Scores are in after Alabama 10th graders took a new, revamped state standardized test last year, and the results are a little tough to look at.
Only three high schools in the state have 50 percent or more of their students scoring at or above proficiency in math, and only four reached that bench mark in science.
The new test is known as the ACT Plan, a Common Core-aligned assessment designed to measure students’ college and career readiness and proficiency in math, science, and english.
While test scores in Alabama have been slowly rising in recent years, state officials warned that the new assessments would probably be a shock. The test it replaced, the Alabama Reading and Math Test (ARMT), was generally seen as a much lower bar, so the lower-than-normal scores are a recalibration of sorts.
The results for the entire state show vast amounts of room for improvement, but there were some standouts.
Here are the state’s ten highest-performing traditional (non-magnet) public schools for the three subject areas tested.
Math (Percent at or above proficiency)
1. Mountain Brook High School (Mountain Brook City) – 73.07%
2. Vestavia Hills High School (Vestavia Hills City) – 54.59%
3. Bob Jones High School (Madison City) – 52.18%
4. Homewood High School (Homewood City) – 46.06%
5. Oak Mountain High School (Shelby County) – 42.66%
6. James Clemens High School (Madison City) – 42.61%
7. Spain Park High School (Hoover City) – 39.35%
8. Virgil Grissom High School (Huntsville City) – 38.18%
9. Arab High School (Arab City) – 37.87%
10. Fairhope High School (Baldwin County) – 37.46%
English
1. Mountain Brook High School (Mountain Brook City) – 91.13%
2. Vestavia Hills High School (Vestavia Hills City) – 84.12%
3. Fairhope High School (Baldwin County) – 80.49%
4. Bob Jones High School (Madison City) – 78.64%
5. Oak Mountain High School (Shelby County) – 77.87%
6. Huntsville High School (Huntsville City) – 77.60%
7. Corner High School (Jefferson County) – 77.15%
8. Arab High School (Arab City) – 76.7%
9. Pelham High School (Shelby County) – 76.3%
10. James Clemens High School (Madison City) – 74.85%
Science
1. Mountain Brook High School (Mountain Brook City) – 70.71%
2. Vestavia Hills High School (Vestavia Hills City) – 61.30%
3. Bob Jones High School (Madison City) – 52.19%
4. Oak Mountain High School (Shelby County) – 50.13%
5. Fairhope High School (Baldwin County) – 47.68%
6. James Clemens High School (Madison City) 46.74%
7. Arab High School (Arab City) – 46.60%
8. Virgil Grissom High School (Huntsville City) – 43.56%
9. Huntsvile High School (Huntsville City) – 43.34%
10. Hewitt-Trussville High School (Trussville City) – 42.74%
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
