College Readiness Is Improving, But Many Grads Still Lack College-Ready Skills

“The growth in the average ACT composite score is encouraging, particularly given the increase in the number of students taking the test,” said Richard L. Ferguson, ACT’s chief executive officer and chairman. “The results suggest that student academic achievement and college readiness are on the rise.”

The current score results are based on more than 1.2 million 2006 graduates—a record number—who took the ACT at some point during their high school career. This represents 40 percent of all graduating seniors nationally. Growth in the number of test-takers was particularly strong on the East Coast, where states such as New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Vermont, Florida, and New Hampshire each posted double-digit percentage gains.

About the ACT

The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement test that includes exams in English, mathematics, reading, and science, plus an optional writing test. The 2006 national average scores for the subject tests are: English, 20.6 (up from 20.4 in 2005); Math, 20.8 (up from 20.7); Reading, 21.4 (up from 21.3); and Science, 20.9 (unchanged).

The ACT is scored on a scale of 1 to 36; 36 is the highest possible score. ACT scores are accepted at virtually all colleges and universities across the nation. The test is administered in all 50 states and is the predominant college entrance exam in 25 states.

First Year for Writing Test Scores

Results from the optional ACT Writing Test, launched in February 2005, are reported this year for the first time. Slightly more than a third (36%) of ACT-tested 2006 grads elected to take the new test. Fewer than half of four-year colleges and universities required or recommended that students submit writing scores for fall 2006 admission.

Students who took the Writing Test earned an average score of 7.7 (on a scale of 2 to 12). On the combined English Test/Writing Test score, the average was 22.0 (on a scale of 1 to 36). Females outscored males on the Writing Test, earning an average score of 7.9 compared to males’ average score of 7.4. Among racial/ethnic groups, average scores on the Writing Test ranged from a low of 6.8 (African Americans) to a high of 8.0 (Asian Americans).

The ACT Writing Test is a direct writing exam which requires students to write an essay response to a given prompt. Students have 30 minutes to complete their essays. Scores on the Writing Test are reported separately and are not included in the ACT composite score.

More Students Meeting College Readiness Benchmarks

More students have college-ready skills in English, math, reading, and science this year than last. The percentage of students who met or exceeded ACT’s College Readiness Benchmark score in reading increased by 2 percentage points compared to last year, while the percentage who met or exceeded the benchmark scores in English, math, and science each increased by 1 percentage point. College readiness has grown slowly but steadily in recent years in both math (up by 3% since 2002) and English (up by 2%).

Despite the increases, the results suggest that the majority of ACT-tested graduates are still likely to struggle in first-year college math and science courses.

• 42 percent of test-takers met or exceeded the College Readiness Benchmark on the ACT Math Test (a score of 22), indicating they have a high probability of earning a “C” or higher and a 50/50 chance of earning a “B” or higher in college algebra.
• Only 27 percent met or exceeded the benchmark on the ACT Science Test (a score of 24), indicating they are ready to succeed in college biology.
• Just over half (53%) met or exceeded the benchmark on the ACT Reading Test (a score of 21), indicating they are ready to succeed in first-year college social science courses.
• Nearly seven in ten (69%) met or exceeded the benchmark on the ACT English Test (a score of 18), indicating they are ready to succeed in college composition.
• Only two in ten (21%) met or exceeded the College Readiness Benchmark scores on all four ACT exams, unchanged from last year.

The charts below show the percentages of eighth-graders who took EXPLORE^® and tenth-graders who took PLAN^® in 2006 who are likely to be ready for college-level coursework by the time they graduate from high school. For both groups, the percentages of students who met or exceeded all four of the benchmark scores increased by one percent over last year.

“More students are preparing themselves better for college-level coursework,” said Ferguson. “However, we still have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills they need to succeed at the next level.”

Challenging Coursework is Clearly Important

ACT score results point to the importance of taking a challenging program of courses in high school but suggest that far too few students are doing so. Students who reported taking the recommended core curriculum in high school—four years of English and three years each of math (algebra and higher), science, and social studies—earned an average ACT composite score of 22.0, while those who took less than core earned an average score more than two points lower—19.7.

