Nebraska students recognized for perfect ACT scores days after grim federal report

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Dozens of Nebraska high school students are being recognized for receiving perfect scores on the ACT exam.

One school district in the Omaha metro appears to be topping the chart: Millard Public Schools.

“I’m proud but not surprised,” said Tim Royers, President of the Millard Education Association. “I’m a Millard product myself, so I know first-hand what it was like to go through our high schools and get that kind of education and prep for success,” said Royers.

The announcement comes just days after a new report from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), showed that math and reading scores for 13-year-olds are the lowest in decades.

“We know that the pandemic certainly impacted people’s ability to learn at the pace we were hoping they would,” Royers said.

To meet federal requirements, Nebraska uses a different assessment system called the Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System (NSCAS), which was not included in the NAEP report.

Royers is hopeful about new NSCAS results expected to come out this summer.

“Especially, coming out of the pandemic, we’re looking really good from the data that came out last year,” he said.

Royers said Millard Public Schools’ approach to testing is the key to success.

“We’re not teaching to the test. Our challenge is to push themselves academically and as a result, we see kids that are doing well,” he said. “What we’ve always tried to do, even especially during the pandemic is strike that balance between health and safety and making sure that we are prioritizing learning.”

Also in the metro’s public schools, six students from Elkhorn and two from Westside received perfect ACT scores.

6 News reached out to Omaha Public Schools and Elkhorn. No one was available for comment.

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