Delavan-Darien marks lowest score in at least five years
By Vicky Wedig
Staff writer
and Tracy Ouellette
Editor
All but four area high schools, including East Troy High School, scored above the state average on the 2013-14 ACT test, according to results released Aug. 20.
East Troy had an average composite score of 22.7, putting it close to the middle when compared to area schools, but more than a point and half above the state average of 22.1 out of a possible score of 36.
“We’re real proud of where our scores are,” East Troy’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction Amy Foszpanczyk said. “Our students have improved steadily over the last two years and that is our goal.”
Foszpanczyk said that while having numbers that can compete with the surrounding school districts is very important, she stressed that in East Troy, their main goal is to make sure each child has a year of growth each and every year.
“It’s one of our mission statements,” she said. “We work to personalize each child’s education to help them grow.”
Elkhorn, Union Grove, Palmyra-Eagle and Delavan-Darien high schools showed average composite scores on the test that were below the state average.
The results are for 2014 graduates who took the test during high school, most their junior year.
The highest composite score of area schools was in Williams Bay where students scored 26.1 on average. The composite score is a compilation of results in English, math, reading, science and writing. The lowest composite score was in Delavan-Darien where students scored 19.9 on average.
“I was very surprised by that. I don’t know what happened, if it was a bad testing day or what,” said D-DHS Superintendent Robert Crist. “I don’t have any answer to that. Obviously, I’m very disappointed with it.”
East Troy’s participation rate was 60.5 percent, which also puts the district’s students in the middle of the pack. The percentage of 2014 graduates who took the test as juniors ranged from a high of 76.9 percent in Muskego-Norway to a low of 45.8 percent in Whitewater.
This is the last year the participation rate of graduating seniors comes into play.
Beginning with the 2014-15 school year, all juniors will take the ACT test, which will replace the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination as the required state test, said Foszpanczyk.
A fee will no longer be charged for the test, and all juniors’ scores will be compiled.
“We’ve been working over the last several years to get out participation rate up, starting in the eighth grade with the ACT Explore program,” Foszpanczyk said. “It’s going to be interesting to see the numbers next year.”
Foszpanczyk said all juniors at East Troy High School are encouraged to take the test, which is a good learning experience for students and their parents. The school even offers and ACT prep class as an extra curricular, which about 30 kids a year sign up for.
“Its’ after school so it’s voluntary,” she said. “But we work hard to make sure it doesn’t conflict with athletics, so we try work with our coaches and schedules so we can create a time so that the most kids can benefit from it.”
Again, it’s the personalized learning the district promotes that takes the class to the next level.
“If they have a particular area they need more preparation in, we try to cater to that,” Foszpanczyk said. “Normally we start it in January, then they do a practice act in April or so. We really try to give them a run through of the actual exam to give them some experience with that.”
A student’s result on the ACT test can help him or her determine a future path whether it be college, technical school, the military or a trade, Foszpanczyk said, again stressing the districts commitment to personalized learning.
“Every kid has their own needs,” she said.
A good score on the ACT typically is 24 to 36, she said. And some colleges, such as the University of Wisconsin-Madison prefer scores in the 27-to-30 range. East Troy had 15 juniors who scored above a 27 in last year’s ACT.
Students who score 24 and above will be admitted to most colleges, and students who score in the low 20s can still attend college but won’t have as vast a selection of schools to choose from, Crist said.
Students who score below 20 might not have the ability that college admissions people are looking for, he said. In those cases, it’s time for students to do some soul-searching, assess their strengths and find technical college programs that will facilitate a career that uses those abilities, he said.
“We want all the kids to take the test, and yes, numbers are important, but we have to recognize the kids and who they are and what they need,” Foszpanczyk said. “Our goal here is to offer them a program that is rigorous, but attainable.”
