Report shows average ACT score lowest in 30 years, including Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA (KFOR) – According to a report launched Wednesday, the nationwide average ACT composite take a look at score for the category of 2022 was the lowest the nation has seen in three a long time. 

“That’s huge,” stated Zack Robinson, the CEO and founding father of Test Geek, an ACT and SAT prep service. “It’s not surprising though.” 

The report confirmed the average score was 19.8. According to the Associated Press, this marks the primary time since 1991 the nation’s average was under 20. 

“This is the lowest score that we’ve seen in over 30 years,” stated Rose Babington, the ACT Senior Director for State Partnerships. “That really speaks to challenges in terms of where we want students to be and where they’re not currently.”

Robinson added that traditionally, the average has been between a 20.6 and a 20.8.

“So, it’s meaningful for sure that that’s dropped,” stated Robinson. 

Colleges use the take a look at to gauge college students’ math, studying, science and English skills. Here in Oklahoma, final 12 months’s graduates averaged a 17.9 score, the third lowest in the nation in line with the report. 

It’s necessary to notice that not each state primarily makes use of the ACT, so the variety of college students examined from every state can vary from 100% to simply two %. In Oklahoma, 94 % of graduates had been estimated to be examined. 

However, the report is extra proof that the pandemic has a huge effect on studying throughout the nation. 

“We’re aware of the trend and I think it just further illustrates the need for continued support that we’ve known all along that recovery is going to take some time,” stated Bryan Koerner, the Deputy Superintendent of Assessments, Accountability, Data Systems and Research on the State Department of Education. 

“One thing that we’ve heard consistently from parents is that their kids didn’t learn much during COVID. Some blame it on remote learning, some blame it on distractions from COVID,” added Robinson. 

As Babington identified, the silver lining to the report is {that a} important variety of Oklahoma graduates had been examined. 

“Every single student has this chance to get a college reportable score and send their scores for free to colleges and use those insights of that data with their families and their teachers and their counselors to talk about the gaps,” stated Babington. “That opportunity is one of the things that I think is really promising even in light of the score decline. Oklahoma is so well equipped with this great data, not just this year, but over the course of the last several years.”