Kentucky’s high school graduating class of 2016 shows no substantial gains in ACT test scores.
According to the Prichard Committee of Academic Excellence the number of students meeting ACT Readiness Benchmarks have remained steady in English and Reading but show a decline in Mathematics. Associate Executive Director Cory Curl says Kentucky schools should begin focusing on math in earlier grades.
“The best way for students to have higher scores on the ACT is to have exposure to rich rigorous and aligned coursework throughout their educational journey. Test prep for example has not been shown to be an effective strategy for making big gains for students,” says Curl.
According to the Kentucky Department of Education, ACT results from the graduating class of 2016 shows 57% of students meeting Kentucky’s college-and career-ready benchmark in English and 50% in Reading. The results, however, show that graduates have lost ground in mathematics, falling from 44.5% meeting benchmark in 2015 to 41% in 2016.
Kentucky has set its own ‘college ready’ benchmarks which are lower than the national standards set by ACT, which Curl says puts students at a disadvantage. Benchmarks set by the state require students to score an 18 on English, 19 on Mathematics, and a 20 on Reading compared to ACT benchmarks 18, 22, 22 respectively. She says students in the commonwealth rank lower in math compared to other states.