ACT Profile Report - State Graduating Class 2009 North Carolina ACT PROFILE REPORT - State PAGE 1 Graduating Class 2009 Code 349999 North Carolina Total Students in Report: 13,347 Table of Contents Section I: Executive Summary Page 5 Percent of Your Students Ready for College-Level Coursework Five Year Trends—Percent of Students Meeting College Readiness Benchmarks Five Year Trends—Average ACT Scores Five Year Trends—Average ACT Scores by Level of Preparation Five Year Trends—Percent and Average Composite Score by Race/Ethnicity Section II: Academic Achievement Page 9 ACT Score Distributions, Cumulative Percentages, Averages, and Quartile Values Average ACT Composite Scores for Race/Ethnicity by Level of Preparation Average ACT Scores by Race/Ethnicity Percent of Students in College Readiness Standards Score Ranges Average ACT Scores by Gender Percent of Students Meeting College Readiness Benchmark Scores by Gender College Readiness Benchmark Percent and Average ACT Scores by Overall High School Curriculum College Readiness Benchmark Percent and Average ACT Scores by Content-Specific Curriculum Section III: College Readiness & Impact of Course Rigor Page 15 Percent of Students Meeting ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores by Race/Ethnicity Average ACT Scores and Average ACT Score Changes by Common Course Patterns College Readiness Percents by Common Course Patterns Section IV: Career and Educational Aspirations Page 23 Distribution of Planned Educational Majors for All Students by College Plans Average ACT Composite Scores for Racial/Ethnic Groups by Post-Secondary Educational Aspirations Students' Score Report Preferences at Time of Testing Section V: Optional Writing Test Results Page 27 Average ACT English and Writing Scores by Race/Ethnicity and Gender for students who took ACT Writing ACT PROFILE REPORT - State PAGE 2 Graduating Class 2009 Code 349999 North Carolina Total Students in Report: 13,347 This report provides information about the performance of your 2009 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors; and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2009 and tested under standard time conditions. This report focuses on: Performance - student test performance in the context of college readiness Access - number of your graduates exposed to college entrance testing and the percent of race/ethnicity participation Course Selection - percent of students pursuing a core curriculum Course Rigor - impact of rigorous coursework on achievement College Readiness - percent of students meeting ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores in each content area Awareness - extent to which student aspirations match performance Articulation - colleges and universities to which your students send test results Each year, test data for a school, district, and the state represents a different cohort of students. ACT encourages educators to focus on trends (3, 5, 10 years), not year-to-year changes. Such changes can represent normal – even expected – fluctuations. On the other hand, trend lines offer more insight into what is happening in a school, district, or the state. Further, ACT encourages educators to measure student performance in the context of college readiness measures. The focus should be on the number and percentage of students meeting or exceeding ACT’s College Readiness Benchmark Scores, a measure that is much more meaningful and understandable than an average composite score for a group of students. ACT PROFILE REPORT - State PAGE 3 Graduating Class 2009 Code 349999 North Carolina Total Students in Report: 13,347 The ACT is a curriculum-based measure of college readiness. ACT components include: Tests of academic achievement in English, math, reading, science, and writing (optional) High school grade and course information Student Profile Section Career Interest Inventory The ACT: Every few years, ACT conducts the ACT National Curriculum Survey to ensure its curriculum-based assessment tools accurately measure the skills high school teachers teach and instructors of entry-level college courses expect. The ACT is the only college readiness test designed to reflect the