Huntsville City Sets Example with ACT Aspire Score Release

Results from the second year of the ACT Aspire are rolling into local school districts, and scores show that Alabama students are rising to the challenge of higher academic standards. While results show that we have a long way to go toward making sure all students are on a path to graduating college and career ready, it’s becoming clearer that they’re up for the task.

Huntsville City Schools, much like Montgomery Public Schools last year, are using the scores to present a clear picture of where students stand academically based on data the system received from ACT. Two recent AL.com articles provide a glimpse of where Huntsville’s students stand, and how they have improved since last year.

Read more in each of the stories here:

Since this is only the second year that Alabama schools have given the ACT Aspire for math and English in grades 3-8, the comparison data are simply a starting point for parents, students and teachers to find out where students stand. Using data tied to the ACT, the most commonly used college entrance exam, systems are able to show the progress being made year-to-year. And, being transparent about where a system stands can help provide the opportunity for a broader community discussion around what it will take to help the scores improve.

If the Huntsville ACT Aspire scores are representative of how most Alabama systems are doing, the scores show an encouraging trend upward with its fifth year of implementing the College and Career Ready Standards (CCRS).

The CCRS provide a target at each grade level that builds students’ knowledge and skills, ultimately toward being prepared for college or a career when they finish high school.