For the third year in a row, Georgia students who took the ACT test outperformed their peers nationally.
The ACT is a multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper test across core subjects which can be used to measure a student's mastery of subjects. Most colleges and universities consider test results, among other indicators, when selecting students for admission or scholarships.
For instance, the average ACT score for students admitted to the University of Georgia this year is 30 out of the possible 36 total points achievable, its admission office says.
The state’s average composite 2017-18 score of 21.4 was flat from the prior year, according to data released by ACT Wednesday, while the national average dropped slightly to 20.8.
That 20.8 score is where Georgia was in 2013-14, before small but steady annual increases. The national average, by comparison, has been bobbing between 20.8 and 21 each year since then.
“For the third time and the third year in a row, Georgia’s students have outperformed the national average on the ACT. That’s a testament to the hard work of our students and educators,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in a press release.
Georgia achieved its increase as test participation rose by nearly 6,000 students, with 56,481 in the state’s 2018 graduating class taking the exam. National participation rose, too, but at a slower pace.
Still, Georgia hasn’t caught up to the national participation rate yet: 55 percent of the graduating class nationwide took the exam, versus 53 percent in Georgia. Some students take the SAT exams, which is used for similar purposes.
The state DOE said the 2018 ACT results also brought positive news in the area of equity, as students in Georgia’s two largest minority groups outperformed their counterparts nationally. The average composite score for black/African American students in Georgia was 18.0, compared to 16.9 nationally. For Hispanic/Latino students in Georgia, the average composite score was 20.4, compared to 18.8 nationally.
Here are how metro Atlanta's school systems did in average composite scores: Forsyth County 24.5; Fulton County 23.7; Buford City Schools, 23.5; Cherokee County 23; Cobb County 22.8.
Gwinnett County 22.6; DeKalb County 19.7; Atlanta 18.7; Clayton County 17.9.
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