High School Students Are Poorly Prepared

ACT Scores Show High School Students Barely Ready for College
By Danielle Lagow for EduInReview.com

For the high school graduating class of 2012, 52% took the ACT. That equals out to nearly 1.7 million students. By taking this standardized test, chances are they're planning on going to college soon. But are they ready? TheACT did a report on college and career readiness based on test scores to find out the answer.

[The report is summarized at: http://www.eduinreview.com/blog/2012/08/act-scores-reveal-high-school-students-are-not-ready-for-college/ ]

In this study's findings, only one out of every four students is prepared in all four subject areas tested - math, science, reading and English. Just like the class of 2011, the overall composite average score was 21.1 out of a max 36. Though the amount of students who have participated in taking the exam has increased by 17% since 2008, the average composite scores have not seen any drastic changes.

A little good news is 72% of the test takers met at least one subject's readiness standards. On the other hand, 28% didn't reach any of the four subjects standard, while only a mere 24% proved their readiness in all four.

So what is it that sets the benchmark of college readiness for each field? ACT finds the minimum score needed on the subject area's test that shows there's at least a 50% chance in receiving a B or higher; or a 75% chance of receiving a C or higher in corresponding credit-bearing first-year college courses. Listed below are the percentages of how many students reached the benchmark for each subject.

• Reading: 52%
• English: 67%
• Math: 46%
• Science: 31%

The ACT also analyzes how different races perform on the test. They found that Asians are at the top with an average composite score of 23.6 and 42% meeting all four subject readiness standards.

Following the Asians are the Caucasians with an average composite score of 22.4, Pacific Islanders with a 19.8 average, Hispanics with an 18.9 average, and American Indian with an average of 18.4. At the end of the list is the African American group with an average composite score of 17 and only 5% reaching the readiness mark in all four subjects.

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/act-scores-show-high-school-students-barely-ready-193000802.html