Several schools’ students score well on ACT

Mayo High School for Math, Science & Technology in Darlington County School District, West Florence High School in Florence School District 1 and Johnsonville High School in Florence School District 5 exceeded the state average composite score of 19.9 on the ACT college entrance exam, according to results released today by the state Department of Education.

The ACT scores are from students who graduated in 2008, regardless of the year when their most recent scores were recorded, according to the state department.

Mayo’s average composite score is 22.4, West Florence’s score is 20.7, and Johnsonville’s score is 20.5, on the ACT’s 36-point scale.

Mayo also exceeded the national average composite score of 21.1.

Florence 5 Superintendent Dr. Dale Strickland said while Johnsonville High has shown increases on the ACT, students still are encouraged to take either the ACT or SAT.

“(We) advise them on what will best meet their needs,” Strickland said. “It’s their decision.”

Latta High School wasn’t far away from the state average with a composite score of 19.5, with Wilson High School at 19.2 and Central High School at 19.1.

The ACT includes four tests: English, mathematics, reading and science reasoning. Scores are reported in each of those areas.

The state’s average score for English, math, reading and science were 19.2, 20.1, 20 and 19.7, respectively. The national scores were 20.6, 21, 21.4 and 20.8.

Mayo students have exceeded the state and national composite scores in English, math, reading and science, with scores of 22.2, 23, 22.4 and 21.5, respectively.

West Florence and Johnsonville exceeded the state’s English score with a score of 20.5 and 20.2, respectively.

Both schools exceed the state’s math score with a score of 20.4 and 20.6, respectively.

Both West Florence and Johnsonville’s reading scores of 21.1 and 20.2, respectively, exceed the state’s score of 20.

In science, West Florence’s score of 20.5 and Johnsonville’s score of 20.3 exceeded the state’s score of 19.7.

South Carolina’s high school seniors not only continue to show steady progress, but also are improving their scores at a faster rate, said state Superintendent of Education Jim Rex in a press release.

“The national composite score has fluctuated over the past five years, compared to our steady increases,” Rex said in the release. “Our score is up six-tenths of a point over five years, and we achieved half of that gain this year. I said before that we needed to improve at a faster rate to be competitive. That’s exactly what we’ve done.”

The ACT is a test of curriculum-based and classroom-based achievement, while the SAT is an implied learning test that measures how students think based on their experiences both in and out of the classroom setting, according to the state department.