More here take ACT, but their scores fall

More Southwest Florida students than ever are taking the ACT, but scores are declining and falling below state and national averages.

Some 3,073 Lee County seniors took the college aptitude test last year, 367 more than in the previous year, a 13.5 percent increase.

The rise can be attributed to a plan the district started two years ago that registers all seniors for the ACT who have not completed Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test requirements.

"In this past year's class we had about 200 graduates based on ACT scores who didn't pass the FCAT," said Richard Itzen, director of accountability for the Lee County School District. "Two hundred who were able to get their diploma."

Lee County's composite score, an average of the four subject

tests, declined a tenth of a percentage point to 18.9. ACT scores are broken down into four subject areas: English, reading, math and science reasoning, with a scale of 1 to 36.

The statewide composite score was 19.6; the national composite score was 21.1.

"It's all relative," Itzen said. "Eighteen or 19 is probably a low score if you're wanting to get into a selective college. If you want to satisfy the graduation requirements a 19 would do it."

Erin Harrel, dean of the school of education at Edison State College, said the dip in scores makes sense with students taking the ACT without having passed the FCAT.

"If they didn't do well on one test it's probable they won't do well on the other test," she said.

Harrel said the data would have to be examined further to see a true correlation in scores.

The ACT scores to graduate in 2010-11 are 18 for reading and 15 for math. The county's average for reading and math are 19.7 and 19.0, respectively.

Charlotte County also has seen student participation in the ACT increase. Some 810 seniors took the test last year, and Michael Riley, manager of adult education for Charlotte schools, said in a press release that more than 300 Charlotte students who had not passed parts of the FCAT graduated because of their ACT score. The mean composite score for the Charlotte County School District was 20.5.

Collier County schools had 61.5 percent of the graduating class, or 1,778 students, take the ACT and the district achieved a mean composite score of 19.5. More information about Collier's scores will be released this morning, according to Joe Landon, executive director of communications and community engagement for Collier schools.

Florida's composite score of 19.6 ties the state with Kentucky for 48th place in the nation. Only Tennessee and Mississippi achieved lower scores.

Comparisons between states can be difficult. Some states require the test of all high school students while in others, the test is generally limited to high-achieving students with an eye on attending the most selective colleges.

Florida's participation ranked higher than many states. In all, 117,575 graduates took the test. That's 66 percent of the graduating class, ranking 22nd nationally.

All told, 49 percent of the nation's high school seniors took the ACT last year.

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.


Southwest Florida Scores

- Charlotte County: 20.5

- Collier County: 19.5

- Lee County: 18.9