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> More graduating students taking the ACT are also doing so through statewide and districtwide testing programs. For the class of 2022, 60% of students who took

by drooby 4y ago

> More graduating students taking the ACT are also doing so through statewide and districtwide testing programs. For the class of 2022, 60% of students who took the ACT did so at least once through those programs, compared with 27% in 2015. > Fifteen out of the 23 states participating in the program require students to take the ACT in their classrooms during regular school hours, regardless of whether they plan to apply to college. > The aim is to increase access to the college admissions exam to students who may not otherwise have the opportunity. Makes sense to me… require more students to take an exam they otherwise wouldn’t have and you will get an average lower score. Students that choose to take the exam are more likely to be prepared for taking it, and thus will study more and achieve higher scores. Regardless. Agreed that this is potentially a good thing for helping highlight which schools need more assistance.

scarmig 4y ago
There's an interesting opposite effect at the university level: undergraduate institutions have been dropping SAT requirements, and then their average score goes up, as students who did or would do relatively badly on it don't submit it.
- spangry 4y ago
  Makes sense. If no student discloses their SAT then the university would have to assume that any given student achieved the average SAT score. If you're a student who got an above average SAT it's therefore in your interests to disclose your score. Although these incentives should theoretically cause everyone to voluntarily disclose their SAT scores.
Spivak 4y ago
I get that as a profession journalism exists to report happenings largely uncritically but I wish we could get the teeniest amount analysis because just a little thought would have made this a non-story or a very different headline, "students, don't assume your ACT scores being shown as above average means they'll be above average in the pool of applicants at university" with an explanation in the article that this has always technically been true but that the gap between the average as reported by the ACT and the average as seen by schools will be wider this year and here's why.
- tqi 4y ago
  > journalism exists to report happenings largely uncritically Journalism exists to sell newspapers, and "just a little thought would have made this a non-story" is the reason the headline is the way it is.
- ryanhuff 4y ago
  Do you think most applicants actually consider the overall average, instead of the schools own published stats?
lazide 4y ago
Unfortunately this drive to testing has had very concrete negative effects on teaching real skills - even the best schools now ‘teach to the test’, and have been skipping learning of practical applications or fundamentals pretty heavily. At least from what I’ve been seeing in person.
- Izkata 4y ago
  Some of us were aware of this as students two decades ago. One of my friends had a weird way of looking at it: ignoring the assigned work and jumping ahead, he felt like he was cheating by having an easier time on tests.
- charlieyu1 4y ago
  Standardised testing is the only metric that doesn’t benefit the rich much more than the poor
  - cafard 4y ago
    Because SAT prep classes are free? Because the city public health clinic will give you a diagnosis of ADHD for accommodations when you take the tests?
    - charlieyu1 4y ago
      You can definitely do well in SAT with just books. Definitely better than other metrics where the rich families can hire guys from outside to do it or arrange it for the rich kids.
  - theGnuMe 4y ago
    That's not true at all.
    - spoonjim 4y ago
      What are others?
sieabahlpark 4y ago
lumost 4y ago
> Regardless. Agreed that this is potentially a good thing for helping highlight which schools need more assistance. Is it? There are likely many opportunities best pursued through vocational training rather than preparation for college. Given finite learning time, keeping students out of vocational training to improve test scores on a college preparation test is probably not the ideal outcome. We should stop stigmatizing vocational training, and skilled trade work. The ACT doesn't test for student outcomes. Improving test scores may be counter-productive.

by drooby 4y ago

scarmig 4y ago

There's an interesting opposite effect at the university level: undergraduate institutions have been dropping SAT requirements, and then their average score goes up, as students who did or would do relatively badly on it don't submit it.

spangry 4y ago
Makes sense. If no student discloses their SAT then the university would have to assume that any given student achieved the average SAT score. If you're a student who got an above average SAT it's therefore in your interests to disclose your score. Although these incentives should theoretically cause everyone to voluntarily disclose their SAT scores.

Spivak 4y ago

I get that as a profession journalism exists to report happenings largely uncritically but I wish we could get the teeniest amount analysis because just a little thought would have made this a non-story or a very different headline, "students, don't assume your ACT scores being shown as above average means they'll be above average in the pool of applicants at university" with an explanation in the article that this has always technically been true but that the gap between the average as reported by the ACT and the average as seen by schools will be wider this year and here's why.

tqi 4y ago
> journalism exists to report happenings largely uncritically Journalism exists to sell newspapers, and "just a little thought would have made this a non-story" is the reason the headline is the way it is.
ryanhuff 4y ago
Do you think most applicants actually consider the overall average, instead of the schools own published stats?

lazide 4y ago

Unfortunately this drive to testing has had very concrete negative effects on teaching real skills - even the best schools now ‘teach to the test’, and have been skipping learning of practical applications or fundamentals pretty heavily. At least from what I’ve been seeing in person.

Izkata 4y ago
Some of us were aware of this as students two decades ago. One of my friends had a weird way of looking at it: ignoring the assigned work and jumping ahead, he felt like he was cheating by having an easier time on tests.
charlieyu1 4y ago
Standardised testing is the only metric that doesn’t benefit the rich much more than the poor
- cafard 4y ago
  Because SAT prep classes are free? Because the city public health clinic will give you a diagnosis of ADHD for accommodations when you take the tests?
  - charlieyu1 4y ago
    You can definitely do well in SAT with just books. Definitely better than other metrics where the rich families can hire guys from outside to do it or arrange it for the rich kids.
- theGnuMe 4y ago
  That's not true at all.
  - spoonjim 4y ago
    What are others?

sieabahlpark 4y ago

lumost 4y ago

> Regardless. Agreed that this is potentially a good thing for helping highlight which schools need more assistance. Is it? There are likely many opportunities best pursued through vocational training rather than preparation for college. Given finite learning time, keeping students out of vocational training to improve test scores on a college preparation test is probably not the ideal outcome. We should stop stigmatizing vocational training, and skilled trade work. The ACT doesn't test for student outcomes. Improving test scores may be counter-productive.