Aug
19
The latest ACT test scores were just revealed and for the most part, the scores show students did about the same as last year. Unfortunately, that’s not very good, especially in the sciences and math.
Only 28 percent of the ACT scores were at the level considered acceptable to begin college-level biology. For math, only 42 percent made the grade. The scores were better for English composition, with a 67 percent passing grade. and in reading with 53 percent.
The composite scores — combining English, mathematics, reading, and science — showed a slight improvement this year, with 23 percent achieving college-readiness. That’s up one percent from the class of 2008. This article in Education Week explains that the test-score cutoffs used to predict college-readiness predict a 75 percent chance of a student’s likelihood of earning a C or better.
The report from does help answer one question facing high schoolers, who need to choose between the ACT and SAT. The ACT test continues to gain in popularity; 1.48 million high school seniors took the test in 2009, which is about equal to the number taking the SAT. The ACT has been gaining in popularity, up 25 percent over four years.