Average ACT Score Unchanged Despite Growing Numbers of Test Takers

A report released yesterday by ACT, Inc, indicates that the average national score on the college entrance test has held steady, even though the number of students taken the test has increased.

The national average score on the ACT is 21.1 on a 36 point scale. The test contains four components: math, science, English, and reading. The test also has an optional writing portion that is scored separately.  (The main competitor to the ACT is the SAT.  See our article for more on the differences  between the two tests.)

An article in today’s Chronicle of Higher Education (registration required) explains that the number of students taking the ACT has increased by 25% since 2005.

Much of this increase can be attributed to the fact that five states now require their high school students to take the exam. Those states are Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, and Wyoming.

So it’s interesting to  note that while more and more students are taking the ACT exam–especially in the five states above–not all of these students are flocking to college.  While the average ACT has gone up in Colorado, for example, the percentage of high school graduates going to college (and graduating!) has not gone up all that much.

Further, it’s interesting that with more people taking the test, the average has not fluctuated much.

You can also read about the ACT report in Jacques Steinberg’s article in the New York Times.


Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant


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Carnival of College Admissions, 2nd Edition

Welcome to the second edition of the Carnival of College Admission.  The Carnival is a biweekly round-up of interesting blog posts related to the transition from high school to college.


I’ve had many folks contact me asking what a blog carnival is, and why they should consider submitting posts to each edition.  My friend, Peter Baron over at AdmissionsQuest, called me up last week to ask me to describe what we’re doing.  He recorded our video conversation, and I’d like to kick off our Second Edition by sharing it with you.


College Admission Carnival / A conversation with the Carnival’s founder, Mark Montgomery from Peter Baron on Vimeo.



So, now, on with the October 8, 2008 edition of Carnival of College Admission.  Enjoy the ride!


Admission

Andrew Burns, the Director of Admission at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, presents insight on how to get the most of attending a college fair.  He provides great advice to the high school senior about how to get good information, and at the same time make a good impression on admissions officers.  


Adam Epstein, an admissions counselor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), presents a post entitled, “So What’s In A High School Visit?” in which he explains why admissions folks visit high schools, and what students can expect from an encounter with people like him. Check out Adam’s blog at Adamissions.


Brad J. Ward, an admissions officer at Butler University and a technology guru in the higher education field, shares a hilarious post from his blog Squared Peg about the importance of responding to emails from admissions officers.  Why?  Because they like it!


Todd Johnson presents Legacy admissions. The best way to gain admissions to selective colleges? posted at College Admissions Counseling Blog.  Todd is another prolific blogger, and he provides all sorts of useful information to families of college-bound students.


Yours truly, Mark Montgomery, is happy to direct you toward his post that gives an insider’s view on admission to schools of art and design.  I was able to make a video of a portfolio review of a young woman hoping to be admitted to the Art Institute of Boston.  If you want to check out my blog, well, you’re already here.



Boarding School
Peter Baron at AdmissionsQuest, a resource for boarding school admission in the US, shares a post from a new guest blogger on his site: a parent. Her first post a welcome to her boarding school admission journal.  Thanks again to Peter for putting together the short video introducing the Carnival!

Sean Costello at VideoJug posted his organization’s video channel related to school admission in the UK. 



Test Prep

Mark Truman presents Someone Finally Stops Inviting the SAT and ACT to the College Party posted at Omniac Attack!.  In this amusing post, Mark highlights the report from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) that encourages colleges and universities to reconsider their use of the SAT and ACT tests as important criteria in the admissions decision.  Perhaps more and more colleges will be going test optional here soon.


Todd Johnson shares another post in which he explains how many colleges “superscore” the ACT and SAT tests.  Students who worry excessively about the fact that a college  may see both low and high scores on the same test can rest assured that colleges have every incentive to give you the benefit of the doubt. Find Todd’s blog at College Admissions Partners.



College Life

Shae presents, “Hey Roommate–Stop Stealing My Food!”  Shae has a lot of fun stuff to share about how important food can be in college life.  And I remember those days when I had to label the food in the communal fridge to keep the crew team from swiping my comestibles.  Check out Shae’s blog at The Collegiate Gourmet.


