By Kim McDarison

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has released ACT, PreACT Secure and Forward exam scores earned by students during the 2022-23 school year in districts from across the state.

The scores, which were released last month, offer data from the three exams which together comprise the Wisconsin Student Assessment System (WSAS). 

According to information released regarding student test scores across the state, “standardized testing results for the 2022-23 school year show Wisconsin public school students are continuing to recover in proficiency rates after the learning disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

As stated in the release, “public school student proficiency rates in English language arts and mathematics were at 38.9 percent and 37.4 percent, respectively, for 2022-23. This data represents an overall improvement in public school student achievement in comparison to the previous two school years — 2020-21 and 2021-22 — though testing data indicates proficiency rates are not yet back to pre-pandemic levels, with the exception of an increase in proficiency in the ELA section of the ACT. Public-school student subgroups also experienced increases in proficiency when compared to 2021-22. Students participating in the state’s Private School Choice Programs had proficiency rates of 22.1 percent (ELA) and 17.9 percent (mathematics) in 2022-23.”

Additionally, the release noted: “A 2021 study by the U.S. Department of Education found performance level expectations in Wisconsin are among the highest in the nation compared to proficiency standards of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

“Statewide participation rates for public school students increased about 1 percentage point from 2021-22 to approximately 95% of eligible students being tested, while PSCP student participation declined 2 percentage points from the previous school year to approximately 80% for 2022-23.”

Further, the release noted, testing data released in October is part of the Wisconsin Student Assessment System (WSAS), a statewide program designed to provide information about what students know in core academic areas at a given time and to help educators and schools understand where additional support may be needed.

The WSAS includes the Forward Exam given in Grades 3-8 and 10, the PreACT Secure given in Grades 9 and 10, the ACT with writing in Grade 11, and Dynamic Learning Maps, which is given across all tested grades to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Results from the WSAS are a foundational component of the state-legislated school and district report cards.

A story about the report card data released this month is here: http://whitewaterwise.com/dpi-releases-2022-23-district-school-report-cards/. 

“These standardized, large-scale assessments represent only one measure of student achievement, and should be used in conjunction with other measures to provide a full picture of student learning. It is advised to use caution when comparing assessment data for groups of students across years as differences between years in test participation rates and/or the makeup of student groups are important considerations when interpreting proficiency rates,” the release stated.

State and district averages

ACT (taken by all students in grade 11)

According to the information made available on the DPI website, the statewide composite average score for all students in grade 11 taking the ACT during the 2022-23 school year was 19.3. The score is slightly up from the 2021-22 school year, when it was reported at 19.2. 

The highest score a student can achieve on the test is 36. 

According to statistics collected by worldpopulationreview.com, a listing of composite ACT scores earned by students within each U.S. state, compiled in 2023, reports an average composite score in Wisconsin of 19.4. A state-by-state ranking made by worldpopulationreview.com in 2023 is here: https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/average-act-score-by-state.

In 2022-23, the average scores earned by 11th-grade students taking the ACT exam, served by school districts within the broader Fort Atkinson Online readership area, followed by the same score earned by students within each district last year, are as follows: 

Whitewater: 17.2, down from last year’s score of 17.6

Fort Atkinson: 19.9, up from last year’s score of 19.3

Lake Mills: 19.8, up from last year’s score of 19.2

Elkhorn: 19.2, up from last year’s score of 19.1

Milton: 20.2, up from last year’s score of 18.9

Palmyra-Eagle: 17.6, down from last year’s score of 18.5

Watertown: 18.6, up from last year’s score of 18.3

Jefferson: 17.7, down from last year’s score of 18.2 

Janesville: 17.8, down from last year’s score of 18.2

Delavan-Darien: 17.3, up from last year’s score of 17

PreAct Secure (taken by students in grades 9 and 10)

Last school year, students in grades 9 and 10 were given the ACT Aspire test. The average ACT Aspire score earned by all students statewide taking the exam in the area of English language arts in 2021-22 among ninth-graders was 425.2 and 10th-graders, 426.8. 

The highest score a student can earn is 460. 

This year, according to information released by DPI in its October news release, students in grades 9 and 10 took the PreACT Secure exam.

According to information found on the DPI website, the PreAct Secure “is a summative assessment given to 9th and 10th grade students, that is aligned to the ACT and ACT College and Career Readiness Standards. PreACT Secure measures what students have learned in the areas of English, reading, mathematics and science.”

The site notes that the exam “closely mirrors the ACT.”

During the 2022-23 school year, the average scores earned by ninth- and tenth-grade students taking the PreACT secure exam within school districts across the broader Fort Atkinson Online readership area, are shown below. The scores are broken into two categories: language arts and mathematics.

