ACT Cohort Types
11th Grade Exam: This cohort of students are the test takers from what was formerly the state
mandated exam that all 11th grade students take.
Max Score of Graduates: This cohort of students comprises all graduates in a given academic year and
uses the ACT results from the test with the maximum composite score for that student.
ACT Participation
These visualizations represent the ACT participation rate and student performance for North Dakota public high school
student with graphs representing the ACT Composite, along with subscores in English, Math, Reading, Science, and
Writing subject tests. Student demographic measures are available under “Participation
Demographics”. *Note that this measure only represents students attending public North Dakota high schools.
Participation based on all test takers compared with all enrolled students during the test period.
ACT Performance
These visualizations represent North Dakota public high school student ACT performance with graphs representing
subscores in English, Math, Reading, and Science subject tests as well as the overall ACT Composite score.
Individual subscores and the overall Composite score are based upon a scale of 0 to 36. Student demographic measures
are available under “Performance Demographics”. *Note that this measure only represents students attending public
North Dakota high schools and is limited to students who have been enrolled for at least 120 days within the school
year.
ACT Benchmarks
These visualizations represent North Dakota public high school student ACT performance in the with graphs
representing percentage of students who exceeded Benchmarks in English, Math, Reading, and Science subject tests as
well as the overall ACT Composite score. Benchmarks are based on College Board ACT College Readiness and defined as:
Students who meet a benchmark on the ACT have approximately a 50% chance of earning a B or better and approximately
a 75% chance of earning a C or better in the corresponding college course or courses. The composite benchmark was
determined using data from the North Dakota University System. Students who meet the benchmark have a 50% chance of
passing all courses in the first two semesters. Student demographic measures are available under “Benchmark
Demographics”. *Note that this measure only represents students attending public North Dakota high schools and is
limited to students who have been enrolled for at least 120 days within the school year.
To protect student privacy, any data elements involving fewer than 10 students are not displayed.
In some cases, when appropriate for the purpose of transparency, information involving 10 or more students may be
displayed in ranges to avoid potential identification of students in small demographic populations. When utilized,
ranges may be represented visually with diagonal lines or open circles in lightly shaded colors.
Please contact North Dakota's Department of Public Instruction with any questions and feedback via email to the
following address: dpidashboard@nd.gov