More Latino High School Graduates are College Ready, Attending College, and Returning for Second Year

ACT-tested Latino high school graduates from the class of 2006 were better prepared for college-level coursework and workforce training than those who graduated in 2002, according to a new ACT report.

The report, State of College Readiness for Latino Students, examines college readiness among Latino students using results from EXPLORE (for students in grade 8 or 9), PLAN (for students in grade 10), and the ACT test (for students in grade 11 or 12). Latino students include Mexican American/Chicano students, Puerto Rican students, Cuban students, and other students of Hispanic origin. The report evaluates student performance in a number of areas and offers recommendations for continued success.

Latino high school graduates increased their average ACT composite, English, mathematics, reading, and science scores between 2002 and 2006. These increases are particularly impressive given that 19,026 more Latino graduates took the test in 2006 than in 2002. They also improved their college readiness in English, mathematics, and science. (The average score increase in reading was not enough to impact college readiness.)

More than half the ACT-tested Latino high school graduates are enrolling in two-year or four-year colleges. Those who met the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks—minimum ACT scores indicating students’ readiness for first-year college-level coursework—are more likely than those who did not to enroll in college directly after high school and to continue at the same college their second year.

Latino eighth- and tenth-graders also showed improvement between 2002 and 2006. The eighth-graders increased their average EXPLORE scores in mathematics, while Latino tenth-graders increased their average PLAN scores in all four subject areas. Higher percentages of the eighth-graders in 2006 appear to be on track to be ready for college in mathematics, and higher percentages of the tenth graders appear to be on track to be ready for college in English, reading, and science by the time they graduate from high school.

Improvements in academic achievement and college readiness appear to be associated with the fact that more Latino students are taking challenging coursework. Between 2002 and 2006, there were slight increases in the percentages of those taking higher-level mathematics courses (such as trigonometry, calculus, and other advanced math) and higher-level science courses (such as chemistry and physics). Taking higher-level mathematics courses beyond Algebra II and higher-level science courses beyond biology appears to increase average ACT mathematics and science scores for all Latino high school graduates, including low-achieving and high-achieving students.

Taking a minimum core curriculum—four years of English and three years each of mathematics, science, and social studies—also appears to be improving the college readiness of Latino high school students.

“We’re pleased to see that more and more Latino students are becoming prepared for college,” said Cynthia B. Schmeiser, president of ACT’s education division. “This report shows the importance of rigorous coursework as a solid foundation for college readiness for all students.”

State of College Readiness for Latino Students also points out areas for improvement. For example, Latino high school graduates showed no progress in readiness for college-level reading between 2002 and 2006.

Like ACT-tested graduates generally, fewer Latino students are ready for college by the time they graduate from high school than would be expected, based on their performance in tenth grade. This finding raises questions about the type and quality of courses that they are taking in eleventh and twelfth grades.

“It is encouraging that more Latino students are making strides in acquiring the academic skills needed to thrive in college, but there is still much work to be done to meet the goal of college readiness for the majority of Latino high school graduates. By identifying policies and practices that contribute to increased readiness for Latino students, this report is a useful addition to the body of research highlighting potential strategies to put college within the grasp of more Latino students and thus ensure they are prepared to excel in the twenty-first century,” said Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education.

The report offers the following recommendations for improving college and workforce readiness for Latino students:

• Encourage more Latino students to take the core curriculum and higher-level coursework in high school, especially in mathematics and science.
• Review and evaluate the rigor and content of high school courses in English, mathematics, reading, and science.
• Establish high expectations for Latino students, monitor their progress through high school, and encourage more of them to test in their junior year, so they can reflect on their abilities, and take steps to improve in areas where their test scores were low.
• Provide guidance for Latino students. Given the discrepancy between educational aspirations of Latino students and high school coursework taken, and given the decline in their progress toward college readiness between grades 10 and 12, ACT recommends that states, schools, and educators evaluate both their current educational and career guidance programs and the courses students take in high school, especially in eleventh and twelfth grades.
• Evaluate and align the curriculum with both high school standards and college and workplace readiness standards.

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