College admission testing continues to be a hot topic of discussion—in the media and among educators, students, and parents. In a presentation he recently made at a conference on the future of standardized testing in college admissions, ACT Chief Executive Officer Richard Ferguson succinctly summed up ACT's long-standing position: "We believe . . . that students should be examined on the basis of achievement, not aptitude; that standardized tests should be clearly linked to specific subjects taught in high school; that in the admission process, schools should look at students as complete individuals and use test results appropriately in making decisions."

Several of the stories in this issue emphasize the importance of a strong core curriculum in high school, noting that ACT data for the class of 2002 show that the most compelling correlate of strong performance on the ACT Assessment is taking a rigorous and effective core curriculum in high school. Among all ethnic groups, there is a consistent pattern of lower ACT scores for students who report taking a "less than core" high school curriculum.