ACT Test Predicts Only 25% of High School Graduates Are Really Ready for Life After High School

The makers of the prestigious ACT college entrance exam post an annual report each year identifying trends and reporting results from students who took the ACT that year. During the 2012-2013 school year, nearly 54% of all high school graduates took the ACT. This number marks an increase in test takers, even those with no intention of pursuing a post-secondary education, partially due to the fact that several states now require high school students to take the ACT as part of their regular classroom curriculum. But this year's annual report from the makers of the ACT revealed a much more shocking trend - only about 1/4 of students taking the ACT performed well enough to suggest they are prepared for college.   According to a recent CNBC.com article, "Under ACT's definition, a young adult is ready to start college or trade school if he or she has the knowledge to succeed without taking remedial courses. Success is defined as the student's having a 75 percent chance of earning a C grade and a 50 percent chance of earning a B, based on results on each of the four ACT subject areas, which are measured on a scale from 1 to 36 points.   Of all ACT-tested high school graduates this year, 64 percent met the English benchmark of 18 points. In both reading and math, 44 percent of students met the readiness threshold of 22 points. In science, 36 percent scored well enough to be considered ready for a college biology course, or 23 points. Only 26 percent of students met the benchmarks for all four sections of the ACT test."   Another interesting trend - students overall performed best on the English subtest, and worst on the Science subtest. Contrary to what one might think, the Science test does not measure a student's ability to recall scientific facts, but rather to demonstrate proficiency in scientific reasoning skills such as interpretation, analysis, evaluation, reasoning and problem solving.   Perhaps the most interesting trend of all (at least from where Club Z! stands) was that almost 20% of the ACT test takers were within 1 or 2 points of meeting at least one of the readiness thresholds. This suggests that even the slightest bit of coaching, tutoring or even subject remediation, could have a significant impact on how students perform on this important test.   If your student is preparing to enter college in the next couple of years, now is the time to begin preparing. Both the ACT and its counterpart, the SAT, offer free practice tests, sample questions, and other helpful test preparation tools on their web sites. Club Z! strongly suggests registering at both sites to take advantage of all of the resources and practice materials available. Those who want to do exceptionally well should really consider hiring a tutor as well. Taking steps to ensure that your child is part of the 25% that are prepared for college can pay dividends in the long run!