Colorado is ending its run with the ACT college entrance exam on a high note.
The state’s overall average composite score last year was a 20.4, the highest it’s been since the state began administering the test to high school juniors in 2001.
The state released results from the 2015 ACT on Thursday along with results from other statewide tests.
Students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds earned their highest average marks ever on the test, which measures skills in English, reading, math, and science. White students had a composite score of 21.9, Latino students had a composite score of 17.7 and black students had a composite score of 17.4.
Next year, high school juniors will begin taking the SAT instead of the ACT. The switch came after lawmakers in 2015 made sweeping changes to the state’s testing system. Education department officials say the SAT is better aligned to the state’s academic standards.
As part of the move to the SAT, 10th graders began taking the PSAT this year. Initial scores showed that Colorado students exceeded the national average.
Colorado students earned a mean score of 944, while the national mean score was 932.
Slight uptick means Colorado juniors post highest scores on ACT ever