Young eyes of Texas on college

By KATHY WALT

August 17, 2000 Web posted at: 11:21 AM EDT (1521 GMT)

AUSTIN, Texas (The Houston Chronicle) -- A record number of Texas students took the ACT college admissions exam last year, continuing a five-year growth trend in the number of test-takers, state education officials said Wednesday.

But the average composite score for Texas students remained stable for the third year in a row.

Last year, 68,010 students, or 32 percent of the Class of 2000, took the ACT exam, a 4.5 percent increase from the number tested the year before. Since 1996, the number of high school students taking the exam has climbed by 23 percent, far outpacing the 15 percent increase in test-takers nationwide, according to figures released Wednesday by the Texas Education Agency.

The ACT consists of tests in English, math, reading and science reasoning.

	More from The Houston Chronicle
	Compaq sued over 1998 child porn case Ethics panel urges travel disclosures Group of surgeons plans hand transplant center Horses escaping wildfires look for adoption Family of slain youth forgives killer

Despite that growth, the average composite score of Texas students remained at 20.3 out of a possible 36 for the third year running, TEA reported.

Texas Education Commissioner Jim Nelson said the lack of change in scores is good because scores tend to drop as the number of students tested rises.

"While we certainly would have preferred an increase in our scores, we are thankful that we maintained our composite score even though quite a few more Texas students took the exam last year," he added.

Although Nelson put a positive spin on the static test results, some members of the State Board of Education were concerned about why student scores on the state's standardized tests continue to rise while their performance on national tests remains flat.

"This report validates my concerns that the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills is not a reliable indicator of what a child may have learned at each grade level," said board member David Bradley, R-Beaumont. "It has become a political and economic tool of administrators, chambers of commerce and politicians."

Board member Alma Allen, D-Houston, agrees that Texas "should have high expectations" and that improving ACT scores "may be something we need to work on." But she cautions against comparing TAAS results with ACT and other test results because they are not the same types of exams, nor do the same students take the tests.

Broken down by ethnic and racial groups, ACT results show that African-American and Asian Texans in the Class of 2000 posted slightly higher average composite scores than their peers nationally, but the reverse was true for Anglos and Latinos, Nelson added.

For more Local news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

AR, Jonesboro, KAIT AR, Little Rock, KATV LA, Lafayette, KATC LA, Monroe, KNOE LA, Shreveport, KSLA OK, Oklahoma City, KOCO OK, Oklahoma City, KOKH OK, Tulsa, KOTV   TX, Abilene, KTXS TX, Amarillo, KFDA TX, Austin, KEYE TX, Austin, KXAN TX, Dallas KTVT TX, Dallas, WFAA TX, Harlingen-Weslaco, KRGV TX, Houston, KHOU TX, Houston, KPRC   TX, Lubbock, KAMC TX, San Antonio, KABB TX, San Antonio, KMOL TX, Tyler, KLTV TX, Waco, KWTX TX, Wichita Falls, KAUZ TX, Wichita Falls, KSWO