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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota students are leading the nation in ACT scores for the 10th consecutive year, but a persistent racial achievement gap remains, according to a report released Wednesday.
Students in Minnesota have the highest average ACT scores among states where a majority of students take the test to measure college readiness. The state's 2015 graduating seniors scored an average of 22.7 on their ACTs, slightly less than the average score of 22.9 the previous year.
Although more minority students in Minnesota are taking the test, their ACT scores lag behind their white peers.
About 62 percent of white students meet at least three of the college readiness benchmarks, compared to 17 percent of African American students.
But state Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius isn't concerned because more students are taking the test, she told Minnesota Public Radio News (http://bit.ly/1Va7E6F ). About 1,500 more students took the test and a higher percentage of test-takers were minority students.
"Being able to show stable scores with a one-tenth or two-tenths of a percent of change with increasing enrollment is very significant in showing that we're able to sustain this high performance level for many, many years," Cassellius said.
Minnesota also leads the nation in overall college preparedness. On average, 39 percent of students meet college readiness benchmarks in English, reading, math and science exams.
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Information from: Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mprnews.org
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