ACT scores improve for SC high-school juniors

Roughly one of every eight S.C. high-school juniors is ready to tackle a college course load with success, according to their performance on a standardized test.

The results are an improvement from the previous year, state Education Department officials said Thursday.

Last year, one in nine S.C. 11th graders were ready for the same challenge, scoring “ready” in four subject areas on the ACT standardized test.

Being “ready” means students have a 50 percent chance of earning a B or higher or a 75 percent chance of scoring a C or higher in first-year college courses.

Juniors take the ACT and WorkKeys tests in the spring. The tests, which assess a student’s readiness for college or a career, are required under a 2014 law and announced each fall.

Last spring’s scores found more than half of S.C. juniors are “not ready” for success in college courses. Still, the high-school juniors made gains across all subject areas. For example, a higher percentage of students scored “ready” in English, math, reading and science than the previous year.

State schools Superintendent Molly Spearman said she was pleased with the gains.

“We must continue to ensure that our students take the necessary coursework needed to perform well on these assessments,” the Republican said.

The S.C. high-school juniors performed well on the WorkKeys test, with 87 percent earning a career-readiness certificate on that test. That skills test says how prepared students are for jobs and careers.

The S.C. students’ performance was down slightly from last year, when 88 percent earned a certificate.

This story was originally published September 22, 2016 at 6:20 PM with the headline "ACT scores improve for SC high-school juniors."