November 14, 2014 at 4:57 p.m.
Rhinelander High School ACT scores higher than state, nation
Rhinelander High School ACT scores higher than state, nation
Data shows RHS students are doing better, on average, than students across the state and nation in terms of ACT composite scores. Data for the 2013-'14 school year is not yet available, but when looking at the five years prior to last year, RHS students are coming out on top.
According to www.ACT.org, the official website for the test, the average composite score for the state was 22.3 in 2008-'09, 22.1 in 2009-'10, 22.2 in 2010-'11, 22.1 in 2011-'12 and 22.1 in 2012-'13.
The same site lists the average composite scores for the nation as 21.1 in 2008-'09, 21 in 2009-'10, 21.1 in 2010-'11, 21.2 in 2011-'12 and 20.9 in 2012-'13.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, RHS students have higher average composite scores.
In 2008-'09 the RHS average composite score was 23, followed by 22.9 in 2009-'10, 22.7 in 2010-'11, 22.3 in 2011-'12 and 23.2 in 2012-'13.
The highest possible score on the test is 36.
Principal David Ditzler said the data proves his school is on the right track.
"It's reassuring," he said. "It's reassuring to know that Rhinelander is a community that values education overall, and it's a community where we all work together toward educating our children. That our students are above the state average I guess is no surprise. We have students that go on (to post-secondary education) and our acceptance rate at colleges (is good). It's just very, very reassuring knowing that our kids are getting in pretty much wherever they want to go all across the nation."
"ACT is simply that indicator of readiness that would say what we see from college acceptance is very much in line with what we see from the ACT scores, and that's reassuring," he added.
Superintendent Kelli Jacobi lauded the positive results and praised the students, staff, and the community as a whole.
"We are proud that Rhinelander High School continues to score above the state average on the ACT," she said.
"(School District of Rhinelander) students have shown they are able to attend the universities of their choice if they work hard enough. We also recognize that this success shows that education continues to be a high priority in the Rhinelander community."
Ditzler said he is proud of his staff, as they do everything they can to help students prepare for the test. That's even more important now, as the state has mandated that all juniors take the ACT during the 2014-'15 school year.
"Each year, we have ACT prep sessions for those who want it," he said.
"In March, every junior will be taking the ACT test, and so what we will be doing from January through the beginning of March is providing students with snapshots of what they could expect in terms of format for ACT questions, types of ACT questions, things of that nature."
Thankfully for the students, Ditzler said there are numerous practice tests available.
"The ACT is very good about releasing sample questions that we can put in front of the students," he said.
"There are plenty of ACT prep materials that include sample questions. We will be doing as much as we can to familiarize students with the what and the how that the ACT will be testing."
That's a good thing because the ACT is far from an easy test.
"To say that we will spend a month or two teaching to the test is silly, because you really can't teach to the ACT," Ditzler said. "It is such a broad and comprehensive test. It's very difficult to do that."
Ditzler urges parents to take a proactive approach to helping their children feel ready for the ACT.
"We will be putting into the hands of students materials that they should be reviewing as much as possible," he said.
"To have parents make sure that the kids are well rested is a very traditional assessment the day of or the night before, but really, kids at or around Christmas break should be trying to get their hands on additional resources, which are plenty, especially on the Internet. They should be reviewing the things they know they need to be aware of - the types of questions that are going to be asked. And parents can definitely help with that."
For more information on test preparation, testing sites and testing dates, contact RHS at (715) 365-9500.
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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