High school students’ scores on the ACT college admissions test have dropped to their lowest in more than three decades, showing a lack of student preparedness for college-level coursework, according to the nonprofit organization that administers the test.

High school students’ scores on the ACT college admissions test have dropped to their lowest in more than three decades, showing a lack of student preparedness for college-level coursework, according to the nonprofit organization that administers the test.

Scores have been falling for six consecutive years, but the trend accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students in the class of 2023 whose scores were reported Wednesday were in their first year of high school when the virus reached the U.S.

“The hard truth is that we are not doing enough to ensure that graduates are truly ready for postsecondary success in college and career,” said Janet Godwin, chief executive officer for the nonprofit ACT.

The average ACT composite score for U.S. students was 19.5 out of 36. Last year, the average score was 19.8.

  • BombOmOm@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6014·
    1 year ago

    Closing schools for extensive periods of time will do that. We have an entire generation of stunted students.

    • saltesc@lemmy.world
      321·
      1 year ago

      Socially stunted too.

      I do a lot of workforce analytics and am seeing a big uptick in the COVID cohort job bouncing very fast in a matter of months.

      There’s some kids out there that lost some years figuring themselves out and therefore figuring out what they want to do after school.

      The best way I can dumb it down is imagine being 15, then blackout, then the cliche, “Welcome to the real world.”. Most of us didn’t know what we wanted to be doing or felt underprepared on HS graduation, these kids copped that incredibly hard.

      I’m adjusting our model so that they get a chance instead of some older generation shredding them for being unprepared. It’s brutal and they need a hand adapting to how cunty society be.

    • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
      7107·
      1 year ago

      But we may have saved grandma I guess. It’s not like theirs a limited amount of years where learning is most effective.

      • WR5@lemmy.world
        863·
        1 year ago

        I agree. How many years was it closed for you during elementary school grammar lessons?

        • Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          18·
          1 year ago

          I think the point they were trying to make was that the lockdowns were excessive and did more harm than good. Yes, old people and those with pre-existing conditions got to live a bit longer. This was at the cost of fucking up an entire generation of kids. We’re only just starting to see the repercussions of this.

          I’m not taking a side, just clarifying what I believe they were trying to put into words.