ACT Plus Writing Benchmark Results Huntsville City Schools Class of 2015 April 2014 Assessment ACT Plus Writing Benchmark Results Huntsville City Schools Class of 2015 April 2014 Assessment September 18, 2014 September 18, 2014

What Does Achieving an ACT Benchmark Score Mean for Students? Benchmarks help assess College Readiness Benchmark scores represent the level of achievement required to have 50% chance of obtaining a B or higher OR 75% chance of obtaining a C or higher in first-year college courses English Benchmark = 18 Reading Benchmark = 22 Math Benchmark = 22 Science Benchmark = 23

Percent of Students Taking the ACT Exam As the Share of Students Taking the ACT Exam Increases, the Percent of Students Attaining a “College Ready” Benchmark Score in English Decreases Percent of Students Attaining a Benchmark Score in English AL Percent of Students Taking the ACT Exam

Percent of Students Taking the ACT Exam As the Share of Students Taking the ACT Exam Increases, the Percent of Students Attaining a “College Ready” Benchmark Score in Math Decreases Percent of Students Attaining a Benchmark Score in Math AL Percent of Students Taking the ACT Exam

64 Percent of HCS Class of 2015 Students Attained a “College Ready” Benchmark Score in One or More Areas Percent of Class of 2015 Students Attaining One or More Benchmark Scores Number of Test Areas in which Students Attained Benchmark Scores

Act Plus Writing Incentives = $186,000 915 Students of 2014-15 Senior Class Total Incentive Amount

A Higher Share of HCS Students Attained “College Ready” Benchmark Scores than were Attained by Students Across Alabama & States with High Rates of ACT Assessment Participation Huntsville City Schools, Class of 2015 Alabama Public Schools, Class of 2015 States in which 90% of Students Take the ACT *States with at least 90% ACT participation include Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wyoming, Arkansas, Hawaii

New Century, Huntsville’s Fastest Growing and Most Diverse High School, Exhibited the Highest Rate of College Readiness Percent of Class of 2015 Students Attaining One or More ACT Benchmark Scores High School

ACT Quality Core Benchmark Rates for Class of 2015 to 2018 Students Parallel Rates Exhibited by Class of 2015 Students on the ACT College Readiness Exam Bubble Size Indicates Number of Students Taking an Exam Percent of Students Attaining a “College Ready” Benchmark Score 91% 78% 73% 84% 62% 59% 51% 53% 51% 49% 41% 24% 2013-14 2012-13 Algebra I Geometry Biology Physics English 10 English 12 Algebra II Pre-Calc Chemistry English 9 English 11 US History

The Share of Students Attaining “College Ready” Benchmark Scores in English Varies Widely in Huntsville and Across the United States White Students, Class of 2015 Black Students, Class of 2015 Hispanic Students, Class of 2015 Percent of Class of 2015 Students Attaining a Benchmark Score in English

The Share of Students Attaining “College Ready” Benchmark Scores in Math Varies Widely in Huntsville and Across the United States Percent of Class of 2015 Students Attaining a Benchmark Score in Math White Students, Class of 2015 Black Students, Class of 2015 Hispanic Students, Class of 2015

Since SY2010-11, an Increasing Number of HCS Students are Qualifying as National Merit Finalists and Semi-Finalists National Merit Finalists National Merit Semi-Finalists Number of Finalists and Semi-Finalists School Year

HCS Scholarship Amounts by School Year Total Scholarship Amount School Year

Enrollments in Huntsville City Schools Have Continued to Increase Since SY2011-12 Total Enrollment as of the “Twenty Day” Count School Year