The EDifierAugust 19, 2010 More high school students continue to take the ACT college entrance exam, according to the newly released ACT High School Profile Report: The graduating class of 2010. There was a particularly large increase in number of minority students in the Class of 2010 taking the ACT. However, these increases likely led to the slight decline in scores over the past five years. Yet, there has been a significant increase in the number of students completing a college preparatory curriculum over the past several years, which has led to more students graduating high school “college ready.”
The findings
College Readiness
- The percent of students who scored at or above the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks in math (43 percent) and science (29 percent) increased one percentage point from 2009 to 2010. Fewer students than last year were college ready in English (66 percent) and Reading (52 percent).
- ACT believes those who achieved these benchmarks are ready to succeed in first-year, credit-bearing college courses in the specific subjects ACT tests.
- The percent of test-takers scoring at the College Readiness Benchmarks in all four subjects increased from by one percentage point from 2009 (23 percent) to 2010 (24 percent) and was three percentage points higher than in 2006 (21 percent).
Core Course Rigor
- Seventy-one percent of ACT test takers completed the recommended “core” college-preparatory curriculum, which is a 73 percent increase from 2006.
- Nearly twice (29 percent to 13 percent) as many “core” students met the benchmarks in all four subjects as “non-core” students in 2010.
- In math, only 12 percent of students who took Algebra I and II and geometry met the math college readiness benchmark, compared to 72 percent of students who took courses through calculus.
Scores
- The nation’s graduating Class of 2010 had an average composite score of 21.0 on the ACT, which was slightly lower than 2009 (21.1) and 2006 (21.1).
- Scores declined by one-tenth of point on the English (20.5) and reading (21.3) tests between 2006 and 2010, while scores on the science (20.9) test remained the same. Math (21.0) scores in 2010 were two-tenths higher than in 2006 but the same as 2009.
- Scores by ethnic/racial groups were mixed.
- The average Hispanic student score was 18.6 in 2010, which was one-tenth of a point below the 2009 score but the same score as 2006.
- The average Black student score was 16.9 in 2010, which was unchanged from 2009 but two-tenths of a point lower than in 2006.
- The average White student score was 22.3 in 2010 which was one-tenth of a point higher than the 2009 score and three-tenths higher than in 2006.
Test Takers
- The number of ACT test-takers jumped 6 percent from 2009 to 2010 to 1.57 million students. The ACT has seen a 30 percent increase of test takers just since 2006.
- More minority students are taking the ACT. The number of African-American test-takers increased 54 percent since 2006, while the increase was even larger for Hispanic students during the same time period at 84 percent.
- Both groups also make up a large share of all test takers as well. Black participation increased from 12 percent to 14 percent of all test-takers between 2006 and 2010, while Hispanic participation increased from 7 percent to 10 percent of all test-takers.
So, overall high schools are doing a better job of preparing students to succeed in college even as a larger and more diverse student population expects to go to college. – Jim Hull
For more information on how to use ACT scores to evaluate your school, check out the Center’s Good Measures for Good Schools.
August 9, 2010 My wife and I are expecting twins this winter. Along with worrying about keeping our babies healthy, we’ll also be worrying about sending them to college in about 18 years. However, there have been those arguing that college isn’t worth the price of admission and that most new jobs created in the coming years won’t require a college degree. Others, most notably President Obama, argue that a college education is key to being competitive in the 21st Century. Such conflicting arguments are enough to make any parent’s head spin.
Thankfully this article on MSNBC provides a great overview of the arguments on the real benefits of going to college. It’s a must-read for all parents, whether their children are in diapers or preparing their college applications.
One notable statistic is that students will gain more spending power after graduating if they earn their degrees from public colleges rather than a similar private college, due to the cost of paying for the higher tuition at the private college. (This statistic is based on the student taking out loans to pay for tuition, not parents paying for tuition.)
The article brings up a good point. What is the real value of going to college? Is it only about the economic benefits or is there more value? I’ve written before about the additional benefits of college, such as living longer, but other potential benefits, such as an appreciation of the arts, is really based on an individual’s preference — something that can’t be easily quantified in a study.
