Minnesota students first in ACT scores, but not all is rosy
Minnesota high school graduates achieved the highest average ACT score in 2007, according to state profile data released this month. An estimated 70 percent of Minnesota high school graduates took the test and earned an average composite score of 22.5. This is the third year that Minnesota has led the nation in average ACT scores.
While the composite score is a good indicator of Minnesota’s performance against other states, the report also highlights the college readiness of graduates in four key subject areas. Only 31 percent of Minnesota graduates met all four college readiness benchmarks. The ACT benchmark scores indicate that a student achieving this score or higher has a high probability of success in a first-year college course in this subject area (ACT, 2005).
Minnesota graduates performed the best in English with 78 percent of test takers achieving the benchmark score. Minnesota graduates did less well in other areas: Reading (62 percent), Mathematics (56 percent), Science (38 percent). Minnesota has improved its scores in all areas over the most recent five years. Minnesota also has a higher percentage of graduates meeting each benchmark than other upper Midwest states.
Achievement gap persists
Minnesota graduates of color are not performing as well as their white peers, however. For African American students, only one-third meet the college readiness benchmark in English; 16 percent meet it in Math and 7 percent meet it in Science.
Ernest Davenport, an associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota, runs an 11-week ACT/SAT prep course for at-risk students in partnership with Alpha Phi Alpha, a national black fraternity. “Many of the students in our program really have a desire to attend college,” he said, “but the students’ desire doesn’t match with their preparation. One reason that students of color and girls score lower on college admission tests is due to the courses they take — and don’t take — in high school.”
Mathematics course-taking is a good example. The standard sequence for math is Algebra 1 and 2 and Geometry or Integrated Math 1, 2 and 3 — the bare minimum that one should take to go to college, said Davenport. Few of the juniors or seniors in his program were taking math analysis, trigonometry, linear algebra, calculus or honors/advanced placement math. He notes that his ACT/SAT prep course has improved participants’ test performance and given them valuable exposure to role models and mentors. “But students still need to take the right courses,” he said. “If you opt to skip trigonometry, you will miss at least four ACT questions.”
The Minnesota Private College Council supports and has been involved with this program, according to Phillip Miner, director of community initiative. “It has helped many youth improve their scores, but it does make the point that there is no substitute for subject matter knowledge,” he said.
Despite Minnesota’s nation-leading and increasing scores, more needs to be done to ensure that ALL Minnesota graduates are prepared for college and workforce success. "Clearly, Minnesota is on the right track on the college-readiness front," said Susan Heegaard, director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. "However, we must not lose sight of the fact that the competition is global. A deeper analysis of Minnesota's ACT test-takers reveals that just 56 percent of all college-bound students are ready for college-level mathematics and 38 percent are ready for college-level science."