The class of 2023 may be the least prepared for the rigors of college courses of any graduating class since 1991, according to newly released results from this year’s ACT college readiness test.
ACT scores fell again this year, continuing a six-year trend that accelerated dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools were closed.
Last year, the average ACT composite score of American students was 19.8 out of a possible 36. This year, the average score fell to 19.5.
“The hard truth is that we are not doing enough to ensure that graduates are truly prepared for post-secondary success in college and career,” said Janet Godwin, executive director of ACT in a statement.
ACT scores in 2023 decreased in all academic subjects from last year.
Including English (-0.4%), mathematics (-0.3%), reading (-0.3%) and science (-0.3%).
The class of 2023 may be the least prepared for the rigors of college courses of any graduating class since 1991, according to newly released results from this year’s ACT college readiness test. KOTO – stock.adobe.com
Only 21% of students who took this year’s test met all four of the ACT’s college readiness benchmarks, while the percentage of students who did not meet any of the benchmarks reached a record high of 43%.
The benchmarks correspond to the likelihood that students will be successful in first-year, credit-bearing college classes.
According to ACT research, students who meet a particular benchmark have about a 50% chance of earning a B or better in the corresponding course and a 75% chance of earning at least a C.
About 1.4 million high school seniors across all 50 states took this year’s ACT, an increase over last year’s graduating class but still below pre-pandemic levels.
In recent years, more and more colleges have relaxed standardized testing requirements or eliminated them entirely, with many citing racial or socioeconomic disparities.
ACT test scores have fallen again in the United States, marking six straight years of declines and raising concerns about whether graduating seniors are ready for college classes.
A survey last fall by the National Center for Fair and Open Testing found that more than 80% of colleges that grant bachelor’s degrees no longer require students seeking admission in fall 2023 to submit standardized test scores. SAT or ACT, with several new York Schools among them.
In 2021, the City University of New York (CUNY) suspended both the ACT and SAT admission requirements until spring 2023, citing the impact of the pandemic.
It has since revised the policy to make the test “optional” through spring 2025, meaning first-year applicants can choose whether to submit their results.
The State University of New York (SUNY) followed suit in April of this year after its board unanimously eliminated the admissions testing requirement.
In March, Columbia University became the first Ivy League school to make the SAT and ACT optional for applicants.
Vassar College, an elite liberal arts school in Poughkeepsie, also dropped its standardized testing requirement around the same time.
The ACT test was first introduced in 1959 and serves as the primary college readiness test for high school seniors.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn