Trend of Increases in ACT College-Entrance Scores Continues

August 13, 1997

• Comprehensive Improvements in Minority Scores
• Mathematics Scores Increase
• Males Raise Composite Score, Females Up in Science & Math
• Plateau in Percentage of Graduates Prepared for College

Iowa City, Iowa—The national average composite score on the ACT, the entrance examination taken by nearly 60 percent of America's entering college freshmen, increased this year for the second consecutive time and the fourth time in five years. For a record eight consecutive years, the national ACT average has either increased or remained constant.

The ACT score range is 1 to 36, and the national average, 21.0, was derived from the individual composite scores of the nearly one million 1997 U.S. high school graduates who took the ACT Assessment.

According to an announcement today from ACT President Richard L. Ferguson, this is only the second time since ACT scores were first reported in 1960 that the national average score has increased four times in a five-year period. The earlier period was from 1984 through 1988.

"Each year we caution that an increase from one year to the next doesn't signal a trend," Ferguson said, "and this year will be no different. But an increase in four out of five years definitely is a positive trend."

We're certainly seeing a different pattern in ACT scores than we did 20 or 30 years ago. In the '60s and '70s, the scores were all over the charts. It was typical for the national average to increase one year and decrease the next, or to fall for two or three years in a row before increasing the next year.

"But since the mid-1980s, scores have been much more stable. The national average has decreased only twice since 1984, the last time in 1989."

Ferguson attributed the more stable and slightly increasing scores of recent years to greater numbers of high school students, especially minorities and females, taking higher-level courses in English, math, social studies and science, the academic areas measured by the four tests in the ACT Assessment.

"This period of stable or increasing scores coincides almost exactly with a nationwide effort, beginning in about 1983, to improve the education we offer our young people, with a special emphasis on the need for more rigorous college-preparatory coursework," Ferguson said. "The year-to-year change may be slight, but viewed as a long-term trend it's good news for U.S. education."

Comprehensive Improvements in Minority Group Scores

"The relationship between higher average ACT scores and better preparation for college is illustrated in the recent performance of Native American students," Ferguson said. "Although, as a group, they still take fewer college-preparatory courses than majority-group students, Native Americans have reported an increase from 43 to 51 since 1992 in the percentage completing core coursework."

"And that has translated into an increase in their average composite score in each of the last five years. No other ACT-tested subgroup, whether male or female, minority or majority, has made comparable gains over this period."

College-bound Native Americans have also raised their average English and mathematics scores in all of the last five years, their reading score in four of the five and their science reasoning score in three.

ACT Performance of Native American Students, 1992-97

ACT Test 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 English 17.3 17.5 17.6 17.7 17.9 18.0 Mathematics 17.8 17.9 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.5 Reading 18.4 18.8 18.8 19.1 19.2 19.4 Science Reasoning 18.6 18.9 19.1 19.1 19.4 19.4 Composite 18.1 18.4 18.5 18.6 18.8 19.0 # Tested 9,784 10,384 11,026 11,361 11,580 11,509

"We're also pleased to report that Native Americans aren't alone among minority groups in demonstrating higher achievement this year," Ferguson said. "All the other minorities also increased their average composite score, and most either held their ground or, more often, increased their scores on the subject-area tests."

"The only subject-test decreases were in the reading scores for Asian Americans, historically the minority group with the highest levels of achievement, and for Hispanics."

College-bound Asian Americans raised the remaining three of their subject-area scores in 1997, and Hispanic students raised two and stayed where they were in one. Both African Americans and Mexican Americans raised two subject scores and remained even on two.

Changes in ACT Test Scores by Racial/Ethnic Group, 1996 to 1997

Racial/Ethnic Group English Math Reading Science Reasoning Composite African American None + 0.1 None + 0.1 + 0.1 Asian American + 0.1 + 0.4 - 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1 Caucasian + 0.1 + 0.4 None None + 0.1 Mexican American + 0.1 + 0.3 None None + 0.1 Native American + 0.1 + 0.3 + 0.2 None + 0.2 Other Hispanic + 0.1 + 0.3 - 0.1 None + 0.1

Of those 1997 ACT-tested graduates reporting their racial/ethnic status, 23.5 percent identified themselves as members of a minority group. This is an increase of 0.5 percent over 1996 and an all-time high.