results of such a survey. ACT’s College Readiness Standards are sets of statements intended to help students, parents and educators understand the meaning of test scores. The standards relate test scores to the types of skills needed for success in high school and beyond. They serve as a direct link between what students have learned and what they are ready to do next. The ACT is the only college readiness test for which scores can be tied directly to standards. Only the ACT reports College Readiness Benchmark Scores – A benchmark score is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing college courses, which include English Composition, Algebra, Social Science and Biology. These scores were empirically derived based on the actual performance of students in college. The College Readiness Benchmark Scores are: College Course/Course Area ACT Test Benchmark Score English Composition English 18 Algebra Mathematics 22 Social Sciences Reading 21 Biology Science 24 For more information, go to www.act.org ACT PROFILE REPORT - State PAGE 4 Graduating Class 2009 Code 349999 North Carolina Total Students in Report: 13,347 How to Improve Scores and Increase College Readiness 26% of your students met all four ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores (Table 1.1). To improve students' scores and increase the percentage of students identified as college ready, ACT suggests: PROVIDING ACCESS FOR ALL STUDENTS TO TAKE THE ACT: 13,347 of your students are included in this report (the 'cohort'). Increasing access insures that more students have the opportunity to consider college and allows the reader to use this report to evaluate how well courses and instructional programs are preparing students for college and work. MAKING CORE CURRICULUM A PRIORITY: Emphasize the need for all students to develop college and work ready skills, regardless of postsecondary aspirations. 80% of the students in the cohort reported taking courses that would be considered 'Core or More' (Table 1.4). MAKING SURE STUDENTS ARE TAKING THE RIGHT KINDS OF COURSES: Table 3.2 reports 3% of the cohort took less than three years of math courses. Of these students, 7% were college ready. 4% of the cohort reported taking the minimum math core (Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry). 12% of these students were college ready. In comparison, 54% of the students who advanced beyond minimum math core were college ready. Getting more students ready for Algebra prior to 9th grade will increase the chances that students will be prepared for and take advanced- level math courses. Similarly, Table 3.2 reports 11% of the cohort took less than three years of natural science courses. 8% of these students were college ready. In comparison, 33% of students who took at least three years of science coursework were college ready. EVALUATING RIGOR OF COURSES: Table 2.6 reports the percentage of students falling in each of the ACT College Readiness Standards score ranges. For example, approximately 38% of the cohort fall into the lowest three Mathematics score ranges. To increase these students' achievement, identify the standards they should focus on next by accessing ACT's College Readiness Standards at www.act.org/standard. PLAN GUIDANCE ACTIVITIES BASED ON STUDENTS' CAREER AND COLLEGE ASPIRATIONS: Data in Tables 4.1 and 4.2 enable the reader to determine if aspirations are consistent with academic performance and whether among students with similar aspirations, academic performance is consistent across racial/ethnic groups. For more information on interpreting data in this report, or to learn how ACT can help your students improve their readiness for college and the workplace, contact your regional office at 404-231-1952. ACT PROFILE REPORT - State: SECTION I, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PAGE 5 Graduating Class 2009 Code 349999 North Carolina Total Students in Report: 13,347 Section I Executive Summary ACT PROFILE REPORT - State: SECTION I, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PAGE 6 Graduating Class 2009 Code 349999 North Carolina Total Students in Report: 13,347 Figure 1.1. Percent of Your Students Ready for College-Level