the ACT to measure academic achievement. We emphasize multiple options for students after high school, and we don’t tie success to a single test. As we implement changes to how we hold schools accountable and offer them support, I know our educators and administrators will continue to do everything they can to better prepare students for the future.”

11 Grade ACT Results table showing a 6-Year Comparison of Average Scores. Overall, students averaged a Composite score of 19.5 in 2017-18, 19.7 in 2016-17, 20.0 in 2015-16, 19.8 in 2014-15, 19.9 in 2013-14, and 19.7 in 2012-13. For English, students averaged a score of 18.4 in 2017-18, 18.6 in 2016-17, 19.1 in 2015-16, 18.8 in 2014-15, 19.0 in 2013-14, and 18.8 in 2012-13. In Math, students averaged a score of 19.3 in 2017-18, 19.5 in 2016-17, 19.7 in 2015-16, 19.5 in 2014-15, 19.7 in 2013-14, and 19.6 in 2012-13. In Reading, students averaged a score of 19.9 in 2017-18, 20.2 in 2016-17, 20.5 in 2015-16, 20.0 in 2014-15, 20.3 in 2013-14, and 20.1 in 2012-13. In Science, students averaged a score of 19.8 in 2017-18, 20.0 in 2016-17, 20.4 in 2015-16, 20.2 in 2014-15, 20.1 in 2013-14, and 19.8 in 2012-13.

Statewide results show a statistically insignificant decrease in the average composite score and in each subject area. The eight high schools that earned the highest average composite score are:

  • Burlington High School: 24.6
  • Jackson Hole High School: 22.3
  • Sheridan High School: 22.1
  • Lovell High School: 21.8
  • Central High School: 21.6
  • Star Valley High School: 21.6
  • Laramie High School: 21.5
  • Cokeville High School: 21.5

In the spring of 2018, 21 schools administered the ACT online, compared to 14 schools the year before. Individual student results on the ACT help determine Hathaway Scholarship Program eligibility. Students must earn a minimum average composite score of 17 to be eligible for the Provisional level of the scholarship, 19 for Opportunity, 21 for Performance, and 25 for Honors.

11th Grade Hathaway Scholarship Qualification graphic showing the percentage of students who met the 2018 ACT requirement for Hathaway Scholarships. 30.7% were not ACT Qualified and 69.3% were ACT Qualified for Hathaway Scholarships, including 16.4% qualifying for the Provisional scholarship, 15.2% qualifying for the Opportunity scholarship, 22.1% qualifying for the Performance Scholarship, and 15.7% qualifying for the Honors Scholarship.

“By 2020, 65 percent of all jobs will require training beyond high school according to the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce,” said Superintendent Balow. “These results show that through the Hathaway Scholarship, nearly 70 percent of our students have better access to that training at our community colleges or the University of Wyoming.”

A new assessment system was implemented in the 2017-18 school year, with students in grades 3-10 taking the Wyoming Test of Proficiency and Progress (WY-TOPP). In prior years, students in grades 9-10 took the ACT Aspire, and grade 11 ACT results were used to indicate achievement for accountability purposes. Now, grade 10 WY-TOPP results will be used to measure achievement, and the grade 11 ACT results will be used to indicate growth and post-secondary readiness for accountability. All WY-TOPP results are set to be released in late September, and accountability determinations will be released in November.

“This data does not represent how Wyoming did compared to other states on the ACT,” added Superintendent Balow. “I’m encouraged by the percentage of Wyoming students that qualified for the Hathaway Scholarship on the ACT, but we know we don’t have the full picture yet.”

Nationally, the release of ACT scores for the class of 2018 has been delayed until October 17, 2018. ACT has preliminarily noted an unexpected dip in average composite scores.

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Audio from Superintendent Balow

Media Contact:
Kari Eakins, Communications Director
kari.eakins@wyo.gov
307-777-2053

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