According to a report by ACT’s annual Condition of College & Career Readiness, there is an increase in interest in attending college among U.S. high school graduates. The report focused on 2014 high school graduates who took the ACT college readiness assessment and stated that there was an increase in participation and high aspirations among the country’s high school graduates, possibly leading to greater college access.
The data showed that more than 1.84 million 2014 graduates took the ACT – a 3% increase from 2013 and an 18% increase compared to 2010.
Jon Whitmore, the ACT chief executive officer, stated that the increases are good news for the country as they point to growing interest in higher education among the youth. In addition, our global economy today is more important than ever for people to continue their education after high school. The skills needed to be competitive in the job market are becoming increasingly advanced.
Although the ACT data suggest student aspirations are high and the vast majority of 2014 ACT-tested graduates reported that they plan to pursue postsecondary education, it is still not enough, according to the report. As there was a similar percentage (87 percent) of 2013 tested graduates aspired to higher education, only 69 percent actually enrolled in a postsecondary institution in fall 2013. The gap represents more than 300,000 students who fell short of their goal.
John Whitmore also added in his statement that high aspirations are wonderful but in most cases, student’s actual preparation is not aligned with those aspirations. Appropriate steps and preparation through effective educational planning, monitoring, and interventions is what should be done to reach goals.
College Readiness Continues to Lag
Results of AST assessments show that many of the graduates will eventually face academic challenges in meeting their aspirations as college readiness continues to lag. Only 39 percent of ACT-tested graduates met three or more of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in English, Math, Reading, and Science, which suggests that they are well prepared for first-year college coursework. On the other hand, findings also show that almost 31 percent – nearly one out of three students – did not meet any of the benchmarks which suggest that they are not fully prepared in all four core subject areas. These percentages haven’t changed since from the previous year.
The ACT research also shows that the students who meet the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks are more likely to continue their postsecondary education and earn a degree than those who don’t. These benchmarks indicate the minimum score that students must earn on each ACT subject test to have about 75 percent chance of earning a grade of C or higher, and a 50 percent chance of earning a B or higher in a typical credit-bearing freshman year college course in that subject area.
In general, about 64 percent of high school graduates met or surpassed the benchmark in English, 44 percent in Reading, 43 percent in Mathematics, and 37 percent in Science. Readiness in Science increased by 1 percent compared to last year, while readiness in Math dropped 1 percent. English and Reading remains the same. The average ACT composite score was 21.0, which has a 0.1 point increase compared to last year.
Why Students Should Take Core Curriculum
According to ACT’s research findings, taking a core college preparatory curriculum in high school greatly helps improve college readiness of students. Those who took the ACT-recommended core curriculum, which is four years of English and three years of each (Math, Science, and Social Studies), have better chances to meet the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in each of the four subject areas than those who took less than the core curriculum.
We must also consider preparing for postsecondary school by making sure the courses can cover essential skills needed after high school. As more states strengthen their standards through Common Core or other initiatives, we should see college and career readiness levels increase.
About the ACT
The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement assessment that determines the skills taught in schools and believed to be important for success in first-year college courses. The ACT National Curriculum Survey influences the content of the ACT. The survey is conducted every three to four years among thousands of elementary, middle, and high school teachers and instructors of first-year college courses across the United States. The data accumulated by the survey allows the ACT to check that its assessments measure the skills most important for success after high school.