Math Scores Increase

Although all ACT subject-test scores were higher this year for various of the subgroups, whether males or females or the racial/ethnic populations, the mathematics score was the only subject score that was higher for the entire set of 1997 ACT-tested high school graduates.

"The increase in the mathematics score this year, 0.4 point, is relatively large," Ferguson said, "but we have at different times seen increases of similar magnitude in other subject-test scores, such as English or Reading."

"Many factors influence test score averages, including changes in the tested population, alterations in students' course-taking patterns, improvements in instruction and the use of new technology, such as calculators."

"We can't determine with certainty the exact proportion of this year's increase in the math score that's attributable to any one of these factors, but the presence of calculators likely has made some difference. Students who are used to using calculators can perform computations more easily with them than without them."

Ferguson said that ACT began allowing certain types of calculators, after long study of their potential effects, because of their universal presence in high school classrooms and because of their endorsement by professional groups such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

"The ACT mathematics test is not designed to measure one's skill with a calculator," Ferguson added, "nor are calculators required for successful performance. No ACT math question depends for its answer on a calculator. A calculator is simply a tool."

"One thing calculators can do is help students work more quickly, thus allowing them to answer more questions than they might otherwise, or to have more time to go back and check their answers for accuracy."

"It also appears that calculators allow well-prepared students to eliminate errors of carelessness and better apply their knowledge. But calculators don't make up the difference in performance for students with inadequate preparation."

ACT data show that both scores and score increases are greater for those students who've taken upper-level math courses than for those students who've had only algebra and geometry.

ACT Mathematics Scores by Level of Preparation, 1996-97

Males Females Mathematics Course Sequence 1997 1996 1997 1996 Alg 1 & 2, Geom, Trig, Calc 26.0 25.4 24.6 24.1 Alg 1 & 2, Geom, Trig 21.3 21.0 20.3 20.0 Alg 1 & 2, Geom 18.2 18.1 17.5 17.4

"It's clear that the largest gains in math are associated with the higher-achieving students, those who also have taken more comprehensive coursework," Ferguson said. "This relationship between a student's level of preparation and his or her ACT performance has been demonstrated over the years, not only on the mathematics test but on the other subject tests as well."

Males Raise Composite Score, Females Up in Science & Math

"The recent increases in the national average score have been due largely to the improved performance of female students, who raised their composite score four times between 1990 and 1996, while the average achieved by males remained steady during that time," Ferguson said.

"But this year males lifted their composite score from 21.0 to 21.1, while females held at 20.8. Still, the small difference between the composite scores of male and female students over the last four years is as narrow as it has ever been."

ACT Assessment National Composite Average by Gender
1990-1997

"The primary reason for the narrow gap in the 1990s has been females' increased participation in college-prep courses," Ferguson said.

"The percentages of males and females who report taking the core curriculum have been equal for the last two years. Earlier, significantly higher proportions of males took core courses, especially in math and science."

Male students increased their composite average in 1997 by achieving higher scores in English, math and reading, and by equalling their 1996 performance in science reasoning.

Females increased their science reasoning and math scores. They also held steady in English but dropped 0.1 point in reading, where they still outperform males.

Plateau in Percentage of Graduates Prepared for College

"One sign that annual increases in national test score averages may not continue much longer, unless we can encourage more college-bound students to take higher-level courses in high school, is the recent levelling off in the percentage of students reporting college-preparatory courses," Ferguson said. "After several years of significant increases in the percentage of students taking core courses, we've seen only very slight improvement in the last two years."

ACT research has shown consistently that higher-level preparation in the core courses is directly related to higher achievement on the ACT Assessment and, thus, to success in college. Large differences between the scores of those with core preparation and those with less are evident among all racial/ethnic groups and at all socioeconomic levels (See the ACT High School Graduating Class of 1997 National Report).

"Ten years ago, when we began reporting on students' preparation levels," Ferguson said, "the number of fully prepared college-bound students was disturbingly low. The last decade has seen a substantial increase in preparation --just over 23 percent -- but that increase now appears to be slowing."

"As a nation," Ferguson said, "We continue to send too many students off to college with inadequate preparation, one of the leading causes of their dropping out. The percentage of freshmen who fail to return for their sophomore year continues to grow, and the percentage of students who graduate within five years continues to shrink, and here is one reason why.

"We still have a long way to go in strengthening students' preparation for life after high school. We need to start earlier -- at least as early as the eighth grade -- in providing students with both career and college planning information so they can make better decisions regarding their high school courses."

 

 

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