ACT Scores for MCPS Students Are Above State Averages, Show Steady Increase Over Five Years

A report outlining the achievement on the ACT assessment of college readiness by the Class of 2008 in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) shows these students performing consistently above Maryland averages in all sections of the test.

Results also show a steady increase in the scores of MCPS students over the past five years as the number of students taking the test also has increased. In 2004, 1,031 MCPS students took the ACT. In 2008, the number increased to 2,355 students, a jump of 620 students from the previous year.

The ACT is taken by some students applying to college as an alternative to the SAT. The ACT consists of assessments in English, mathematics, reading, and science that are designed to measure skills needed for success in first-year college coursework. The average composite score for MCPS students was 23.8, compared to a state average of 22.0. Scores for MCPS students in the four subsections of the test were between 1.5 and 2.1 points higher than the Maryland averages.

In the MCPS Class of 2008, 2,355 out of approximately 10,135 graduates took the ACT. Of this group, 81 percent were deemed ready for college English composition, compared to 72 percent statewide; 64 percent are ready for college algebra, compared to 51 percent statewide; 70 percent are ready for college social science, compared to 59 percent statewide; and 47 percent are ready for college biology, compared to 34 percent statewide.

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