Lexington County senior ACT exam scores should disturb you.

All 5 school districts show lower average scores than last year.

It’s not just Lexington County.

The SC Department of Education reports falling ACT scores is a national trend.

Composite ACT scores combine English, reading, math and science exam scores.

The College Readiness Benchmarks are scores that represent the level of achievement required for students to have a 50% chance of getting a B or higher, or a 75% chance of getting a C or higher in corresponding classes.

South Carolina graduates’ average composite score fell to 18.3, down from 18.7 in 2017. Only 14% of graduates met all 4 College Readiness Benchmarks, down from 15% in 2017, according to the Department of Education.

It’s even worse for historically under-served learners.

Only 2% of African American students met all 4 of ACT’s benchmarks.

Here’s how the 5 districts did:

• Lexington 1 (1,639 test

takers): 19.6, down from

19.9 in 2017

• Lexington 2 (533 test

takers): 17.4, down from

18.4 in 2017

• Lexington 3 (123 test

takers): 15.8, down from

17.1 in 2017

• Lexington 4 (210 test

takers): 15.6, down from

16.7 in 2017

• Lex-Rich 5 (1,342 test

takers): 20.1, down from

20.6 in 2017

Districts 1 and 5 students tested best on reading.

Districts 2, 3 and 4 tested best in science.

SC is one of 17 states that requires juniors to take the ACT, regardless of college ambition.

Lexington District 1 spokesperson Mary Beth Hill said this may be a contributing factor to lower test scores.

Since many students who would not normally have taken the ACT participated, the scores dropped, she said.

Starting next school year, 11th graders will have the option of taking either the ACT or the SAT college readiness assessment.

“While ACT scores are only one measure of our students’ achievement, teachers and administrators regularly review assessment data to determine instructional deficits and provide strategies for addressing those areas,” Hill said.

District plans for

improvement

• Dist.1 – Modifications to curriculum, professional learning opportunities for teachers, and/ or implementation of research-based instructional methods.

• Dist. 2 – Data teams review results and recommend changes based on trends they’re seeing.

Extra study time is set aside during the school day for group practice work on ACT/SAT preps and End-of-Course material.

Administrators are boosting classroom observations to ID best practices in core content instruction and communicating to all.

Work to better identify, track and offer extra support to students who need help in core content areas, to boost their academic success.

Track all students to ensure they are encouraged and supported in rigorous course work.

• Dist. 3 – Course progressions were analyzed and in some cases adjusted to ensure students take the courses most needed for success on the ACT prior to or at least by the spring of their junior year.

Inclusion classes for English and Math are being provided to give additional support to special education students so they can meet the content appropriate standards.

AVID school-wide strategies are being utilized to provide additional support for important literacy skills that can used in every content area.

“Half-time” continues to be utilized as a time when students can receive additional support in any course, but especially core content classes.

The school is also utilizing some online resources to help students with test-taking skills.

Districts 4 and 5 had not responded by press time.