Wednesday, August 22, 2012

ACT Scores Steady but Show Signs of Small Progress - ABC News

ACT Scores Steady but Show Signs of Small Progress - ABC News: ...Still, overall readiness scores remain much lower in science and math compared to English and reading. Nationally, just 46 percent of students of the record 1.66 million who took the exam met the national benchmark in math, as did 31 percent in science, compared to 67 percent in English and 52 percent in reading.

Also alarming are continued and widening gaps between racial groups. The average composite score for white students was 22.4, up from 22.1 in 2008. Average scores for Asians have risen even faster, from 22.9 to 23.6. But the average composite score for black students remains substantially lower and has risen just 0.1 points, from 16.9 to 17.0.

Composite scores for Hispanic students were 18.9, up from 18.7 both a year ago and in 2008.

While 42 percent of Asians and 32 percent of whites met college-readiness benchmarks in all four subject areas, just 13 percent of Hispanics and 5 percent of black students did so.