ACT Results: Columbia High Scores Slip

South Carolina's 2012 graduates closed the achievement gap in ACT testing, according to figures released Wednesday morning by the company and the state Department of Education.

The national composite score on the 36-point scale remained by 21.1, but South Carolina students improved to 20.2 (up from 20.1 a year ago).

Richland School District 1 results remained the same, with a composite score of 18.3 in 2012. But Columbia High School saw its scores fall, to 16.3 from 17.3.

English remained the biggest gap, but showed the most improvement. Nationally, the composite score was 20.5, while it was 19.5 in South Carolina. The 2011 gap was 1.2.

The reading gap closed to 0.9 points from 1 point. The science gap remained 0.8 points. The math gap grew from 0.9 points to 1 point.

The newly released ACT scores are from students who graduated in 2012, regardless of when they took the test during their high school careers.  The ACT includes four tests: English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning.  Scores are reported in each of those as well as the overall composite using a 36-point scale.

The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement exam designed to measure the academic skills that are taught in schools and is used as an indicator for success in first-year college courses.  The SAT is an implied learning test that measures how students think based on their experiences both in and out of the classroom setting.