Pawleys Island, S.C. — Only one of Georgetown County’s four high schools saw an increase in the ACT scores this year.
Two of the schools saw their scores drop while one school’s scores was unchanged.
The ACT Test is a curriculum–based achievement exam designed to measure the academic skills that are taught in schools and is used as an indicator for success in first-year college courses.
The ACT is an alternative to the SAT Test.
Andrews High, the only school to see an increase, scored an average 17.2 this year. Last year the school scored a 16.8. There were 63 senior test-takers this year compared to 79 last year.
Waccamaw High, with a 20.6 average, led the way in the district. That is slightly better than the state’s 20.2 average but is below the 22.1 average students scored in 2011. There were 136 seniors tested this year compared to 105 last year.
Carvers Bay High was ranked second in the district with an 18.4 average. That is the same average the school scored in 2011 when 29 seniors were tested. This year 25 took the test.
Georgetown High saw an average score of 17.3, down from 18.1 last year. There were 73 test-takers this year compared to 89 last year.
As a whole, the district an 18.8, down from 19.3 last year.
District response
"The ACT Scores for Georgetown County remain somewhat constant for the 2012 school year, despite a 28-student increase in number of students taking the test, said Patti Hammel, executive director for Student Performance and Federal Programs.
“After graduation our students continue their education at a wide variety of schools and attained $10,294,991 in scholarship funds last year. This continues to speak to the great academic achievement and interpersonal skills gained as students in our schools,” she said.
ACT colleges
The ACT Score is accepted for all South Carolina colleges and universities.
The five South Carolina universities receiving the most scores from all South Carolina ACT test-takers were the University of South Carolina (Columbia), Clemson, College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina, and Winthrop. Their most popular fields for majors are health sciences and technologies, business, undecided, social sciences & law, engineering, and education.
State Superintendent of Education Mick Zais said, “Behind every statistic is a real student with real aspirations. The students, parents, and teachers all share in the credit for these gains. Congratulations to these students for their hard work and perseverance.”
Zais raised issue with the state’s lagging scores, which are behind the national composite score in each subject area, with particular emphasis on the subject area gaps in reading and English.
“While college admissions tests are imperfect indicators of school effectiveness, the data confirms a trend: reading skills remain an area of great concern. Nationwide assessments continue to show a reading gap between South Carolina and the nation. Addressing the reading gap must be our top priority because reading is fundamental to everything else in a student’s education. If a student cannot read, they will not succeed in school.”
By Scott Harper
sharper@gtowntimes.com