Wisconsin Students Again #1 in Nation on ACT

Wisconsin’s continued reign as first in the nation on an important measure of student achievement is a remarkable accomplishment, especially in the wake of the state’s economic woes, according to WEAC President Stan Johnson.

“Wisconsin ACT scores have now ranked 1st or 2nd in the country for 13 years, and our students have held sole possession of first place for the last six years,” Stan Johnson said. “This was accomplished in spite of a struggling economy and two state laws that threaten the high quality of Wisconsin’s great schools.”

Johnson said state-imposed revenue controls have forced school districts to make severe cuts in programs and services, and the Qualified Economic Offer law is discouraging people from entering and staying in the teaching profession.

“Unless these laws are repealed, we could suddenly find our rankings going from best to ‘among the rest,’ ” Johnson warned.

Johnson said that minority student scores were slightly lower than non-minority student scores.

“We must focus on the needs of all children,” Johnson said. “The achievement gap must be bridged. Every child deserves a great school and the opportunity to succeed in life. Even though Wisconsin is facing another major budget deficit, education must remain a top priority for the state, because great schools benefit everyone. They are an investment in the state’s economic future.”

The national rankings include 25 states in which the ACT is the predominant college admissions test. Sixty-eight percent of Wisconsin’s high school graduates took the ACT last year. Wisconsin’s score of 22.2 is unchanged for the last three years.

Details of 2002 ACT scores (pdf file)

Posted August 21, 2002