Just over half (54%) of all 2006 ACT-tested grads reported taking the core curriculum, while 34 percent reported taking less than the recommended core. (Twelve percent did not provide their course-taking information.) Last year, 56 percent reported taking core or more; 34 percent took less than core. (Ten percent did not provide their course information.)

One reason such a large number of college-hopeful students fail to take the core curriculum is that in many states, graduation requirements have been less demanding than the recommended core. That may be changing, however, as a number of states either have recently increased or are considering increasing their high school graduation requirements.

“Each state needs to ensure that its high school graduation requirements are strong enough to adequately prepare students for success after high school,” said Ferguson. “Course requirements for graduation need to keep pace with the demands of college and the workforce training programs in high performance organizations.”

Core Coursework Counts

ACT score results continue to show the value of taking advanced coursework in high school. Test-takers who reported taking more than three years of math earned higher average ACT Math Test scores than those who took less than the recommended core of three years of math. In addition, students who took physics earned higher average ACT Science Test scores than those who took less than three years of natural science.

While the number of courses a student takes is important, the specific courses taken—and the rigor within those courses—is even more important, according to Ferguson: “A student can take four years of math courses in high school, but if the content of those courses doesn’t cover essential knowledge and skills needed in college and work, then that student is less likely to be well prepared to succeed.”

He urged all school districts to look at the rigor of the courses they offer to ensure that students are being taught the skills they need to be ready for whichever path they choose to take after graduation. He also noted that preparing students to take rigorous courses must start long before they enter high school.

“The path toward college readiness begins in elementary school,” Ferguson pointed out. “Students won’t be ready for rigorous coursework in high school if they haven’t acquired the foundational skills in elementary and middle school that lead up to those courses.”

ACT’s website (www.act.org/news/data/06/ index.html) features complete score information by state. Included is an interactive national map showing the percentage of students in each state who met ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks as well as the percentage who took advanced math and science coursework in high school.

Scores Up in States Requiring ACT for All Students

This is the fifth year ACT results for Colorado and Illinois have included the scores of all public school graduates, not just those of self-selected, college-bound students, as in most states. Both states began administering the ACT as a statewide assessment to all 11th-grade students in 2001.

In both states, the average composite score has increased since the ACT was first introduced as a statewide exam. Illinois scores have risen from 20.1 in 2002 to 20.5 this year. Colorado scores have increased from 20.1 in 2002 to 20.3 in 2006.

“It is gratifying to see the success that both Colorado and Illinois have experienced in increasing academic achievement,” said Ferguson. “These forward-looking states have made strong efforts to ensure that more students are ready for the opportunity of a college education, and we are delighted to see those efforts paying off.”

Of even greater significance is the fact that, on average, students across all family income levels in Illinois and Colorado have increased their achievement since last year. Similar increases across all income levels were not seen nationally.

“This is truly significant,” said Ferguson. “What we’re seeing in Illinois and Colorado is that all students are becoming better prepared for college and work, including those students from low-income families.”

As a result of this success, more states will soon be following the lead of Colorado and Illinois. Michigan will begin administering the ACT as a statewide achievement exam to all 11th-grade students in the spring of 2007, and Kentucky will be doing the same the following school year.

Scores Up for Males, Females, and Across Most Racial/Ethnic Groups

Both males and females in the class of 2006 saw a higher average ACT composite score this year than last. Males earned an average composite score of 21.2, while females earned an average score of 21.0—both up by 0.1 point from last year. Males earned higher average scores than females on the math and science tests, while females earned higher average scores than males on the English and reading tests.

With the exception of Hispanic students, whose average composite score remained stable, students in all racial/ethnic groups posted gains in their average ACT composite scores this year compared to last. The average score for Asian American students was up by 0.2 point; average scores for African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Caucasian students were each up by 0.1 point. Asian American students again earned the highest average composite score at 22.3, followed by Caucasian students at 22.0, American Indian/Alaskan Native students at 18.8, Hispanic students at 18.6, and African American students at 17.1.

The number of Hispanic students taking the ACT has boomed in recent years, rising by nearly 30 percent since 2002—double the gain made by any other racial/ethnic group. During this period, scores for Hispanic students have risen—from 18.4 in 2002 to 18.6 this year.