Coursework 100 State 90 National 80 70 60 50 40 69 67 30 56 51 53 20 42 30 28 26 23 10 0 College English Composition College Algebra College Social Science College Biology Students Meeting All 4 ACT Benchmark Scores ACT English ACT Math ACT Reading ACT Science Benchmark Score=18 Benchmark Score=22 Benchmark Score=21 Benchmark Score=24 A benchmark score is the minimum score needed on an ACT subject-area test to indicate a 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher or about a 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding credit-bearing college course. ACT PROFILE REPORT - State: SECTION I, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PAGE 7 Graduating Class 2009 Code 349999 North Carolina Total Students in Report: 13,347 Table 1.1. Five Year Trends—Percent of Students Meeting College Readiness Benchmarks Number of Students Percent Meeting Benchmarks Tested English Mathematics Reading Science Meeting All Four Year State National State National State National State National State National State National 2005 10,697 1,186,251 59 68 38 41 46 51 21 26 17 21 2006 10,359 1,206,455 61 69 42 42 49 53 23 27 19 21 2007 12,202 1,300,599 66 69 46 43 52 53 28 28 23 23 2008 13,054 1,421,941 67 68 49 43 55 53 28 28 24 22 2009 13,347 1,480,469 69 67 51 42 56 53 30 28 26 23 Table 1.2. Five Year Trends—Average ACT Scores Number of Students Average ACT Scores Tested English Mathematics Reading Science Composite Year State National State National State National State National State National State National 2005 10,697 1,186,251 19.3 20.4 20.4 20.7 20.6 21.3 20.0 20.9 20.2 20.9 2006 10,359 1,206,455 19.6 20.6 20.9 20.8 20.9 21.4 20.2 20.9 20.5 21.1 2007 12,202 1,300,599 20.2 20.7 21.4 21.0 21.4 21.5 20.7 21.0 21.0 21.2 2008 13,054 1,421,941 20.5 20.6 21.8 21.0 21.7 21.4 20.8 20.8 21.3 21.1 2009 13,347 1,480,469 20.9 20.6 22.0 21.0 21.9 21.4 21.1 20.9 21.6 21.1 Table 1.3. Five Year Trends—Average ACT Scores Nationwide Number of Students Average ACT Scores Year Tested English Mathematics Reading Science Composite 2005 1,186,251 20.4 20.7 21.3 20.9 20.9 2006 1,206,455 20.6 20.8 21.4 20.9 21.1 2007 1,300,599 20.7 21.0 21.5 21.0 21.2 2008 1,421,941 20.6 21.0 21.4 20.8 21.1 2009 1,480,469 20.6 21.0 21.4 20.9 21.1 ACT PROFILE REPORT - State: SECTION I, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PAGE 8 Graduating Class 2009 Code 349999 North Carolina Total Students in Report: 13,347 Table 1.4. Five Year Trends—Average ACT Scores by Level of Preparation Average ACT Scores Number of Students Tested Percent2 English Mathematics Reading Science Composite Core Less Core or Less than or than Core or Less than Core or Less than Core or Less than Core or Less than Core or Less than Year More1 Core More Core More Core More Core More Core More Core More Core 2005 5,491 3,918 51 37 20.6 17.1 21.5 18.8 21.9 18.7 21.0 18.6 21.4 18.4 2006 5,408 3,464 52 33 20.7 17.5 21.8 19.2 22.0 19.1 21.1 18.8 21.5 18.8 2007 6,721 3,666 55 30 21.1 18.1 22.1 19.7 22.2 19.6 21.5 19.2 21.8 19.3 2008 9,169 2,905 70 22 21.3 17.7 22.4 19.6 22.4 19.2 21.4 18.7 22.0 18.9 2009 10,743 2,296 80 17 21.7 17.3 22.7 19.0 22.7 18.9 21.7 18.5 22.3 18.6 1"Core or More" results correspond to students taking four or more years of English AND three or more years each of math, social studies, and natural science. 2Percent of all students tested. Numbers will not add up to 100% due to student non-response. Table 1.5. Five Year Trends—Percent and Average Composite Score by Race/Ethnicity 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 N % Avg N % Avg N % Avg N % Avg N % Avg All Students 10,697 100 20.2 10,359 100 20.5 12,202 100 21.0 13,054 100 21.3 13,347 100 21.6 African American/Black 3,174 30 16.6 2,755 27 16.8 2,759 23 16.9 2,934 22 17.0 2,946 22 17.1 American Indian/Alaska Native 126 1 18.4 94 1 18.3 110 1 18.8 118 1 20.2 117 1 19.8 Caucasian American/White 6,019 56 21.9 5,671 55 22.0 6,864 56 22.4 8,013 61 22.6 8,571 64 23.0 Hispanic 262 2 19.5 260 3 20.5 313 3 20.2 369 3 20.7 432 3 20.9 Asian American/Pacific Islander 254 2 21.8 226 2 22.8 285 2 22.7 349 3 24.5 374 3 24.7 Other/No Response 862 8 21.2 1,353 13 21.5 1,871 15 22.2 1,271 10 22.5 907 7 22.4