Nebraska achievement levels remained on pace with the nation amidst declines nationally on the ACT entrance exam that measures college readiness in English, reading, mathematics, and science.
Although all Nebraska public school juniors are required to take the ACT as part of the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS), due to COVID not all 2022 graduates had taken the assessment. Nebraska still had 94 percent of public school graduates participate in the ACT.
Nebraska’s average 2022 ACT composite score is 19.4, down from 20.0 in 2021 when only 86 percent of graduates had taken the ACT. The national average is also down five tenths of a point from 20.3 to 19.8 and only 36 percent of students take the ACT nationwide. The highest possible ACT score is 36.
Nebraska continues to score well compared to the 14 states with more than 90 percent of graduates taking the ACT. Only Utah at 19.9 scored better. This is significant as states that test a high percentage of graduates tend to have lower averages as the scores include more students who are not on a college course-taking track.
Nebraska students scored an average of 18.6 in English compared to 19.0 nationally. In reading, Nebraska students scored an average of 19.8 compared to 20.4 nationally. In math, Nebraska students scored an average of 19.1 compared to 19.3 nationally. And in science Nebraska students scored an average of 19.6 compared to 19.9 nationally.
Original source can be found here.
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