夜迹晨拾

Email • Print

Reported by USAToday on that All four-year U.S. colleges now accept ACT test.

More about ACT and SAT:

History:

For decades, the 81-year-old SAT, owned by New York-based College Board, was the test of choice for colleges on the East and West Coasts. The ACT, which made its debut in 1959 and is based in Iowa City, was adopted primarily by schools in between.

Scores:

When college admissions officials compare ACT and SAT scores, they typically convert them to a single measurement using a concordance table that the two testing companies agree on. Top scores have until recently been 36 for the ACT, 1600 for the SAT.

Compatibility:

With changes to the SAT’s scoring scale and test, admissions officials have asked companies to revisit the issue.

The ACT hasn’t changed. But in addition to English, math, reading and science sections, it offers an optional writing essay. The SAT now has three, instead of two, required sections, each worth 800 points: math, critical reading and writing, and grammar. A new concordance table, still under development, will allow comparisons between the ACT composite score and the SAT’s new 2400-point scale.

For now, researchers generally agree that the SAT’s critical reading and math scores, worth 1600 points, are comparable to the ACT’s composite score.

Findings:

The average ACT score for high school students graduating in the class of 2006 was 21.1 out of 36 possible points, up from 20.9 last year.

More students met benchmarks set for college readiness, the report said, but the majority of ACT-tested graduates still are likely to struggle in certain first-year courses. Only 42% of test-takers are likely to earn a C or higher in college algebra, and only 27% are prepared enough to succeed in college biology.

One reason students may not meet benchmarks is that many states don’t set demanding graduation requirements, the report said.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills they need to succeed at the next level,” Ferguson said.

Other findings:

• Among 36% of students who took the optional writing portion of the test, females outscored males, earning an average score of 7.9 (on a scale of 2 to 12) compared with 7.4 for males. The average score was 7.7. Black students scored lowest, averaging 6.8; Asian-American students scored highest, averaging 8.0.
• Overall scores increased in Colorado and Illinois where all public school graduates are required to take the ACT. Also, students across all family income levels posted gains compared with last year. Similar increases were not posted nationally.
• Average scores increased in three of the four subject areas: English, math and reading. The average science scores stayed the same as last year.

标签: 国际教育, 教育, 留学, 留学美国, 留学趋势, 美国教育

Related Entries

• ETS cancels plans to revise GRE General Test (0)
• 美国高校以新形态进入中国高等教育市场 (1)
• 留学：如何选择适合的学校 (1)
• Flaws in American Education (0)
• Maura Harty: “America Welcomes You (0)