School districts across the Palmetto State received valuable Class of 2016 assessment data this week as ACT released the national ACT Condition of College and Career Readiness Report.
Already dedicated to ensuring the college and career readiness of all students, and with a renewed passion to encourage each graduate to realize their full academic and career potential, the Aiken County Public School District administered the ACT College Admission Test and the ACT WorkKeys assessment to all students in the Class of 2016.
“With testing changes impacting success indicators for many years,” Aiken County’s new Chief Officer of Instruction Dr. DeeDee Washington commented, “it’s important that we are able to compare our own year-to-year data and that information from the assessments is rendered useful to students, families and the community as post-secondary plans are being made.”
In 2015, the ACT and the ACT WorkKeys replaced the HSAP graduation test, an assessment often referred to as the “exit exam."
“There is a renewed momentum throughout the state to ensure that our high schools are preparing students for more than a diploma,” Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford stated. “That effort is certainly being realized here in Aiken County, where we are taking great responsibility to ensure that each graduate leaves us with a diploma and a documented plan for their future success through college admittance, the workforce or military service.”
|
ACT |
# tested |
English |
Math |
Reading |
Science |
Composite |
||||||
|
ACPSD |
SC |
ACPSD |
SC |
ACPSD |
SC |
ACPSD |
SC |
ACPSD |
SC |
ACPSD |
SC |
|
|
2015 graduates |
603 |
25,151 |
20.7 |
19.8 |
20.9 |
20.2 |
21.5 |
20.9 |
21.2 |
20.4 |
21.2 |
20.4 |
|
2016 graduates |
1553* |
51,098 |
17 |
17.3 |
18.5 |
18.5 |
18.7 |
19 |
18.6 |
18.6 |
18.3 |
18.5 |
*In 2016, 100% of Aiken County’s Class of 2016 was assessed using the ACT College Readiness Test.
“While our District’s graduating senior ACT composite scores decreased somewhat,” Kate Olin, the District’s Director of Accountability & Assessment, mentioned, “a deeper dive into the data reveals that only 41% of seniors (603 students) took the ACT in 2015. Those self-selected college-bound graduates scored 21.2, above both the state (20.4) and the nation (21.0). This year, we experienced a 157% increase in the number of graduating seniors taking the ACT. With 1,553 students tested, our District’s overall composite score is 18.3, just slightly below the state’s average of 18.5. Although our composite scores in math and science are identical to the state’s averages, we are encouraged that the scores of those students meeting the STEM benchmark, exceed the state average.”
|
STEM benchmarks |
# tested |
AVG STEM Score |
AVG Math Score of those meeting benchmark |
AVG Science Score of those meeting benchmark |
||||
|
ACPSD |
SC |
ACPSD |
SC |
ACPSD |
SC |
ACPSD |
SC |
|
|
2015 graduates |
603 |
25,151 |
21.3 |
20.6 |
28.1 |
28 |
28.3 |
28.3 |
|
2016 graduates |
1553 |
51,098 |
18.8 |
18.8 |
28.4 |
28 |
29.2 |
28.3 |
Although no single factor may be credited with Aiken County’s improved college-bound percentage (79.6 of this year’s graduates were accepted to a 4 or 2-year college, up from 51.8% the previous year), opportunities such as the District-wide administration of the ACT for all students, partnerships with local colleges and universities in hosting instant college decision days on our high school campuses and other determined District efforts are contributing to the increased number of students continuing their education after high school.
Every student in Aiken County’s Class of 2016 was also given the opportunity to have their career readiness measured through WorkKeys, a job skills assessment system created by ACT that helps employers select, hire, train, develop, and retain a high-performance workforce.
To earn an ACT certificate, an individual must complete three assessments, measuring a range of essential work skills, including the ability to: perform basic math operations relevant to the workplace, read and understand documents commonly found in the workplace, find information presented in common workplace graphics, set up and solve complex work-related math problems, determine the relevance of written information to work-related tasks, and apply information derived from graphics to work-related problems.
Those taking WorkKeys assessments may earn various levels of certification through a National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) at the Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze level of skill mastery. The NCRC is an industry-recognized, portable, evidence-based credential that certifies the essential skills needed for workplace success. A growing number of business and industries in South Carolina utilize the WorkKeys assessment and NCRC certification for employment.
During the 2015 administration of WorkKeys assessments in Aiken County, an impressive 90 percent of rising seniors earned Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum NCRC certification. According to the ACT Profile Report, of Aiken County’s most recent graduates, 96% were in the Gold, Silver or Bronze Categories.
“All does mean all in Aiken County,” Dr. Alford reiterated. “All students deserve the opportunity to have their college and career-readiness measured and to explore continuing their education as well as other post-secondary opportunities as viable options to their future success.”
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Link to District News Release: PR 2016 ACT SCORES