TDOE Report Shows State ACT Scores Remain Stagnant

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The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

ACT state results and participation rates for the 2022 graduating class were released by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) on Tuesday. The results showed that participation grew but the state’s average ACT score remained stagnant. 

The class participation rate sat at 98% across Tennessee, according to TDOE. The 2022 graduating class’s average composite ACT score was 19.1, which was the same as the previous year’s score.

Statewide ACT results for the most recent graduating class are released each fall with each student’s highest ACT score. 

Key findings from the 2021-22 ACT state results include the following:

• The ACT participation rate recovered to pre-pandemic levels with the rate being 96% for the 2020-21 graduating class, 97% for the 2019-20 graduating class and 98% for the 2018-19 graduating class.

• The participation rate increased greatly for three historically underserved student groups and decreased slightly for one historically underserved student group when comparing the participation rates from 2021 to 2022.

• The average ACT composite score for students who took the ACT during their junior year and on the Senior Retake in 2021 increased from 18.4 to 18.9, a 0.5-point increase. Also, 50.2% of students who participated in the Senior Retake increased their composite score from their junior year in 2021.

• Student performance on the ACT remains abundantly unchanged from 2021 to 2022.

There was a four percent point increase among Black, Hispanic, and Native American students, as well as those economically disadvantaged students. 

According to the study, English learners had a 7%-point increase. There was a 2%-point decrease for students with disabilities. 

Both 2021 and 2022 graduating classes showed the average composite ACT score in Tennessee was 19.1. In 2022, only about 35% of students who took the test met the college-ready standards, but 36% met this mark in 2021. 

District highlights of the 2021-22 ACT results include the following:

• In 2021-22, 29 districts had a participation rate of 100%, compared to 17 districts in 2020-21.

• 125 districts, about 96%, met the 95% ACT participation rate in 2022 compared to 110 districts, 85%, in 2021.

• Williamson County Schools had the highest percentage of students meeting the overall ACT composite standard of 21 with 75%, followed by Germantown Municipal School District with 73% and Collierville Schools with 65%.

• Alvin C. York Institute showed the highest growth in the percentage of students meeting the overall ACT composite benchmark of 21 with a 13-percentage point increase from 2021 with 26% to 2022 with 39%, followed by Cheatham County Schools with an 11 percent points increase and Cannon County Schools with a 10 percentage points increase.

According to the TDOE, Tennessee leads the country in ACT testing accessibility, with public high school students having the chance to take the ACT two times for free during normal school hours.

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com