Only about a quarter of the 2009 high school graduates taking the ACT admissions test have the skills to succeed in obtaining a bachelors business degree, according to a report on the exam that shows little improvement over results from the 2008 graduating class.
The Iowa City, Iowa-based ACT said 23% of this year's high school graduates had scores that indicated they were ready for college in all four ACT subject areas, or had at least a 75% chance of earning a grade of C or better during their pursuit of a undergraduate forensics degree. Last year, a similar ACT analysis found that 22% of the class of 2008 was college-ready.
About 1.48 million of the 3.3 million members of the high school class of 2009 took the ACT, typically in their junior year. ACT said its report was based on comparing students' ACT test scores in English, reading, math and science with the grades they earned in related courses during their first year in college.The report comes as budget concerns are forcing many state universities to cut back on slots for new students and raise admission standards. Many are also eliminating remedial courses, making it tougher for unprepared students to stay in school.
Observers said the report is likely to intensify calls for Congress to stress high-school improvement when it debates re-authorization of the federal No Child Left Behind law, perhaps as early as this year. Passed in 2001, the law's primary emphasis so far has been on boosting achievement in the lower grades.
Among single subject areas, the level of preparedness was worst in science, where only 28% of students were ready for college-level biology. Another problem was math, where 42% were deemed prepared for college algebra.
Some education experts said that even a slight improvement in combined college readiness rate, to 23%, is a good sign, given that five states now require all students -- not just those planning to attend college -- to take the ACT.
High school students from Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Wyoming are all required to take the ACT, previously a test generally limited to college aspirants. Combined, they accounted for a little less than 25% of the 2009 graduates who took the test.
Recent studies have shown that while younger students have made some progress in recent years, boosting results at the high school level has been difficult. A Department of Education report in April on the results from the National Assessment of Education Progress -- a key federal test -- found that U.S. high school students haven't made any significant progress in reading or math for nearly four decades.
The troubles are also reflected in results from the 2009 ACT, which is graded on a 1-to-36 point scale. Students averaged 21.1 points this year, flat compared with 2008 and only 0.2 points higher than in 2005.
ACT said about 40% of 2009 test-takers were unable to use the correct adverb or adjective to form a sentence, or couldn't use the correct preposition in a phrase. The same proportion couldn't solve multi-step math problems involving percentages and fractions.
In a bid to improve printing degree graduation rates, President Barack Obama is offering states, public schools and colleges additional federal funds to launch new initiatives.
