ACT scores on rise, but some still unprepared

ACT scores in Nebraska are rising and continue to be above the national average, yet only 27 percent of high school graduates are prepared for freshman college classes, according to a recent study. College readiness, as calculated by the ACT, is based on whether students meet the benchmark scores for English, math, reading and science, which are the minimum scores needed on an ACT subject test to indicate a 50 percent chance of obtaining a 'B' or higher in the corresponding college class.

Using these standards, the ACT found that "less than 30 percent of our students are fully prepared for freshman courses," said Barbara McCuen, research coordinator for the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education.

More UNO students meet the readiness benchmarks than the average for the state. This year's average ACT score at UNO - 23, on the ACT range from 0 to 36 - is the highest in the last 10 years, said Linda Mannering, director of institutional research.

Nebraska as a whole also improved and scored an average of 22.1, compared with the national average of 21.1. McCuen believes Nebraska's culture is the reason for the good performance.

'We have a very fine work ethic in the Midwest," McCuen explained. "I think school has a lot to do with the ethic of working, and so in the Midwest, you find that children work at their schoolwork similar to the parents working at their job."

Another reason for higher than average scores is that Nebraskans are predominately white, and whites statistically do better on the exam than minorities. The need for greater equality in the educational system is demonstrated by the study's findings that Caucasians averaged 22.5 while African Americans averaged only 17.5 on the ACT.

Colleges look to more than just test scores to determine the quality of incoming students. Class rank, extracurricular activities and special merits are also considered because test scores do not always reflect the best that a student has to offer. Motivation, study skills, persistence, commitment and any number of interpersonal and human factors are important to student success.

McCuen attributed the deficiencies of Nebraska graduates to a "misalignment of what students are required to learn in high school and what they're required to be able to do in college."

Because of the vast amount of material to choose from, it is important to ensure that students are learning the information that is required to be successful in college and afterwards in a career.

Ways to improve student preparedness include "introducing math and being more diligent at math earlier" and "a lot of attention on the core subjects," McCuen said.

Taking hard classes in high school can acquaint students with the discipline and persistence required to succeed at the postsecondary level.

"Our emphasis has been to encourage students to take challenging courses while in high school and ACT data indicates all students benefit from this approach," said Marshall Hill, executive director of the commission in a statement.

Students who have taken the core set of classes consistently score 2 or 3 points higher on each section of the test.

High schools encourage all students to take the ACT. Student performance on the test is often used as a guide to finding weaknesses and teaching a different curriculum to improve those deficient skills, said Cathy Andrus, guidance director of Central High School.

Taking remedial classes and taking prerequisites at two-year institutions are among the costly consequences of graduating students of lower academic caliber, McCuen said.