Michelle Joyce/Monsoon/Photolibrary/Corbis
Less Silly Bandz, more bookz.
According to a report in today’s Wall Street Journal, fewer than 25% of ACT test-takers scored at a high enough level on the college-entrance exam to pass a basic-level university class class. It’s a troubling data point that’s part of a larger trend: America’s grade schools are doing better while high-school education lags further behind.
In 2010, 47% of graduating seniors sat for the ACT. Of these, only 24% met the minimum scores in all four of the test’s categories — math, reading, English and science. “This is very appalling. It suggests that the core courses they are taking are not sufficient to prepare them for what they will face in college or the work force,” Cynthia Schmeiser, the CEO of the ACT’s Education to division, told the Journal.
Worse still: In most states, the ACT is taken only by college-bound students, a group that, generally at least, should perform higher than their non-college bound peers. (via Gawker)