Kaiser High Student Achieves Top ACT Score

Kaiser High student Jason Cheng and Principal John Sosa

Jason Cheng, a junior at Kaiser High, has earned a top composite score of 36 on a recent ACT test.

Cheng was honored by ACT, the ACT Hawaii Council, and Kaiser High during an awards assembly at the campus on April 25. Gwen Mau, chair of the ACT Hawaii State Organization, presented Cheng with his acrylic award and Principal John Sosa with a plaque for the school.

Nationally, while the actual number of students earning a composite score of 36 varies from year to year, roughly one-tenth of one percent receive a top score. Among test takers in the high school graduating class of 2011, only 704 of more than 1.6 million students earned a composite score of 36.

The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading and science. Each test is scored on a scale of 1-36, and a student's composite score is the average of the four test scores. Some students also take ACT’s optional Writing Test, but the score for that test is reported separately and is not included within the ACT composite score.

In a letter recognizing this exceptional achievement, ACT CEO Jon Whitmore said, “While test scores are just one of the many criteria that most colleges consider when making admission decisions, your exceptional ACT composite score should prove helpful as you pursue your education and career goals.”

ACT test scores are accepted by all major U.S. colleges, and exceptional scores of 36 provide colleges with evidence of student readiness for the academic rigors that lie ahead.