Schools

LT Students Hit High Marks on Standardized Tests

Lyons Township High School students excelled recently at AP, ACT and SAT standardized tests.

Across the board, Lyons Township High School students have set new high marks in standardized testing. Students have met, or improved test scores on the ACT, SAT and Advanced Placement tests, according to LT officials.

ACT

On ACT tests, the class of 2011 was able to match the highest average score in the school's history, and the highest average scores in three out of four tested categories. The 2011 class was able to match a average score of 24.1, set by the class of 2009. The Illinois average was 20.9 on the ACT.

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The 2011 class also matched high scores in the areas of reading, science and math. Only the English score went unmatched, just missing the all-time high set in 2009.

SAT

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The class of 2011 was also able set a new all-time high score on the SAT, with an average score of 1294. The new high is 78 points higher than the state average. The number of students taking the SAT also increased slightly from 78 students to 94 students taking the test last year.

Advanced Placement

On the Advanced Placement, or AP, tests students did well also. AP tests were offered in 25 disciplines and are graded on a 1-5 scale, with 5 being the highest. More than 40 percent of students who took an AP test scored a 5 on their exam, which tied a previous school record set in 2009.

LT was also able to increase the number of students who took the tests in 2011, with 619 students taking 1,238 tests—its highest level since AP tests were first administered in 1998.

In a statement, Scott Eggerding, director of curriculum and instruction, said, "We continue to see a rise in the number of students accessing LT's AP program and the rigors of college-level coursework."

At a board of education meeting on Sept. 19, board members discussed how to continue to increase the number of students who would take the AP tests. Students who score well on AP tests can get college credit at some colleges and universities.

Eggerding suggested that the school would have to talk to parents and students to encourage more to take the AP tests.

"Any student getting an A or a B in [accelerated level] classes could be taking the AP classes," Eggerding said.


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