In its annual score report released Wednesday, the testing company said only 38 percent of graduating seniors who took the exam hit the college-prepared benchmark in at least three of the four core subjects tested — reading, English, math and science. That compares with 40 percent last year. The benchmark is designed to measure a strong readiness for college.
The average composite score also declined a bit, down from 21 to 20.8 this year. The four tests are scored on a scale of 1 to 36. The composite is the average of the four scores. Many colleges use the composite in admissions.
ACT’s Paul Weeks says the declines were expected, given the growing and changing demographics of the testing population.
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10 comments:
My son, who graduated with honors, had to take an advanced Calculus class even though he had already taken it in high school. The schools concentrate on testing, but they really don't prepare them for college. They have to end up taking classes to bring them up to date that should have been handled in Public school. Another reason why our public schools suck in Maryland!!!!
Some of you can confirm this- but High school students used to know WAY more than college students do today...I blame the decline on when they dropped LATIN. How many of you remember Latin being required in high school? Oh, its a dead language, true. But they very nature of it being a difficult thing to master makes it excellent mental training. Once they ditched it, everything went to hell.
2:07
You must be older than dirt.
LOL
Just joking with you.
wasnt that long ago.
IT IS MORE IMPORTANT that they have DANCE classes and then have ART classes AND then other classes on pushing buttons on their electronic play devices and classes in using Electronic Machines so that they can Drive and also walk down sidewalks and play games and have contact with their stupid friends.
207, they have taken everything difficult out of schools. This way everyone has a fair chance of getting into an AP class and passing. It is a shame. They do offer latin in our schools, but only yrs 3 and 4 at PHS.
I stated years ago, when Common Core was just rearing its ugly head that the ACT will be the real determination of what is learned in the public school.s I fear at this point, they (ACT) will be forced to conform with the CC way of life.
The real sad fact is that our local school are not preparing our children for anything other than "government work" as it states on their Niavance program. The claim that they are career and college ready, but numbers don't lie. IF they would publish the benchmark scores or what ever they call them now, the public would be floored!
And no, we should not publicly fund the ACT, PSAT or SAT! If you want your child to take these tests, you pay for them!
Public school teachers have failed.
Learn Spanish. Language of USA
WOW!!! The teacher's and BOE doing an OUTSTANDING JOB!!! lmao!!!
Latin is/was beneficial for academic track students.
The point of the article was that as schools have encouraged more students to take the ACT, as a readiness gauge, as well as an admissions criteria, more of the test takers have been marginal candidates for post-secondary schooling. It was forseeable that average scores would decline. Same effect has hit the SATs. Hope ACT holds firm in not watering down the test battery.
Usain Bolt runs the 100 meter dash very quickly for a great average time. If we have all HS and college football players in MD run the dash also, the average time goes up even though they are young athletes. Now all readers of SBY News in a week run 100 meters and are timed. Average for the dash gets much, much worse.
That is the analogy to having all students take the SAT or ACT. It is good for the test company's revenue stream but not much else.
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