A cursory look at the average national ACT Composite scores might lead one to the conclusion that nothing much has changed. While the average score for the high school graduates of 2005 is the same as last year—20.9—and each subtest score also has remained the same, subtle shifts in the college-going population merit close attention.

To begin with, more women than men are setting their sights on college and taking the ACT. Among this year's graduates, 56 percent of the students who took the ACT were women; 44 percent were men. Why are we seeing such a large disparity in the numbers of boys and girls taking the ACT and enrolling in college? The women continue to excel on the English Test and Reading Test, while the men continue to outperform the women on the Science Test and Math Test. In an economy that needs more qualified scientists and engineers, does this mean we should focus more energy on developing the math and science skills of our high school girls? If girls continue to head to college in larger percentages than boys, can we afford not to?

And then there is the stunning growth of ACT test-takers coming from ethnic and racial minority groups, especially those who identify themselves as Hispanic. The number of Hispanic students taking the ACT is up 40 percent in the last four years. Is the growth solely a reflection of the changing national demographics, or does it indicate that more Hispanic students are gaining access to higher education? Even as the number of Hispanic test-takers surges, the average Composite score for those students remains markedly lower than the national average. What can we do to increase achievement levels so these students are ready for college and work?

It is clear as we continue to study education and measure achievement that we will need to answer these questions—and many more—to support our students and serve the needs of our changing world.