Expanded ACT testing to benefit students

Starting last year, every student in Missouri could take the ACT once for free.

Recently, the results from the expanded testing were released by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Missouri's composite ACT score was 20.2, which was in the mid- to higher range of scores among states where 100 percent of high school juniors were tested, according to an article by Southeast Missourian reporter Lindsay Jones.

Some area schools had their overall score drop below the state average -- both Cape Girardeau Central and Scott City reported lower numbers -- but this is to be expected with more students, including some with no plans to attend college, taking the standardized test.

We were pleased to see that across the state of Missouri, 18,000 more students took the test, including about 80 more than usual in the Cape school district and 60 more in Jackson.

"We're continuing to use data and analyzing our strengths and weaknesses," Christa Turner, the Cape Girardeau school district's director of academic services, said. "Our goal is to continually increase our scores, increase student achievement."

Likewise, Scott City superintendent Brian Lee expects the districts' scores to rise in upcoming years and appreciates that the new system might allow for a student who otherwise wouldn't have tested to realize they have more post-high school opportunities, and Perry County school district superintendent Andrew Comstock said the goal to have the district scores bump up even or above the state average remains.

We expect schools to continue to prepare students for this important test and hope that students will try their hardest on the exam.

The expanded testing is a positive in our book.