August 24, 2016 Missouri DESE News Release
https://dese.mo.gov/communications/news-releases/results-first-census-administration-act®-released-missouri-students
2016 Graduates Required to Take ACT as Juniors
Because all graduating seniors for 2016 were required to take the ACT exam, the number of students in school districts across the state increased which led to a drop in the Average Composite ACT Score for the state as well as a drop in the ACT Composite Score in many school districts as well.
Missouri's ACT Composite Score as well as Fox's ACT Composite Score dropped below the national average in 2016. The main reason that Fox's ACT scores dropped significantly is the fact that Fox previously had only as high as 62% of the students taking the ACT compared to other school districts such as Rockwood and Parkway where all students had been taking the ACT for a few years.
On the positive side, it should be noted that several Fox C-6 schools were recently recognized for their MAP scores.
2016 Average Composite ACT Score Results
National ACT Composite Score dropped from 21.0 for 2015 to 20.8 for 2016.
Missouri's ACT Composite Score dropped from 21.7 for 2015 to 20.2 for 2016.
Fox's ACT Composite Score dropped from 22.6 for 2015 to 20.5 for 2016.
This was the first reporting year in which the ACT results in Missouri could be compared statewide in a more apples to apples comparison since all 2016 graduates had been required to take the ACT during their junior year under the Missouri School Improvement Plan (MSIP 5) as part of the College and Career readiness program.
Below is a link to Missouri DESE's information page regarding the statewide ACT assessment and administration of the ACT test to all 11th grade students. Testing dates and FAQ's can be found on the DESE website using the link below:
https://dese.mo.gov/college-career-readiness/assessment/act
On the Missouri DESE website, you can generate reports comparing school district data such as the ACT Composite Scores for selected school districts such as the one below that I generated and exported to a PDF document. The report compares school district data dating back to 2007 for the districts listed at the end of this article:
School district data for College and Career readiness can be downloaded from the MO DESE website using the link below:
https://mcds.dese.mo.gov/quickfacts/Pages/Career-Education.aspx
Missouri DESE also breaks down ACT composite scores by school building where you can find a comparison between Fox and Seckman High Schools. A little bit of rivalry between the high schools might be helpful in improving ACT test scores.
For a guided inquiry lookup to school district data from MO DESE, use the following link:
https://mcds.dese.mo.gov/quickfacts/SitePages/DistrictInfo.aspx
ACT.org Data
You can view ACT.org's Condition of College and Career Readiness reports on their website using the link below:
https://www.act.org/content/act/en/research/condition-of-college-and-career-readiness-2016.html
Missouri's 2016 College and Career Readiness Report from ACT.org:
https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/P_26_269999_S_S_N00_ACT-GCPR_Missouri.pdf
In 2013, I wrote about my concerns about the number of Fox students that were taking the ACT test compared to other school districts in the state. Back then, former superintendent Dianne Brown Critchlow was always touting Fox's ACT scores while neglecting to provide the percentage of students taking the ACT that she was comparing to Fox. You can read my article from 2013 using the link below:
Preparing for the 2017 ACT Test
This year's 11th graders still have time to prepare for the April 19, 2017 ACT test next spring when all 11th graders in Missouri are required to take the ACT as part of Missouri's MSIP 5 testing.
There are websites where students can practice sample questions and get immediate feedback on their answers for free such as CrackACT.com. Students can also download sample tests from ACT.org as well as CrackACT.com. Fox C-6 now offers an ACT preparation class as part of their course offerings. There are also inexpensive websites such as eKnowledge.com where you can register for a year's worth of ACT practice and training material for around $14.99 per year. It's very beneficial for students to take practice tests and study their English and math skills ahead of taking the ACT test.
There is also still time to register for and take the ACT test on December 10, 2016 as a practice as well.
Please visit Fox's College and Career Readiness page on the Fox C-6 School District website for more information:
October 2016 Fox Focus Newsletter
Last month, Fox C-6 mailed out a Fox Focus News and Information newsletter to the community highlighting some of the recent happenings in the school district. Many things have changed for the better over the past couple of years in the school district since the debacle of deception, finances and bullying that was going on in the district. Parent and community involvement is very important towards moving the district and the culture in a positive direction.
The October 2016 Fox C-6 Focus Newsletter, published the 2015 ACT scores for Fox C-6 along with the percentage of Free and Reduced Lunch Population compared to a few other districts in the area. The number of students receiving Free and Reduced Lunch is usually noted because there have been studies showing how test scores are affected for students who qualify for the Free and Reduced Lunch program.
Below is a comparison of Fox's 2016 ACT Composite Scores to many of the local school districts in the state from data obtained from Missouri DESE's website which was referenced above. The data is sorted by the ACT Composite Score and number of graduates (descending).
2016 ACT Results for Missouri School Districts
District Name
| Percent of Graduates Tested | Number of Graduates for 2016 | Rank in State out of 437 | ACT Composite Score |
| CLAYTON | 98.65 | 222 | 1 | 26.5 |
| LADUE | 94.30 | 316 | 2 | 25.7 |
ROCKWOOD
| 95.69 | 1808 | 3 | 24.0 |
WEBSTER GROVES
| 96.39 | 305 | 4 | 23.9 |
PARKWAY
| 93.83 | 1296 | 5 | 23.9 |
KIRKWOOD
| 95.75 | 447 | 6 | 23.4 |
| BRENTWOOD | 98.46 | 65 | 7 | 23.3 |
| LINDBERGH | 94.20 | 483 | 10 | 22.6 |
| VALLEY PARK | 98.46 | 65 | 14 | 22.2 |
| FRANCIS HOWELL | 92.83 | 1380 | 15 | 22.1 |
| LEE'S SUMMIT | 95.59 | 1329 | 18 | 22.0 |
| FT. ZUMWALT | 93.36 | 1430 | 33 | 21.5 |
| WENTZVILLE | 92.58 | 971 | 49 | 21.1 |
| MEHLVILLE | 95.27 | 824 | 58 | 20.9 |
| PATTONVILLE | 87.41 | 397 | 64 | 20.8 |
| FESTUS | 96.07 | 178 | 72 | 20.6 |
| FOX C-6 | 93.45 | 870 | 79 | 20.5 |
| ST. CHARLES | 95.62 | 365 | 80 | 20.5 |
| AFFTON | 90.86 | 186 | 81 | 20.5 |
| JEFFERSON COUNTY R7 | 93.94 | 66 | 95 | 20.3 |
| MISSOURI (statewide) | 91.70 | 68,446 | n/a | 20.2 |
| CRYSTAL CITY | 95.35 | 43 | 125 | 19.9 |
| WINDSOR C-1 | 90.72 | 237 | 156 | 19.7 |
| DUNKLIN R-V | 92.59 | 81 | 164 | 19.6 |
| NORTHWEST R-I | 93.29 | 462 | 169 | 19.6 |
| HILLSBORO R-III | 93.28 | 268 | 183 | 19.5 |
| DESOTO | 89.95 | 209 | 213 | 19.3 |
| GRANDVIEW R-II | 93.59 | 78 | 405 | 16.7 |