By By Lisa Tindell – news editor
Local high school students are setting state records as they take the ACT exam.
A record 35,590 students across Alabama have taken the ACT exam this year according to information from the Alabama Department of Education.
Among those record numbers, students at T.R. Miller and W.S. Neal High School are also setting records in scoring.
T.R. Miller students scored a 21.8 average. W.S. Neal students scored an average of 21.6. The state average for test scores are 20.4, with the national average set at 21.1.
Ellis said 40 students at W.S. Neal took the exam for 2008 and have proven to be the top scorers for the school over the last four years.
Since 2004, the scores W.S. Neal students have earned on the ACT have fluctuated bringing the 2008 scores to the highest level seen at the school. Average scores for W.S. Neal results range from 17.8 in 2004 to 21.6 for 2008. State averages for the same period range from a low of 20.2 to 20.4 in 2008.
Ellis said high school teachers are not the only teachers contributing to the success of high school students.
At T.R. Miller High School, students who took the ACT in 2008, increased their averages to a level that beats state and national levels as well.
Becky Edge, guidance counselor at T.R. Miller High School, credited teachers with the success of the students.
Edge said the school usually has between 50 and 59 students to take the test each year with those students making scores above the state average consistently.
Average scores for T.R. Miller test-takers have ranged from a low of 20.5 in 2004 to a high of 21.8 for 2008. State averages for the same period ranged from 20.2 to 20.4.
ACT English/writing combined test scores for 2008 show all Alabama students outscore the nation, Joe Morton, state school superintendent said.
The ACT is a college entrance exam comprised of four curriculum-based achievement tests designed to assess skills in English, mathematics, reading and science. The score range is 1 to 36 with 36 being the highest score possible.