Lincoln Public Schools

LPS high school students continue excellence in ACT scores

Originally published on: August 26, 2009

High school students at Lincoln Public Schools (LPS) have tied their record, historic scores in their performance in this year’s ACT, America’s most widely accepted college entrance exam.  In numbers released Wednesday, LPS students achieved  a composite score of 23.3 for the second year in a row: the highest in the history of the school district.  That number compares to a state composite score of 22.1 and a national composite score of 21.1.

“The ACT scores are one of the most important measures of a school district’s work and a crucial measure of the rigor of our curriculum,” said Superintendent Susan Gourley.  “I believe this reflects hard work from our teachers, administrators and students.”

Gourley also pointed out that a record 1,374 LPS high school students – about two thirds of graduating seniors – took the ACT this past year.  “That’s the true test.  Increasing the number of students who take the test, increasing the diversity of students who take the test and continuing to maintain excellent scores.”

The ACT test assesses a high school student’s general educational development and is designed to measure the skills needed for success in the first year of college coursework.  The multiple-choice test covers four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading and science, and the composite score is an average of these four areas.  The highest possible ACT score is 36.

“These sustained high scores, sustained improvement, reflect the education experiences that students accumulate from the time they begin with Lincoln Public Schools,” according to Marilyn Moore, Associate Superintendent for Instruction.

Moore cited specific factors:  
•    Encouraging high school students to take additional courses in core areas of English, math, social studies and sciences.
•    Establishing a curriculum that focuses on the development of more rigorous and higher level thinking skills.

As an example, she pointed to the LPS scores in science reasoning, which increased from 22.9 to 23.1 this year.  “Those numbers reflect well on students and teachers, as well as curriculum; curriculum that engages our students in high-level reasoning and problem solving, and not just memorization.”

At the same time, Moore stressed the importance of encouraging more students to take the ACT.  “The number of students who take the test is an indicator of the number of students who recognize college as a possibility – students who have hope for a better future.”