National Data Release

August 18, 2004

Note to Editors/Reporters: This news release and accompanying documents report information about students in the high school graduating class of 2004 who took the ACT Assessment. States, districts and schools receive similar information about their students. However, ACT releases only national and selected state data; ACT does not release local district or school data. You must contact district and school offices for local information.

Average National ACT Score Rises for First Time Since 1997, But Many Students Still Not Ready for College Science and Math Courses

• Average national composite score 20.9, up from 20.8 last year
• Fewer than half of students ready for college biology, algebra courses
• Scores for females, most minority students increase
• Nearly 1.2 million test-takers

IOWA CITY, Iowa—The average national ACT composite score increased in 2004 for the first time in seven years. At the same time, the ACT results—a national indicator of student readiness for college—reveal that an alarming number of graduating high school seniors continue to be unprepared for college science and math courses.

The average ACT composite score rose one-tenth of a point to 20.9 among 2004's high school graduates, compared to 20.8 for each of the past two years. The average score was 21.0 for five years prior to that. This year's score increase is statistically significant.

The ACT Assessment, the nation's most widely accepted college admission and placement exam, is scored on a scale of 1 to 36, with 36 being the highest possible score. The exam was taken by nearly 1.2 million graduates in the class of 2004—four out of every 10 high school graduates throughout the nation. The test is administered in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and is the predominant college entrance exam in 25 states. ACT scores are accepted at virtually all colleges and universities across the nation.

With the increase, the average ACT score in 2004 rose back up to nearly the same level as in 2001, the year before the population of test-takers expanded to include all graduating seniors in the states of Colorado and Illinois. Both states have been administering the ACT to all 11th graders—including those who do not intend to go to college—as part of statewide mandated testing during the past four years. The ACT testing population previously included only college-bound students who elected to take the exam. Both Colorado and Illinois experienced an initial drop in scores in 2002 due to the expanded pool of test-takers (scores are not included in the ACT report until students are seniors), but both states have seen their average ACT scores improve by a significant two-tenths of a point since that time.

"It is encouraging to see national ACT scores rise after several years of relative stability," said Richard L. Ferguson, ACT's chief executive officer. "We still have a long way to go, however, in making sure students graduate from high school with the skills they need to succeed in college, particularly in science and math."

Many Students Not Ready for College Science, Math Coursework

The ACT score results indicate that many high school graduates still have not mastered the key academic skills they need to be ready for first-year college science and math courses. Only a fourth (26%) of 2004 graduates earned a score of 24 or higher on the ACT Science Test, while just four in 10 earned a score of 22 or higher on the ACT Math Test. Students who reach these score levels have a high probability (75%) of earning a "C" or higher—and a 50/50 chance of earning a "B" or higher—in credit-bearing college biology and algebra courses, respectively. These figures are unchanged from 2003.

In comparison, ACT test-takers in the class of 2004 are more likely to be ready to tackle college coursework in the area of writing. The large majority of students (68%) earned a score of 18 or higher on the ACT English Test, which indicates they have a high probability of earning a "C" or higher in a credit-bearing college composition class. At the same time, nearly a third of ACT test-takers do not reach this benchmark, suggesting there remains room for improvement even in this area.

"Science and math are clearly the biggest areas of concern, but we need to see improvement in college preparation across the board," said Ferguson.

ACT research has suggested that students who don't meet the college-ready benchmark scores on the ACT exams are less likely to stay in school and earn their degree than those who meet the benchmarks. This contributes to lower-than-desirable college retention and graduation rates. Data compiled by ACT show that a fourth of freshmen at four-year colleges don't return for their second year of school, while half don't graduate from college within five years of entry.

Many of the fastest growing occupations in the 21st century, as projected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, require employees to have strong science and math skills. These jobs include medical assistant, health information technician, network systems analyst and computer software engineer.

