High School Teachers Dish on Why ACT Scores Aren't Improving
Student achievement on the ACT, the popular college admissions test, hasn't improved in years.
The national average ACT composite score for graduating high school students in 2015 was 21 out of a possible 36, according to the organizer's annual report on college and career readiness, released last week. This average has remained roughly the same for the past 10 years.
That's basically a D-minus, says Chris Roden, who teaches English and ACT prep at Lebanon High School in Missouri. "But that makes scholarships based on ACT a little easier for the kids that do above average."
About 40 percent of this year's graduating test-takers showed strong readiness for college in most subject areas, while 31 percent did not meet readiness levels in any areas, according to the test's organizers. These percentages have remained roughly the same for the past several years. The ACT tests students in English, math, reading and science.
Jon Whitmore, ACT CEO and director, said these results should be a "wake-up call" for the nation and that the education system needs to do better, The Associated Press reported.
U.S. News reached out to high school teachers on Twitter and over the phone for an on-the-ground look at why scores aren't improving. Their theories and thoughts are described below.
1. Some students who have no interest in going to college are taking the ACT. Some states, including Missouri, require that all high school students get the chance to take the ACT for free. That means often students who don't plan on going to college take the test. Roden thinks these students' performances on the test are affecting overall scores.
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"They just aren't interested in scoring well on a test that has no bearing on their future," says Roden, who has been teaching for nearly 30 years.
But he thinks there is value in students taking the ACT. It lets students know where they stand in comparison to others and it can be a motivator, he says.
2. Students aren't always learning what's on the test. Lindsay Fluker told U.S. News on Twitter that the content on the ACT doesn't always align with curriculum standards in each state and that's why scores aren't improving nationwide.
Missouri started testing students statewide with the ACT this past academic year. Roden says the curriculum is still being changed to align more with ACT objectives, whereas the curriculum used to align more with another standardized test the state used. As that happens over time, he expects scores will go up.
"A lot of teachers hesitate to teach to a test, but if the test is a good test, you'd be stupid not to teach to a test," he says.
Find out [how ACT student interest in STEM has remained steady for 2014 graduates.]
3. Some students are just average. Lisa Britten, who teaches English and ACT prep at Lee High School in Wyoming, Michigan, thinks the national average ACT composite score of 21 is "fairly decent." She says that students can get into a lot of colleges with that score, even though they probably won't get any scholarships.
"I find it hard to look at that and say that that's a failure," she says.
Last year, Michigan tested students using the ACT. Britten thinks that when all students are tested, including special education students, the result will be average because not just the best and brightest are being tested.
She doesn't think it is realistic to expect all students to perform at an honors level, since every student has different abilities. But that's not to say that students can't improve, she says.
"Every student has to reach their own potential, but not everybody has the same potential," she says.
Have something of interest to share? Send your news to us at highschoolnotes@usnews.com .
Alexandra Pannoni is an education staff writer at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter or email her at apannoni@usnews.com.