Whitewater: Language arts, ninth-graders, 15.2; tenth-graders, 15.9, and mathematics, ninth-graders, 16.2; tenth-graders, 17.9

Fort Atkinson: Language arts, ninth-graders, 16.1; tenth-graders, 18.4, and mathematics, ninth-graders, 16.8; tenth-graders, 18.9

Lake Mills: Language arts, ninth-graders, 17.5; tenth-graders, 18.8, and mathematics, ninth-graders, 18.5; tenth-graders, 19.0

Elkhorn: Language arts, ninth-graders, 16.8; tenth-graders, 18.2, and mathematics, ninth-graders, 17.4; tenth-graders, 18.7

Milton: Language arts, ninth-graders, 16.9; tenth-graders, 17.8, and mathematics, ninth-graders, 17.8; tenth-graders, 18.0

Palmyra-Eagle: Language arts, ninth-graders, 14.6; tenth-graders, 16.3, and mathematics, ninth-graders, 17.1; tenth-graders, 18.0

Watertown: Language arts, ninth-graders, 16.4; tenth-graders, 16.9, and mathematics, ninth-graders, 17.3; tenth-graders, 18.6

Jefferson: Language arts, ninth-graders, 16.1; tenth-graders, 17.0, and mathematics, ninth-graders, 16.2; tenth-graders, 17.6

Janesville: Language arts, ninth-graders, 15.6; tenth-graders, 16.5, and mathematics, ninth-graders, 16.2; tenth-graders, 17.0

Delavan-Darien: Language arts, ninth-graders, 15.2; tenth-graders, 16.7, and mathematics, ninth-graders, 16.7; tenth-graders, 17.4

Forward Exam (taken by students in Grades 3-8 and 10)

The Forward Exam is administered to students statewide in grades 3-8 in the subjects of English language arts and math; grades 4 in science, and grades 4, 8 and 10 in social studies. Results are calculated using a “scale score.” 

State averages

In 2022-23, average statewide Forward Exam scores are as follows: 

• English language arts, grade 3, 553, up from last year’s score of 551; grade 4, 585, up from last year’s score of 579; grade 5, 594, slightly up from last year’s score of 595; grade 6, 605, up from last year’s score of 603; grade 7, 623, up from last year’s score of 619, and grade 8, 629, up from last year’s score of 623. 

• Math, grade 3, 554, which is the same as last year’s score; grade 4, 578, up from last year’s score of 575; grade 5, 603, up from last year’s score of 601; grade 6, 612, up from last year’s score of 606; grade 7, 621, up from last year’s score of 618, and grade 8, 639, up from last year’s score of 636. 

• Science, grade 4, 497, which is the same as last year’s score.  

•Social studies, grade 4, 500, slightly down from last year’s score of 501; grade 8, 701, slightly up from last year’s score of 700, and grade 10, 797, slightly down from last year’s score of 799. 

Forward scores in Whitewater

Students taking the Forward exam in Whitewater on average earned the following scores:

English language: grade 3, 548, down from last year’s score of 554; grade 4, 568, up from last year’s score of 584; grade 5, 592, up from last year’s score of 590; grade 6, 593, the same as last year’s score; grade 7, 621, up from last year’s score of 614, and grade 8, 621, up from last year’s score of 615. 

Math: grade 3, 553, up from last year’s score of 544; grade 4, 570, up from last year’s score of 564; grade 5, 608, up from last year’s score of 591; grade 6, 598, up from last year’s score of 595; grade 7, 613. down from last year’s score of 616, and grade 8, 627, up from last year’s score of 618. 

Science: grade 4, 489, down from last year’s score of 504. 

Social studies: grade 4, 495, down from last year’s score of 510; grade 8, 699, down from last year’s score of 703, and grade 10, 795, down from last year’s score of 779. 

Forward scores in Fort Atkinson

Students taking the Forward exam in Fort Atkinson on average earned the following scores:

English language: grade 3, 564, down from last year’s score of 559; grade 4, 604, up from last year’s score of 590; grade 5, 606, up from last year’s score of 601; grade 6, 616, down from last year’s score of 618; grade 7, 637, up from last year’s score of 630, and grade 8, 641, up from last year’s score of 635. 

Math: grade 3, 558, up from last year’s score of 554; grade 4, 598, up from last year’s score of 581; grade 5, 615, up from last year’s score of 606; grade 6, 615, down from last year’s score of 619; grade 7, 638, up from last year’s score of 626, and grade 8, 653, up from last year’s score of 649. 

Science: grade 4, 510, up from last year’s score of 498.

Social studies: grade 4, 515, up from last year’s score of 507; grade 8, 710, up from last year’s score of 702, and grade 10, 812, which is the same score as last year.  

Information about public school performance is made available by school and by district on the WISEdash Public Portal. 

Student performance data for Wisconsin’s three parental choice programs are posted via the Parental Choice Program data page. 

For more information about student assessment in Wisconsin, visit: https://dpi.wi.gov/assessment.

An earlier story as published on WhitewaterWise’s sister site, Fort Atkinson Online, about assessment tools, along with scores earned statewide and within the WhitewaterWise readership area last year, is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/wisconsin-dpi-releases-2021-22-act-act-aspire-forward-exam-scores/.