NC ACT scores do not measure up.

 

 

Last week the College Board released ACT scores. The ACT is designed to measure how well high school graduates are prepared for college and careers.

A review of the 2015 data suggests the Tar Heel state has a lot of work to do.

While state-t0-state comparisons are always tricky, For sake of comparison, it should be noted that North Carolina is one of 13 states where all students are required to take the ACT.

When compared to the 12 other states that require the exam, North Carolina was tied with Mississippi for the lowest composite score (19.0).  North Carolina’s average composite score in 2014 was 18.9. The average composite score of states that tested 100 percent of students in 2015 was 19.9.

t. The percentage of North Carolina students meeting benchmark scores by subject area also lagged behind other states that require the ACT. The percentage of North Carolinians who met benchmark scores and national scores in each subject area include: English; 47 percent (National: 64 percent);  Reading: 34 percent (National: 46 percent); Math: 32 percent (National: 42 percent) and Science: 26 percent (National: 38 percent).

North Carolina benchmark scores  fall within the bottom quarter of results for all four subjects areas.

This is not good news. Especially when you consider North Carolina has been teaching Common Core standards since 2011 with the express purpose of improving what students learn and making students more college and career ready. The test scores show that’s not happening.