for
Cape Central High School
In a letter dated May 14, 2007, Dr. Mike Cowan, Cape Central principal, was notified by the ACT Education Division that Cape Central High School is one of only 382 high schools in the nation and one of only eight in the state of Missouri cited for academic rigor in mathematics and science.
In conjunction with this spring’s publication of the ACT Education Division study entitled Rigor at Risk: Reaffirming Quality in the High School Curriculum in which ACT maintains there is a documented decrease in academic rigor in America’s high schools that is leaving many of its graduates lacking in “the essential knowledge and skills needed for success in postsecondary education,” Cape Central was cited as an exception to the conclusion of the study. The following is quoted from the letter of citation:
“Congratulations on being cited by ACT as one of 382 high schools across the country that have proven that core courses can be made rigorous and that rigorous content can be effectively taught to students. [This letter of citation] highlights the academic performance of a select group of high schools whose students took the ACT during the 2003-04 academic year and whose performance on the ACT Mathematics and Science Tests after taking particular math and science courses exceeded the performance of students in ACT high school’s nationwide. Your school is clearly a leader in preparing all high school students for postsecondary education and workforce training programs. ACT applauds the achievement of your students and acknowledges the efforts of your school leaders and teachers in offering high-quality core courses.”Of local and Missouri interest, of the eight Missouri high schools (six public and two private) cited for academic rigor, only two were outside of the greater St. Louis and Kansas City metropolitan areas, Cape Central and Jefferson City Helias. This commendation in conjunction with the record-setting ACT composite score earned by the graduating Class of 2006 validates that our academic program at Cape Central continues to set the stage for Cape Central High School not only to be the premiere senior high school in Southeast Missouri but also in the state of Missouri and in the United States of America, public, private or parochial.