Our Class of 2016 continued NDCL’s record of success on the ACT, setting a new all-time high in Reading and tying the record-high Composite score set last year by the Class of 2015.
According to results released last week by ACT, Inc., our students achieved an average of 25.1 in Reading— the highest average score in any ACT subject in NDCL history. The ACT reports scores on a scale from 1-36.
Our school improvement plan for the past several years has focused on preparing our students for the challenges of college-level reading,” explained Principal Mr. Joseph A. Waler. “Our teachers have devoted late-start Mondays, blended learning days, and many after-school meetings to this effort because reading well is so essential for success in college, career, and life.”
“Our record-setting ACT Reading score validates the hard work of our students and teachers by providing objective evidence that our graduates are ready for the academic challenges of college,” he stressed.
To put our performance in perspective, Mr. Waler noted that the U.S. Department of Education sets a school mean (average) ACT score of 24.3 to identify the top 15% of all high schools in the nation.
"Almost all of our scores exceed or come close to that top 15% threshold," he said. "And our Composite ACT score—the average of all subject areas—stands at 24.2, which ties the all-time school record set last year."
NDCL students exceeded ACT college readiness benchmark scores in every subject area tested. The benchmarks predict a student's chances of success in first-year college courses.
ACT research indicates that a student who achieves the benchmark score has about a 50% chance of earning at least a B or about a 75% chance of earning at least a C in an introductory college course.Mr. Waler added that the percentage of NDCL graduates who meet or exceed all four of the ACT college readiness benchmarks is also at an all-time high. This number has increased by 29% over the past four years, exceeding the improvement rate of all test-takers in the State of Ohio by 60% over the same period.