ACT Results Show Lack of College Preparedness

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REBECCA ZENG
Staff Writer

This year’s ACT results indicated that some of the students who took the ACT lacked competent scores that would prove that they are capable of handling the course load of college.

Similar to the SAT, the ACT helps students get into college and earn scholarships. In addition, the ACT tests students’ English, math, science and reading skills.

“[M]y reason [for] taking the ACT in the future is because it definitely stands out when applying to colleges. It gives the colleges more to look at about your academic level, and it is also highly recommended by colleges and universities,” junior Carol Chen said.

Aside from giving colleges an idea of who to accept, the ACT also helps in measuring the level of readiness of high school students for college-level courses.

According to Central Oregonian, students who achieve a passing average of the four different parts of the ACT have a 50 percent chance to earn a B or higher and a 75 percent chance to earn a C or higher in college-level courses.

While scantron machines do not discriminate against students and are generally correct, they only measure how many answers a student has gotten right or wrong, not what students have learned permanently.

“It’s not a good way to measure overall intelligence of a school because many people do not take it very seriously. Some just quickly complete it to just get it over with,” senior Marilynn Bach said.

According to The Education Week, The Brookings Institution found that 50 to 80 percent of the improvement during year-to-year tests were “caused by fluctuations that had nothing to do with long-term changes in learning.”

While some students may not be prepared for college-level work right now, they can better prepare themselves through classes and reviewing new material. In addition, to further prepare for college-level work, students can study often, read and do extra credit.While the ACT is only one test, there will be more tests in college. The ACT helps with college readiness as it prepares and shows high school students how much is expected of them in college courses.