The National Office for Research, Measurement and Evaluation Systems

Geographic Academic Policy Series - GAPS

Does district size impact college preparation?

Click to see ACT English by Number of Attempts within
the District: 2004 High School Graduates

Click to see ACT Mathematics by Number of Attempts
within the District:(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. The ACT exam provides one measure of this readiness, because in Arkansas 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. The number of students completing the ACT exam within the district is indicated by shades of colors. If a district has less than 25 students complete the ACT exam, they were classified as a light shade (144 districts). If a district had 25 or more students completing the ACT exam they were classified as a dark shade (141 districts).

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.

Examples

A district in dark green. This indicates 25 or more students completed the ACT exam and less than 25% of those students will be required to complete a remedial course in college.
A district in light red. This indicates fewer than 25 students completed the ACT exam and greater than 50% 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. This translates to additional costs in the postsecondary level for both the student and Arkansas, with 39% of those costs funded by the legislature and the remaining costs attached to the student.

Interpretation of ACT Performance for Mathematics Map

A review of the distribution of colors in this GAPS plot reveals that most districts have remediation rates that exceed 50% for mathematics, with district size not appearing to be a prevalent trend. For example, the comparison of dark red to light red districts reveals a similar number of districts in each group. Given the relationship of engineering and science to economic development, this GAPS plot identifies a definitive area of concern in Arkansas, with mathematics preparation well below the level needed for postsecondary success.

Click to see ACT English by Number of Attempts within
the District: 2004 High School Graduates

Click to see ACT Mathematics by Number of Attempts
within the District:(2004) High School Graduates