An anonymous reader quotes an NPR report: High school students’ scores on the ACT college admissions test have fell to its lowest level in more than three decades, demonstrating a lack of student preparation for college-level courses, according to the nonprofit organization that administers the test. Scores have been declining for six consecutive years, but the trend accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students in the class of 2023 whose results were released Wednesday were in their first year of high school when the virus reached the United States.
The average ACT composite score for American students was 19.5 out of 36. Last year, the average score was 19.8. Average scores in reading, science and math were all below the benchmarks that the ACT says students must meet to have a high probability of success in first-year college courses. The average English score was just above baseline, but still declined from last year.
In the United States, about 1.4 million students took the ACT this year, an increase from last year. However, the numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels. (Janet Godwin, executive director of the nonprofit ACT) said she doesn’t believe those numbers will fully recover, in part because of test-optional admissions policies. Of the students tested, only 21% met the criteria for passing college-level courses in all subjects. The nonprofit’s research shows that students who meet these criteria have a 50 percent chance of earning a B or better and nearly a 75 percent chance of earning a C or better in corresponding courses. Further reading: Accounting graduates fall by highest percentage in years