Scores on college test droop in Florida

On the other hand, most Tampa Bay area students exceed the state and national averages on the ACT.

By STEPHEN HEGARTY

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 16, 2001

Florida's college-bound students again scored below the national average on the ACT Assessment last year, posting the lowest statewide average in more than a decade.

Perhaps the only good news in the drooping scores is that more Florida students than ever are taking the college admissions test -- a sign that more students are serious about attending college. More of the test takers are minorities.

Tampa Bay area students remained above the state average, as usual. Most local districts also exceeded the national average.

The college admissions exam is a voluntary test, so the results shed light only on high school graduates who decide to take it in a given year. Fluctuations are expected from year to year.

Those fluctuations probably explain the one-tenth of a point decreases in Citrus, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

Hillsborough County saw a bigger decrease, and it may be that the district fell victim to one of the maxims of such tests: While it is a good sign that more students are taking the tests, that usually causes scores to drop.

Scores in Hillsborough dropped from 21.3 for 1999 and 2000 to 20.9 for 2001, the biggest drop locally. But the number of students tested increased by 12 percent, from 2,145 to 2,405.

"The first kids who would take it are the kids who are trying to knock the socks off the test and get into a certain college," said Sam Whitten, supervisor of testing for the Hillsborough County schools. "We're getting more of the other kids taking the test."

That did not seem to affect Citrus County, where scores decreased by a tenth of a point to 21.3, and the number of students taking the exam increased roughly the same percentage as Hillsborough, from 363 to 407.

Statewide, both the number and percentage of students taking the test increased, continuing a longstanding trend. Forty-three percent of Florida's high school graduates took the ACT last year, up slightly. A decade ago, only about 30 percent of Florida's high school graduates took the test.

Despite the increase in test takers, the ACT remains the "other" college admissions test in Florida. The SAT remains the dominant one, with 55 percent of Florida's high school graduates taking it.

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