ACT scores up, still lag nation's

The North Carolina class of 2007 took the ACT at a record rate and scored higher than the year before but still fell shy of the national average.

The average composite score of 21 among state graduates was up from 20.5 but just shy of the national average composite score of 21.2 on a scale of 1 to 36.

Both state and national scores extended a recent pattern of slight but noticeable increases in each of the four individual tests -- English, math, reading and science.

The national average rose only one-tenth of a point from last year's 21.1.

Math was the only subject in which North Carolina students scored higher than the national average, with an average math score of 21.4 versus a national average of 21.

In North Carolina, the number of students taking the test also continued a decade-long upward trend.

Traditionally, the SAT has been the college entrance exam of choice for high school students on the coasts, with the ACT predominating in the nation's heartland. But in the past decade, more students in SAT states have started taking the ACT, often taking both tests.

Among this year's graduates, 12,202 North Carolina students took the test, or 16 percent of graduates. That's up from 10,477 in 2006, or 15 percent of high school graduates. A decade before, only 9 percent of North Carolina graduates took the test.

The ACT is curriculum-based, while the SAT focuses more on basic math, verbal and writing skills.

Both exams are accepted by most colleges. ACT officials don't know how many students take both tests, but overall, 42 percent of this year's high school graduates took the ACT, up from 40 percent last year.

SAT results for the class of 2007 will be released this month.

The national and state results highlight the persistent gap between the preparation levels of high school graduates and the skills they need to do well in college. Only 23 percent of test-takers nationally met a benchmark score that indicates readiness in a range of introductory, core college courses.

Forty-three percent who took the ACT math exam met the test's benchmark for college readiness, up from 40 percent a year ago. In science the figure was 28 percent, up from 26 percent last year. The percentage who met the benchmark in all four subjects rose from 21 percent to 23 percent.

"Surely we have a lot of work ahead to be sure all students graduate from high schools with the skills they need to succeed at the next level, but we do seem to be making some encouraging progress," said Richard Ferguson, CEO and chairman of ACT, the Iowa City, Iowa-based nonprofit that owns the exam.

Minority students also lagged behind their white peers in average scores.

Average composite scores for black students fell 0.1 point to 17.0, while scores for Hispanics rose 0.1 to 18.7. Scores for both groups are up slightly since 2003; however, the number of blacks and Hispanics taking the exam is growing at twice the overall rate.

(The Associated Press contributed to this article.)