Students who are taught at home tied for first place with Rhode Island students in the latest American College Testing (ACT) exams. The test -- which measures skills in reading, English, math and the sciences -- is measured on a 36 point scale.

• The national average for those high school students who took the exam this year remained steady at 21 for the second consecutive year.
• Home-schoolers averaged a score of 22.7.
• In addition to Rhode Island -- number one among the states -- other high-scoring states included Oregon, Washington, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Iowa and Massachusetts.Scores were lowest for students in the District of Columbia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and North Carolina.

Ten years ago, 46 percent of the students who took the ACT exam reported taking core curriculum in high school. The number stood at 63 percent this year.

The ACT report reflects the skills of 36 percent of the nation's estimated 2.3 million high school graduates, and 60 percent of America's entering college freshmen.

Source: Andrea Billups, "Student's Schooled at Home Ace ACT," Washington Times, August 18, 1999.