631 more Utah public school students took the ACT college entrance exam in 2009 than in 2008 and their average composite score held even at 21.8, above the national average score of 21.1, which also held steady from last year, according to data released today by ACT of Iowa City, Iowa.
In all, 23,229 Utah public high school seniors - or 68 percent of the class of 2009 - took the ACT exam sometime during their high school years. Scores are only publicly reported as the students become seniors.
"I congratulate the Class of 2009, their teachers and their parents on this terrific achievement," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Larry K. Shumway. "It's great that two-thirds of our students are at least thinking about college. We encourage all students to prepare themselves well through good course selection to go on to post-secondary education whether that's in a college, a technical college or the military."
More students from all demographic subgroups - American Indian, Asian and Pacific Islander, black, Hispanic and white - took the ACT in 2009, ACT figures show, although participation rates for Asian and Pacific Islander and white students continued to be slightly above their representation in the general school population. Participation from American Indian and black students is slightly lower than representative levels and participation from Hispanic students is substantially lower (6 percent of ACT test takers compared to 14 percent of the student body). Utah Hispanic participation in the ACT is on the rise, however. In 2009, 1,386 Hispanic students took the test compared to just 801 students in 2006, ACT data shows.
Recently ACT has also begun to survey test takers on their course taking patterns in high school. ACT monitors how many students are taking courses they deem prepare students better for college: four years of English and three years each of math, social studies and natural sciences. ACT reports Utah students who took core or more classes rose from 60 to 71 percent between 2008 and 2009, indicating more Utah students are better preparing themselves for college. Utah state minimal graduation requirements will increase from three years of English and two years each of math and science for this upcoming year's seniors to four years of English and three years each of math and science for this upcoming year's juniors.
| Utah | Nation | |
| Overall | 21.8 | 21.1 |
| American Indian | 17.9 | 18.9 |
| Asian American/Pacific Islander | 20.9 | 23.2 |
| Black | 18.1 | 16.9 |
| Hispanic | 18.8 | 18.7 |
| White | 22.2 | 22.2 |
| Other/No Response | 21.8 | 20.9 |
For more information, please see: www.act.org/news/data.html.