Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - There was an improvement in the scores posted by 11th graders in the Rochester Public Schools on the ACT college entrance exams last year, but it could be tied to a decline in the number of students taking the test.

A report to the the Rochester School Board shows the school district saw 11th grade ACT scores decline in 2015 after the state legislature mandated the test for high school juniors. Last year, that was modified to a requirement that schools must offer the test, but dropped the requirement that all students take it in order to graduate. That dropped the participation rate for 11th graders in the Rochester School District from 96-percent in 2015 to 88-percent last year, while test scores were up across the board.

The district’s overall composite score among the graduating class of 2017 climbed from 21.4 to 21.6 last year. That remains below the composite score of 22.7 for the Class of 2015, but it remained above the statewide average of 21.1.

 

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