Pines, Three Lakes, Phelps schools
improve on ACT scores in 2009

By Gary Ridderbusch
News-Review Asst. Editor

Seniors in the class of 2009 at Northland Pines, Three Lakes and Phelps saw their scores on the American College Test (ACT) improve over the previous year and out-performed their peers nationally.

Test scores of 2009 graduates at Northland Pines were on par with the state average, while Three Lakes climbed above the state mark. Phelps was just below the state average, but had its highest score in three years.

Wisconsin students as a whole posted a composite score of 22.3 on the college admissions test. The score maintains the figure of the previous two years and is well above the national composite score of 21.1, which stayed the same as 2008.

Pines seniors taking the test recorded a composite score of 22.3, keeping with the state average. Three Lakes had a score of 22.6, the school’s highest score in at least six years. Phelps saw its score increase to 22.2, just under the state average.

The ACT is a curriculum-based test of educational development in English, mathematics, reading and science. It’s designed to measure the skills needed for success in first-year college coursework.

Scott Foster, principal at Northland Pines High School, said several district initiatives may have had a positive impact on ACT scores in the district. For the past two years, he said, the district has had a focus on language arts, more specifically, writing.

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