Missouri students fared better on the ACT this year, while Illinois students' scores were nearly the same as last year's averages.

A report released Wednesday by American College Test Inc. showed that students in Missouri and Illinois are performing above the national average on the college-entrance exams. The ACT, which students can choose to take in their junior or senior year of high school, has four parts: English, math, reading and science.

Missouri students had an average 1997 ACT score of 21.5. That was up one-tenth of a point over 1996 scores. It was the fifth consecutive year Missouri's scores have gone up.

Illinois high-schoolers who took the 1997 ACT had an average score of 21.2, about the same as last year's test-takers. The average score fell to just above the national average of 21.

The highest possible score for the ACT is 36.

The national average, released Wednesday, rose to 21, up from 20.9 the previous year. It was the fourth year in five that scores have gone up. ACT officials attribute the national increase to greater numbers of high school students taking college preparatory courses.

Missouri's numbers echoed that trend, said state Education Commissioner Robert Bartman. The number of high school students taking tougher, core curriculum-oriented courses has risen from 43 percent to 58 percent in recent years, he said.

Illinois has also seen an increase in the number of students taking the ACT. About 85,000 Illinois students took the test this year, up from 80,000 in 1995-96.

Scores have been relatively stable in Illinois for the last several years, said Kim Knauer, spokeswoman for the State Board of Education. Average scores in Illinois have only risen twice by one-tenth of a point in the last several years. The 1993-94 average was 21.1, up from 21.0 in 1992-93.

Average scores for students from Cape Girardeau Central High School were a full 2 points above state and local averages. Guidance counselor Pat Trickey said students from the school had an average score of 23.1. She attributed the students' success to larger numbers of students taking the test and a strong core curriculum at the high school.

"I think ACT has proven that those students who take core curses do better on the ACT," she said. "We've always done well. I think our core curriculum areas are strong, and we have increasing numbers of students who take the ACT."

(Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press.)