by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
To no one’s surprise, students in the Sartell-St. Stephen school district once again out-performed their state peers on the 2015-16 American College Testing assessment test.
The latest batch of scores do, however, show a very slight decline in scores by Sartell students in previous years, but all are above the state averages for other students in the state.
The ACT consists of curriculum-based tests in English, reading, math and science. The tests are designed to measure readiness for college studies.
All 11th-grade students are allowed the chance to take the ACT tests in-district every year. Eleventh-graders also have the option to take non-school-district ACT testing.
Sartell-St. Stephen Superintendent Jeff Schwiebert said the ACT defines college and career readiness as “the acquisition of the knowledge and skills a student needs to enroll in and succeed in credit-bearing first-year courses at a postsecondary institution (such as a two- or four-year college, trade school or technical school) without the need for remediation.”
Schwiebert credits teachers and hard-working students to the good ACT scores year after year in Sartell schools.
“We have set college and career readiness as a goal for our students,” Schwiebert said. “Our teachers are dedicated to providing instruction and curriculum that prepares our students for the post-secondary world. The ACT Assessment data is utilized in all subject areas to assist in programming on an individual and school-wide level. We are proud our students consistently perform at high levels and demonstrate a deep commitment to their learning.”
The following are the testing results for students who were members of the graduating class of 2016:
English, Sartell score average 22.5. State average 20.0; math, Sartell score average 23.9, state average 21.2; reading, Sartell score average 23.7, state average 21.3; and science, Sartell score average 23.6, state average 21.3. Total number of students tested: 240.
The following are scores of the Sartell 11th-grade students who took the state-administered ACT test, but the state averages for 2015-16 have not been released yet for the state-level testing:
English, Sartell score average 21.6; math, Sartell score average 23.9; reading, Sartell score average 23.7; and science, Sartell score average 23.6. Total number of students tested: 280.
The national average for ACT testing in 2015-16 was 20.8. In Minnesota the average score was 21.1.
Sartell-St. Stephen Superintendent Dr. Jeff Schwiebert
