Are students prepared for success in college?
Click to see ACT English: 2004 High School Graduates
Click to see ACT Mathematics: 2004 High School Graduates
Arkansas needs an educated populace to build and maintain economic vitality. The college-readiness of students attending postsecondary institutions is an important factor in the achievement of this goal. In Arkansas, the ACT exam provides one measure of this readiness, because a student is mandated to complete remedial course work at the secondary level if their ACT English or ACT Math score is less than 19.
Methodology
A data set containing the 18,286 students who attempted the ACT exam in 2002, 2003, or 2004 and graduated in 2004 was developed. Each student's best ACT English and Math scores was identified and retained. For example, if a student completed the ACT exam three times, once each in 2002, 2003, and 2004, obtaining scores of 23, 24, and 22, respectively, the analysis selected the score of 24 for this student.
Performance is represented by color, with green representing less than 25% of students remedial, yellow indicating between 25% and 50% of students remedial, and red indicating more than 50% of students will require remedial course work in college.
Of the 18,286 students, 35.51% (n = 6,493) and 46.96% (n = 8,588), in English and math, respectively, will be required to complete remedial courses at the postsecondary level.
When interpreting these GAPS plots, it must be recognized that no consideration is given in regard to the number of attempts, or the percentage of students attempting the ACT exam in a school district, however additional GAPS plots do provide information on this issue.
Examples
- A district in green. This indicates less than 25% of their students will be required to complete a remedial course in college.
- A district in red. This indicates greater than 50% of their students will be required to complete a remedial course in college.
Interpretation of ACT Performance for Literacy Map
A review of the distribution of colors in this GAPS plot reveals that most districts have between 25% and 50% of students requiring remediation for literacy. Of concern are any schools with a shade of red, which indicates at least a 50% remediation rate for students completing the ACT from these districts. Given the importance of literacy and its relationship with success at the postsecondary level, improving the literacy performance of students in Arkansas is essential.
Interpretation of ACT Performance for Mathematics Map
A review of the distribution of colors in this GAPS plot reveals a severe issue with mathematics achievement in Arkansas given that most districts have remediation rates that exceed 50% for mathematics. Students in the Southeastern region of the state are far more likely to score below 19 on the ACT math exam than students in other regions. Given the 8,588 students required to complete remedial math course work, at a minimal rate of $150 per credit hour, this translates to $3,864,600 for tuition at the postsecondary level. Remedial course work credits are not counted towards the credits required for a postsecondary degree.
Click to see ACT English: 2004 High School Graduates
Click to see ACT Mathematics: 2004 High School Graduates
|
