Graduates' ACT scores tick upward

SANTA FE (KRQE) - A record number of New Mexico high school graduates took the ACT college-entrance exam this year tallying a tiny increase in overall scores, the state Public Education Department said Wednesday.

Nearly 13,000 students, two-thirds of the state's graduates, took the test resulting in a composite score of 20.1, up 0.1 from 2009. The national composite on the 1-36 scoring scale was 21.0, down 0.1 from the previous year, according to ACT, Inc., formerly known as the American College Testing Program.

The national results , however, showed fewer than 25 percent of the graduates who took the test are prepared for entry-level college courses in English composition, algebra, social sciences and biology, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The lack of rigorous high school classes is partly to blame for that, according to experts cited by the Journal.

“New Mexico continues to increase participation and to eliminate barriers in taking this college and career readiness test,” said New Mexico Education Secretary Designate Dr. Susanna Murphy, New Mexico secretary-designate of education. “More students are taking core college preparatory courses in line with the state’s high school redesign efforts, but we still need to encourage students to take more rigorous courses during high school.”

The ACT report on New Mexico students taking the test found that 59 percent are prepared for college English composition, 32 percent for algebra, 47 percent for social sciences and 22 percent for college biology, all below the national averages. Only 17 percent of New Mexico students are college-ready in all four subjects, according to ACT.

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Online:  ACT New Mexico report (PDF download from KRQE News 13)