Oct. 11 (UPI) — High school students’ ACT college admission scores continued to tumble in 2023, falling to their lowest point in more than 30 years and marking a lack of college preparedness, the nonprofit organization that administers the exam said Tuesday.
Average scores in every academic subject on the exam declined for six consecutive years, ACT CEO Janet Godwin said. Students are leaving high school without meeting college readiness benchmarks, but GPAs continue to rise and student say they feel prepared for college academic success.
Students in the class of 2023, called the “COVID cohort,” were in their first year of high school when the pandemic reached the United States. The number of COVID cohort seniors not meeting any ACT college readiness benchmarks reached historic highs in 2023, the organization said.
“The hard truth is that we are not doing enough to ensure that graduates are truly ready for postsecondary success in college and career. These systemic problems require sustained action and support at the policy level,” Godwin said. “This is not up to teachers and principals alone — it is a shared national priority and imperative.”
The average ACT composite test score fell to 19.5 out of 36 for the class of 2023, a decline from 19.8 points in 2022. A composite score is the average of the four test sections (math, science, reading and English). The average scores in math, reading and science were below the ACT college readiness benchmarks for those subjects.
College systems in some states, including California, have dropped standardized tests as part of the admissions process. The tests have long been criticized as discriminatory.
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