There鈥檚 nothing worse than approaching a challenging situation grossly unprepared鈥攅xcept, perhaps, believing that you鈥檙e well-equipped for the task only to find that you鈥檝e overestimated your preparedness. It鈥檚 a scenario that鈥檚 becoming increasingly common for college-bound seniors.
At last count, 62 percent of 2022 high school graduates in either a two- or four-year college immediately after graduation. But students鈥� college readiness has reached historic lows, according to several metrics鈥攊ncluding the lowest scores in 30 years on the ACT and declining scores on the , the two primary standardized tests used for college admissions. And yet, more than 4 in 5 high school seniors report feeling 鈥渧ery鈥� or 鈥渕ostly鈥� academically prepared for college, according to a 2023 ACT nationwide .
They鈥檙e not, say experts.
鈥淔ewer students leaving high school are meeting all four college readiness [on ACT tests]. Just 21 percent of high school seniors are meeting all of these benchmarks; 43 percent of students meet none of them,鈥� said Janet Godwin, CEO of the ACT, referring to English composition, social sciences, algebra, and biology. 鈥淥ur research suggests that students meeting so few of these benchmarks are not going to perform as well in their ccredit-bearing freshman classes.鈥�
While experts agree that the pandemic exacerbated declining academic performance across all demographics and stages of K-12 learning, signs of falling college readiness began earlier. In 2023, the average ACT score was 19.5 out of a possible 36, and the 6th straight year of decline. Test takers also are coming to both tests from more diverse backgrounds, in part due to programs like the SAT School Day program, which allows students to take the SAT during the school day, often free of charge. But experts say scores are dropping across demographics.
The trend of high school students鈥� declining college readiness, in tandem with their widespread perceived preparedness, may lead to a perfect storm of sorts for countless incoming college freshmen鈥攑ossibly resulting in immediate bewilderment, followed by frustration or even dropping out of college altogether. Below, find some other signs of declining college readiness, as well as academic patterns at the secondary school level that may at least partly explain the decline and students鈥� obliviousness to their predicament.
At the college level, reports of more remedial work and fewer academic skills
Students鈥� academic ill-preparedness can become evident as soon as they reach college campuses.
In 2019-20, 65.4 percent of first-year undergraduate students took a remedial course in math; 42.1 percent did so in reading or writing, according to the most recent data on the subject available from the . That鈥檚 a big jump from just four years prior. In 2015-2016, 14 percent of first-year college students took a in math; 8.8 percent did so in reading and writing.
The decline in academic skills hasn鈥檛 gone unnoticed by college professors. Adam Kotsko, who鈥檚 been teaching humanities and social sciences at various small liberal arts colleges for well over a decade, noted significant changes in students鈥� grasp of basic skills within the past five years. Previously, he would typically assign around 30 pages of reading per class鈥攚hat he once considered a baseline expectation.
鈥淣ow students are intimidated by anything over 10 pages and seem to walk away from readings of as little as 20 pages with no real understanding,鈥� opined Kotsko, now an assistant professor at North Central College in Illinois, in an essay for . 鈥淐onsiderable class time is taken up simply establishing what happened in a story or the basic steps of an argument鈥攕kills I used to be able to take for granted.鈥�
Reports of rising grades and loosening academic rigor in high school
Ironically, research has shown a concurrent, steady increase in high school grades鈥攇rade inflation鈥攄uring the pandemic, as educators and students tried to push on with instruction through school shutdowns, remote schooling, illness, and grief.
鈥淲e think people were trying to be more kind, perhaps,鈥� said ACT鈥檚 Godwin. 鈥淲e saw a spike in grade inflation.鈥�
A sweeping study by the that tracked high school students鈥� grades between 2010 and 2022 found that students鈥� subject GPA increased year over year from 2010 to 2022 in core subjects. For instance, during this 12-year time frame, students鈥� average adjusted English GPA increased from 3.17 to 3.39; for math, adjusted subject GPA increased from 3.02 to 3.32. By 2022, the overwhelming majority of high school students鈥攎ore than 89 percent鈥攔eceived either an A or a B in math, English, social studies, and science, according to the ACT study.
As high school grades improve, some districts and states have sought to revise their grading systems in ways that critics see as leading to grade inflation. (For their part, school system have argued that the changes are intended to make grading more equitable and boost students鈥� motivation.)
In 2016, Montgomery County, Md., public school officials removed high-stakes midterms and finals in their high schools. To calculate semester grades, teachers had to combine quarter letter grades and, at times, round up, according to a local . The change meant that a student could earn an A in one quarter and a B in the other while still receiving a semester A, critics said. As of press time, several attempts to reach district officials went unanswered.
Other school systems have moved to 鈥�50 percent rule鈥� grading systems, which prohibit teachers from giving zeroes for missing work.
Most states in recent years have stopped requiring high school students to pass certain exams in order to graduate, and some of the nine remaining holdouts may be moving in this direction soon. In Florida, for instance, a bill to eliminate a requirement that students pass an Algebra I end-of-course and 10th grade English/language arts exams in order to graduate recently cleared the Senate鈥檚 education committee.
Lack of standardized tests for college may further cloud student profiles
During the pandemic, due largely to restrictions on in-person testing, the number of colleges and universities with test-optional admissions policies swelled to a majority. Many have yet to reinstate the tests as a requirement. Experts suggest that currently, only about 20 percent of higher education institutions are requiring them. Lacking standardized test results may make it challenging for admissions officials to accurately gauge students鈥� college readiness, say experts.
鈥淭he last thing we want to see happen to our students getting into college is perhaps getting placed in the wrong courses freshman year, perhaps not having their academic advisers have all the information they need to properly advise them and to make sure they have the proper supports in place,鈥� said Godwin. 鈥淲e want students to be successful. That means having a good understanding of where they are for college.鈥�
