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For the first time in its history, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School had 23 students achieve perfect scores on the ACT.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a phenomenal achievement,\u201d Principal Rickey Harris said. \u201cWe are just super proud of them.\u201d <\/p>\n
Last month, the junior class sat down to take the ACT, a standardized test used for college admissions. <\/p>\n
When the results came in this week, students and faculty received a welcome surprise when they learned that 23 students had gotten perfect stores. <\/p>\n
That was a first in the school\u2019s 50-year history, Harris said. Students in past years had received perfect scores, but it was a first to have that many students get perfect scores in the same year. <\/p>\n
The ACT tests students\u2019 knowledge and skills in English, mathematics, reading, writing and science reasoning. <\/p>\n
Less than 1% of students who take the ACT nationally get a perfect score of 36. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe try to build a culture of high expectations with the hope that those high expectations will result in high academic achievement,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n
Harris said he was proud to be a part of such a milestone, but he was quick to acknowledge that the historic results are the result of collective effort. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great opportunity for our school, representative of our full community,\u201d he said. \u201cThe teachers and the hard work that they put in each and every day, the parents and their support, and, of course, the students who do the work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harris said the school will hold a ceremony Monday morning to celebrate the students\u2019 achievement. <\/p>\n
The average ACT score in Illinois is 24.5, and the national average is 19.4, according to the ACT. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n