Half of the 1.2 million seniors tested are not projected to score a C or better in many introductory college-level courses, according to national results from the 2005 high school class’ ACT scores.
In a news release, ACT, Inc. said it has set a benchmark of 21 or better on the reading segment to gauge the likeliness of a student to receive a C or higher in freshmen-level social science college classes.
Fifty-one percent of test takers met the standard, suggesting 49 percent are not fully prepared for reading materials in freshmen-level college courses.
While the national composite average score remained the same as this past year at 20.9, with 36 being the highest, ACT, Inc. said in a press release that half of the students tested scored below the C standard.
In Louisiana, 85 percent of graduating seniors took the test and averaged a 19.8 composite score, meaning most of them scored below the benchmark in one or more subjects.
The University admission requirement for incoming freshmen this year was increased to a 22 composite score, so most students have scored above the benchmark in at least one subject.
The ACT is divided into four parts – reading, English, math and science comprehension – which are scored individually on a scale of one to 36 and averaged to establish the composite score.
Forty-one percent of graduates scored a 22 or better on the math test, which ACT, Inc. correlates to earning a C or higher in college algebra.
Science tests had fewer students meet the benchmark with 26 percent scoring a 24 or better.
ACT, Inc. said students who took the test were most prepared to receive a C or higher in college English, with 68 percent scoring an 18 or better.
ACT, Inc. stated students fell below the national standard because of preparation problems on high school and middle school levels.
“Another problem is the number of students arriving in high school without the foundational skills to take challenging courses,” said Richard Ferguson, ACT’s chief executive officer. “We need to identify students at much earlier grades – eighth grade and earlier – and make sure they have a solid foundation of basic knowledge and skills needed for rigorous high school-level courses.”
Theater sophomore Charlee Funderburg’s experience is an example of the trend ACT identified with scores and performance. She scored a 31 on the English portion, a 19 on the science portion and a composite score of 27.
“[In science] I scored bad and did bad,” she said. “What I scored well in, I did well in.”
Rixney Reed, biological sciences sophomore, attributed her success in English 1002 and on the ACT to her high school courses.
“My high school teacher’s papers were basically the same as college,” she said. “I felt prepared, ready to conquer [English]. I made a B.”
Drew Corthern, theater and English sophomore, said his ACT scores were not reflected in his English 1002 class.
“I had a 36 on the ACT in English and a C in the class,” he said. “It just wasn’t that fun of a teacher.”
Vidal Johnson, chemical engineering sophomore, took trigonometry over the summer and got a C after scoring a 27 on the math portion.
“I scored well and did average,” he said. “I had the gist of trigonometry.”
Contact Ginger Gibson at [email protected]