ACT scores on rise

Tennessee public high school graduates improved their performance on the ACT test in 2012, earning an average score of 19.2 out of 36, up from 19.0 the year before, according to state- by-state results released by ACT.

Tennessee is one of only nine states to mandate that all high school students take the ACT test, so statewide scores help the Tennessee Department of Education measure the state’s progress towards its goal of greater college and career readiness for all students.

The percentage test-takers meeting all of the ACT’s college readiness benchmarks rose from 13 percent to 14 percent in Tennessee as scores increased in 2012.

“It’s going to take year after year of these incremental gains to see Tennessee students exhibiting the high levels of achievement we know they can reach,” said Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman. “Far too many students in our state graduate without the knowledge they need for college or the job market. We are implementing education reforms designed to address deficiencies.”