Report: Class of 2022 ACT scores lowest in decades

Patrick Camp, The Cullman Times, Ala.
·3 min read

Oct. 18—ACT test scores of the graduating class of 2022 were made public in a report published last week which shows results being the lowest in more than three decades — a result that many officials believe showcase the extent of learning loss brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Traditionally used during college admissions assessments to gauge a students academic preparedness, the ACT tests students in four key subject areas — math, science, reading and English — with a total of 36 points possible. For the first time since 1991, the graduating class of 2022 received an average composite score of lower than 20, at 19.8. What's more, is that 42 percent of graduates tested failed to reach benchmarks set by the ACT in any subject area, which proponents of the test claim serve as an indicator of college readiness. ACT officials believe that reaching a benchmark gives a student at least a 50 percent chance of receiving a B or higher in a college level course within that subject area.

Alabama maintained its position near the bottom of list of averages obtained by individual states with an average composite score of 18, only Oklahoma, Mississippi and Nevada scored lower with scores of 17.9, 17.8, and 17.3 respectively.

Secondary Curriculum Coordinator with Cullman City Schools Lindsay Brannon said that these scores were not indicative of graduates tested from the Cullman High School.

"At a time when ACT test scores dropped to the lowest in 30 years due to the pandemic, Cullman High School made huge gains in both ACT scores and College Readiness benchmarks. Cullman High School scored well above the state average in every tested area as well as in the composite score," Brannon said.

CHS graduates received an average composite score of 20, and 17 percent of graduates reached benchmarks in all four subject areas.

Graduates who were tested during their junior year from the Cullman County School district received an average composite score of 16.9, a decline in the district's pre-pandemic scores according to CCBOE Media Specialist Ty Watwood.

Unlike many states where ACT testing is optional, Alabama is one of six states that require 100 percent of graduates to take the exam, and as of 2015 began requiring all juniors to also take the exam. Nationally, only 36 percent of graduates elected to take the exam.

States in which testing is optional such as Connecticut — who received the highest average score of 26.3 but only tested 9 percent of its graduates — can distort national ranking by having test-takers being disproportionately academically advanced.

Watwood noted that a large number of students within the CCBOE district choose to participate in a trade program offered at the Cullman Area Technology Academy and have plans to enter the workforce following their high school graduation — and may have no plans of attending a university. Under Alabama's stipulations however, they are still required to take the ACT.

Standardized tests such as the ACT have received criticism in recent years with opponents saying that they are unfair to low-income students, and that students with access to costly prep courses and advanced classes disproportionately perform better. More than 1,700 colleges have made these kinds of entrance exams optional with roughly 80 eliminating them altogether. These colleges have cited findings that the exams are more apt to be an indicator of race and wealth that they are of college readiness. Wallace State Community College uses a three-tiered placement system that first looks at ACT scores before using a student's GPA and their own placement exam to access a student's preparedness.

Brannon said that it was the training that the instructors received that was crucial to the success of CCS students, saying that the faculty recently voted to expand its A+ College Readiness partnership to receive comprehensive teacher training and support.

"There is one common thread to our academic success at CHS. We have dedicated teachers that set high standards and students who work relentlessly to meet those standards," Brannon said.