Paynesville had 68 of a possible 104 students take the test last year. They recorded an average composite score of 22.5. The state average is 22.2. Nationwide, the average composite score held steady at 21.0
“I think we received an excellent report,” John Janotta, high school principal, said. Last year the district’s average composite score was 21.4.
“Our score put us near the top. Oregon tested only 12 percent of their students and had a composite score of 22.7. We tested 65 percent of our students and recorded 22.5. I consider that a good report,” Janotta added.
Wisconsin is the only other midwest school to rank above Minnesota with an average composite score of 22.3.
“This was an all-time high for Minnesota,” Phil Lewenstein, director of communications and legislative services for Minnesota Higher Education Ser-vices office, said.
“It’s good news—our scores continue to go up each year,” Judy Schaubach, president of the Minnesota Education Association, said.
The ACT assessment is designed for students who plan to attend college.
The ACT and SAT are the two most popular college-entrance tests. In Minnesota, many private and public colleges and universities use the ACT to help determine admissions and place-ment of students in classes.
The SAT is not used as much as the ACT in Minnesota. It is most often used as an admission requirement by colleges on the east and west coasts. But some Minnesota schools also accept the SAT as an admission test.
Janotta said Paynesville does only two or three SAT tests per year.
Paynesville’s composite score in the last five years has ranged from 22.0 in the 1993-94 school year to 22.5. The district’s highest score was 23.2 in the 1994-95 school year. Their lowest score was 21.4 recorded during the 1996-97 school year.