← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · robinder

Many incoming freshmen aren't prepared for college

Thread ID: 19711 | Posts: 3 | Started: 2005-08-18

Wayback Archive

robinder [OP]

2005-08-18 11:12 | User Profile

Hundreds of thousands of this year's college-bound high school graduates aren't prepared enough academically to succeed in college, a new report warns.

That was one finding released this week as part of an annual report by non-profit testing company ACT Inc.

The report also says the average national composite scores of the ACT college entrance exam remained unchanged from last year, at 20.9 out of 36 possible points, despite a record number of test-takers.

That's promising, says ACT CEO Richard Ferguson, because composite scores tend to drop as more students take the test.

Nearly 1.2 million students who graduated from high school this year took the test. It is administered in 50 states and accepted by most universities. Last year, more than 1.4 million took the SAT.

Ferguson credited recent state and national initiatives for increasing the number of test-takers and encouraging them to consider college. Of particular note: a surge in the number of Hispanic and black test-takers - by 40% and 23%, respectively, since 2001. The number of white test-takers increased by 2% in that time.

Even so, the report says scores in various subject areas suggest that many students are likely to struggle or need some remediation in college:

• About half of test-takers lack at least some reading-comprehension skills, suggesting they would struggle in courses such as history, sociology or literature.

• Just over half (51%) had scores high enough to suggest they could succeed in college-level social science courses.

• 41% had scores indicating a high probability of succeeding in college algebra.

• 26% scored high enough on the science test to indicate they are likely to succeed in college biology.

• On a more promising note, scores of 68% of test-takers indicate they are well prepared for freshman English composition courses.

Though the ACT administered an essay portion this year, those scores will be released next year.

[url="http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20050817/ts_usatoday/manyincomingfreshmenarentpreparedforcollege"]http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20050817/ts_usatoday/manyincomingfreshmenarentpreparedforcollege[/url]

robinder

2005-08-18 11:19 | User Profile

There isn't much here that many aren't aware of, or at least suspected.

[QUOTE]

• About half of test-takers lack at least some reading-comprehension skills, suggesting they would struggle in courses such as history, sociology or literature. [/QUOTE]
Struggling in a sociology class is a scary thought. Short of hospitality, which lacks sociology's "academic prestige", I'm at a loss to think of a less rigorous discipline.

[QUOTE] • Just over half (51%) had scores high enough to suggest they could succeed in college-level social science courses. • 41% had scores indicating a high probability of succeeding in college algebra.

  • 26% scored high enough on the science test to indicate they are likely to succeed in college biology.

[/QUOTE] Just as scary.

 [QUOTE]

• On a more promising note, scores of 68% of test-takers indicate they are well prepared for freshman English composition courses. [/QUOTE]
68% is promising?

Faust

2005-08-19 01:45 | User Profile

robinder,

This makes no sense at all! If 50% lack reading skills; how can 68% be well prepared for freshman English composition courses?