ACT: College preparedness increasing among high school grads

High school graduates are becoming increasingly prepared for post-secondary education, according to ACT’s annual report on college and career preparedness. This year, 25 percent of high school grads passed all four benchmarks for college preparedness in reading, math, science and English. Last year, that figure was 24 percent; it was 21 percent in 2005.

“American students are making incremental progress toward being ready to complete college-level work, but there’s still significant work to be done,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “In today’s knowledge-based economy, American children are competing with the rest of the world for jobs, and our country’s long-term economic security is directly tied to the quality of its public education. These ACT results are another sign that states need to raise their academic standards and commit to education reforms that accelerate student achievement.”

Although ACT officials are pleased to see improvements in college preparedness among students, they do acknowledge that it has been slight and much more is needed.

“It’s encouraging to see the positive trend continuing, with more high school graduates showing they are ready to succeed academically at the next level,” said Jon Erickson, interim president of ACT’s Education Division. “Although growth has been slow, it has been consistent. Things appear to be moving in the right direction.”

Still, almost 3 out of 10, or 28 percent, of students included in the study failed to meet any of ACT’s  four benchmarks for college preparedness. The figure remains unchanged from what has found among test takers the year before.

“Too many students are still falling through the cracks,” said Erickson. “It’s important that we work hard to ensure that all young people graduate from high school with the skills they need to succeed in college and career.”

ACT recommends that school districts help students prepare for college by following a set of recommendations they have outlined in the report. ACT’s suggested actions for school officials across the nation include: early monitoring and intervention, establishing and adhering to common standards as well as common expectations, creating clear performance standards, offering rigorous high school courses, and making data-driven decisions.

“If states, districts and schools will follow these recommendations, our research shows that students will benefit,” Erickson said. “And when young people benefit, so does our entire country. ACT will continue working hard to help identify solutions to the problems that impact college and career readiness in the United States.”

And although academic readiness is important, ACT adds that there are other factors that play an important role in a successful college career, including behavioral readiness and educational and career planning.

“Assessing what students have learned so far is a vital element in helping them to improve, but college and career readiness is very complex,” said Erickson. “With more and more students across the country participating in testing, it’s important that test results are not overemphasized as a single answer to the readiness problem. We are committed to identifying the various factors that ensure success. The ACT is used for multiple goals and purposes beyond admissions and predicting college outcomes, such as course placement, counseling and accountability.”