YHS tops state average for college-entry exams

Yosemite High School students scored above the state and national averages on the 2001 ACT Assessment test for college entrance.

The composite score for the 70 YHS students who took the test was 21.9 compared to 21.4 at the state level and 21.0 at the national level. Scores range from 0-36.

Students are tested in English, mathematics, reading and scientific reasoning. YHS average scores were as follows: English, 21.7; mathematics, 21.6; reading, 23.0 and scientific reasoning, 20.9.

Since 1992-93, YHS composite scores on the ACT have ranged from a high of 22.2 in 1998-99 to a low of 20.9 in 1999-2000.

Nationwide, the composite score has remained the same, 21.0, since 1996-97.

Test scores are reported for all graduates and also by those who have taken college preparatory courses and those who have not taken those classes.

Twenty-nine percent of the students who tested at YHS had not taken college preparatory courses. Their scores were higher in every category than the state and national averages for students who had not taken the college prep courses.

The composite for students at YHS who had not taken college preparatory courses was 21.6 compared to 20.0 at the state level and 19.5 at the national level.

"This set of scores speaks well for our overall academic program at Yosemite High," says Principal Steve Raupp. "This tells us that all of our students are receiving good academic instruction whether they are in college preparatory courses or not."

ACT is one of two entrance examinations required by many colleges. The other is the SAT; those scores will be released later this month.

The ACT scores reflect those higher order thinking skills required to do successful work during the freshman year of college.