Still a Losing Game

by Charlie Tyson, Inside Higher Ed, August 20, 2014 (excerpt)

More students than ever are taking the ACT, says the ACT’s annual score report, released today....

On the benchmarks, Asian-American test-takers did best, with 57 percent meeting three or more. Forty-nine percent of white test-takers met three or more standards – compared to 23 percent of Latino test-takers and 11 percent of African-American test-takers. African Americans scored lowest on the test. Just 10 percent of African-American students who were tested met the science benchmark.

The average composite score for African Americans was 17.0, an increase of just 0.1 points from 2010. Latinos earned an average composite score of 18.8. White students notched an average of 22.3 points, and Asians recorded an average of 23.5.

The ACT also shared data on how well students in different states performed on the test. Massachusetts had the highest composite score, with its students notching an average of 24.3 points. Hawaii ranked lowest, with an average composite score of 18.2.

LINK: ACT Report (See Hawaii Results on Page 14)