By AARON MUELLER

Cassopolis Vigilant

ACT scores are on the rise across the state of Michigan. The results, released Thursday, July 22 by the Michigan Department of Education, show scores have improved for the third straight year. Average scores have gone from 18.8 in 2008 to 19.3 this year.

Cassopolis Public Schools are no exception, having seen students’ ACT scores increase each of the past three years from 17.25 in the 2006-07 academic year to 18.37 this past year. The highest possible score is 36 on the ACT.

“The state is really excited about a 0.5 of a point increase, but we increased 1.12 in the past three years,” Cassopolis High School Principal Tony Habra said. “When I saw our scores, I was excited. It’s a significant increase.”

Students have made the biggest strides in the English/Language Arts subject. In 2006-07 the average score was 15.83, while this past school year the average was 17.69.

“We’ve made some pretty significant focuses on writing and reading in the building,” Habra said. “Writing has increased by 25 percent.”

Habra credits the Collins Writing Program, the Plan/Do/Check Act and teachers making a focus on reading and writing skills in all classes in helping boost the English/Language Arts scores.

Juniors also take an Academic College Transitions class and are administered practice ACT tests to help their preparation for the test.

Despite the steady increase in scores in recent years, Cassopolis is still about one point behind the state average in overall ACT scores.

“We’re making good choices to improve our scores,” Habra said. “But we’d still like to move past the state average. But it’s a positive when our scores are improving faster than the rest of the state.”