As a parent, you want to make sure your child has the best chance to be happy and successful in life. College has opened up many doors for my wife and me, as well as millions of others who have earned a college degree. But will that be the best path for our children? I don’t know, but I want to keep that path open for them. In the article, it states that more than half of students who enter college never earn a degree. These students then have the debt of college, but not nearly the full economic benefit of earning a college degree.
This got me thinking. Should my wife and I expect our children to go right on to college after high school? Or should we expect them to choose the right time to go, if they do at all? With more than 50 percent of entering college students failing to earn a degree, are too many students going to college before they are ready? Would college completion rates go up if students got some real-world experience under their belts before heading off to college? Or do the low completion rates have more to do with how students were prepared in high school?
As a researcher, I don’t know the answer to these questions. I do know if students are well prepared in high school they will have a much greater chance of success in college than students who are not as well prepared. So, as a (future) parent, I want to make sure our children receive the preparation they need to be successful in college. As a researcher, I will provide information to the public on what that preparation should look like and which students are least likely to get that preparation so our high schools can do their part to improve college completion rates. – Jim Hull
July 28, 2010 There are those who have been making the argument that the push to get more students graduate college is overdone and maybe even harmful. Although I don’t agree with these arguments, they do make some legitimate points. For example, they state that more than half of those who go onto college will earn a four-year degree within six years and that of students who graduated at the bottom of their high school classes, 80 percent will likely never get a bachelor’s or associates degree. Considering the high cost of college nowadays, those students who go onto to college but don’t earn a degree are saddled with high debt and lower job prospects.
But instead of making the argument to send our education system back a half a century, where certain students had to choose their lifelong career at the age of 15, why not argue for a greater investment in our nation’s high schools? I’m not saying that students shouldn’t have access to vocational curriculum that teaches subjects like heating, air conditioning, or auto repair, but use those courses to teach traditional college-preparation subjects like trigonometry, chemistry, and physics. These subjects not only prepare students for college but are also essential for preparing students for the 21st Century workplace, even when they enter that workplace directly after high school. By providing a rigorous high school education that prepares students for both college and the workplace, students will have the choice of which direction they feel is best for them and not have that decision made for them.
Yes, going to college is no guarantee of a better life even after earning a four-year degree. But preparing all students to do so opens more doors for more students, whether they choose to go onto college or not. – Jim Hull
June 10, 2010 Much is made about the fact that adults with college degrees, on average, earn more over their lifetime than those who only earned a high school diploma. But earning a college degree can do more than increase your bank account. According to a new study, a college degree can also add years to your life.
The study found the mortality gap between males with and without a college degree rose 21 percentage points between 1971 and 2000. So in 2000, a 25 year-old male with a college degree would expect to live 7 years longer than a similar person with less education. Keep in mind that this statistic compares people who are similar in almost every way (even some lifestyle choices) except for having a college degree. So other factors, like socioeconomic status or smoking rates, can’t be blamed for the gap.
The study couldn’t identify exactly why there is a mortality gap, or why it is growing, but it is just another example of the benefits of a college degree. This is something to keep in mind for the millions of students who are graduating college this month. Many of them will struggle to find jobs in one of the most difficult job markets in history. They just need to be reminded that the benefits of a college degree go beyond opening the door to financial success. Apparently, a college degree also opens up the door to a longer and healthier life. – Jim Hull
May 27, 2010 There has been a lot of debate lately about whether all students should go to college (See here, for example). The president wants the U.S. to be the leader in college degrees, while others believe some students are just not college material and should learn a trade in high school instead.
Both sides of the debate provide good arguments. Students are more likely to be successful if they go on to earn a college degree. However, there are many students who go on to very successful careers who never set foot in a college classroom. The answer for K-12 educators is much simpler: prepare all students for college and workplace and let the student decide.
As the Center found in Defining a 21st Century Education, preparing students for college and preparing students for the workplace are quite similar. So it is really a false choice between preparing students to go onto college or preparing them for a vocational career. Since students need similar knowledge and skills to be successful in college or in the trades, all students should be given a rigorous, well-rounded high school education so they can make their own choice on what they want to do after high school. They shouldn’t have that decision made fore them before they’re even allowed to drive a car. – Jim Hull
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