Results From EXPLORE, PLAN Also Show Lack of Readiness

Results from ACT's assessments for younger secondary students suggest that, without intervention, this lack of preparation is not likely to change in the near future. Scores on ACT's PLAN assessment for 10th graders suggest that just 36 percent of test-takers will be ready for college algebra and only 24 percent will be ready for college biology if they continue at the same level of academic work. Results from ACT's EXPLORE assessment for 8th graders point to potentially lower levels of preparation. EXPLORE and PLAN, along with the ACT Assessment, are part of ACT's Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS), which is designed to help students assess their academic skills and plan for the future.

"The good news is that it's not too late for younger students to make changes that will increase their college readiness," said Ferguson. "They must be made aware as early as possible that the key to college success is taking challenging courses in high school and studying hard."

ACT's EPAS system is used by schools and states across the country to increase such awareness. The program provides academic assessments and interest inventories to help guide students in educational and career planning.

Too Few Students Take Challenging Coursework in High School

One major reason why many students lack college-level skills in math and science is that too few are taking challenging coursework in high school. Fewer than two-thirds (62%) of ACT-tested graduates in the class of 2004 took the recommended core coursework for college-bound students—at least four years of English and three years each of mathematics (algebra and higher), natural sciences and social sciences. This percentage has changed very little over the past decade, rising just 5 percent since 1994 and showing virtually no growth over the past eight years.

ACT score results indicate that students who take the recommended core curriculum in high school are better prepared for college coursework than those who don't, regardless of gender, race or ethnicity. Graduates in the class of 2004 who took the core curriculum earned an average ACT composite score of 21.9, a full two-and-a-half points higher than those who did not (19.4).

ACT results show the clear payoff of taking advanced math and science coursework in high school. Students who took trigonometry in addition to Algebra I & II and geometry outscored those who took just the three core courses by 2.6 points on the ACT Math Test. Those who took an additional advanced math course beyond trigonometry earned an even higher average score on the math test.

Similarly, students who took biology, chemistry and physics outscored those who took general science, biology and chemistry by a full 3 points on the ACT Science Test. Even more impressively, students who took biology, chemistry, and physics outscored those who took less than three years of science by more than 4 points.

The percentage of college-bound students who took extensive math and science coursework remained relatively low in 2004. Only 39 percent of all ACT-tested graduates reported taking four or more years of math in high school, while just 42 percent reported taking three or more years of science including physics.

Scores Higher for Racial/Ethnic Minorities

The national average composite score rose slightly for nearly all racial/ethnic groups in 2004. African American students posted the highest gain, an increase of two-tenths of a point this year compared to last. Scores for African American, American Indian, and Asian American students all increased for the second year in a row.

The average score for Hispanic students remained stable. The number of Hispanic test-takers grew by 4 percent this year, more than any other racial/ethnic group. This growth may account for the lack of score increase compared to other ethnic groups, as this year's pool of Hispanic test-takers is likely more academically diverse than in years past.

Asian American students again earned the highest average ACT composite score at 21.9, followed closely by Caucasian students with an average score of 21.8. American Indian/Alaskan native students received an average composite score of 18.8, followed by Hispanic students at 18.5 and African American students at 17.1.

"A key point is that students in every racial and ethnic group who took the core college preparatory curriculum again earned significantly higher average composite scores—10 to 15 percent higher—than those who did not," said Ferguson.

Males and Females Continue to Earn Comparable Scores

This year's results showed the smallest difference ever between the average composite scores of male and female test-takers; only one-tenth of a point separated the two in 2004. Males earned an average composite score of 21.0, unchanged from last year, while females earned an average score of 20.9, up by one-tenth of a point.

Males continue to earn higher average scores than females on ACT's mathematics and science tests, while females continue to earn higher average scores than males on the English and reading tests.

About the ACT Assessment

The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement test made up of four separate exams in English, reading, mathematics and science. The ACT is the only national college entrance exam that includes a science test. An optional writing test will be added to the exam in February 2005. A one-of-a-kind National Curriculum Survey, conducted by ACT every three to four years, is used to ensure that the ACT reflects what high schools are teaching and what colleges expect students to know when they enter college.

The average national scores for each ACT test in 2004 were: English, 20.4; Math, 20.7; Reading, 21.3; and Science, 20.9. Each rose by one-tenth of a point compared to last year.

2004 National and State Scores

 

 

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