Ali Hale, who blogs as Alpha Student, presents a post entitled “Feeling Shy?” in which she provides tips for getting to know people on campus. As Ali says, “If you’re feeling shy and a bit nervous of approaching new people at college – don’t worry, you’re not alone.”


Linda P. Taylor has submitted Part 2 of her series on the limits of political speech on campuses.  She examines the new regulation at the University of Illinois that bans faculty from wearing political buttons or participating in political rallies on campus.  Linda blogs at AskLindaPTaylor.com, and of course, you can also find Part 1 of her series there!


Barbara Nixon is an educator and technology fan.  She offers 10 Tips for Success on Assignments. Check out Barbara’s blog, Making Connections.


My friend Andrew Burns is really getting into the spirit of the Carnival.  He submitted another interesting post describing Fort Lewis College’s community book program, which this year featured Greg Mortenson and his book Three Cups of Tea.  More an more colleges are adopting these community book programs, especially for first year students, to help ease the transition to college.  Check out the rest of Andy’s blog posts.


Many of us in the college admissions field recognize that more students with autism and Aspberger’s are applying to college–and getting accepted.  Michelle McFarland-McDaniels presents resources and information on Preparing Students with Autism for a Successful College Experience.  Michelle blogs at Autism Assistance.



Financial Aid

Julie Stewart over at Virtual College Fairs, presents a post that explains how to determine your EFC, or Expected Family Contribution.  This all-important number is an indicator of a family’s financial need.  Check out Julie’s blog, too.


Everyone has seen their portfolios shrink in recent weeks.  Students and their families are among the most nervous about the credit crunch.  John presents Student Loan Crunch Getting Tighter posted at Free College.


Wenchypoo, in a post entitled “The College Conundrum,” explores the “return on investment” that we make in pursuing a college degree. As she points out, financially some degrees just don’t make economic sense. Wenchypoo also submitted a similar post on the same subject, entitled, “The NEW Lessons in Higher Education.” You might want to take a look at her other blog posts: Wenchypoo is a prolific blogger!


The Editors of Financial-Aid-Resource-Center.com present Grants for College, which explains that federal grant programs are designed to assist students with the greatest financial need.  Read this post for a summary of available grants.



Scholarships

Jeremy Zongker presents Free College Education Exists. This post highlights the few colleges that actually offer a complete college education at no cost. Have a look at the entire blog at Destroy Debt.


Michelle McFarland-McDaniels presents another post this week, providing resources on information on sscholarships for college students who have autism.  If autism is a particular interest, make sure to check out Michelle’s blog at Autism Assistance Resources and Information Blog.



Other Cool Stuff

Malia Russell presents Christina is Graduating This Month (May 2008) posted at Homemaking 911.  Malia gives the story of her daughter, who has achieved a lot…through both dedication and heart.


Karin Chenoweth presents We Need Better Teaching posted at Britannica Blog.


Raymond presents Where Is The Safest Place To Save Or Invest Your Money? posted at Money Blue Book Finance Blog.



This wraps up the second edition of the Carnival of College Admission. Please participate on our next edition, which will open on October 22nd right here at Great College Advice. Submit your blog article to the next edition using our handy submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.


See you in two weeks!


Mark Montgomery

Great College Advice



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Kaplan Test Prep: An Evaluation

I just finished reading Jeremy Miller’s article in the September issue of Harper’s. It’s entitled, “Tyranny of the Test:  One Year as a Kaplan coach in the public schools.”


The focus of the article is Kaplan‘s corporate foray into the tutoring business, which has mushroomed since the implementation of No Child Left Behind, which requires school districts to provide tutoring to students who continue to fail to meet expectations.  Many private tutoring companies have sprung up to take advantage of this federally mandated program, and the dollars that go with it.  The government has increased the amount of money going to the tutoring industry to $2.55 billion.


Miller was a tutor with the program, and describes his experiences in New York’s urban schools.  The gist is that the program is not helping students much–especially if you consider the return on investment our government is making.


To me, the problem is that that the tools of NCLB are blunt instruments.  Tutors like Jeremy Miller swoop into high schools with the idea of “rescuing” the failing kids by preparing them for exams, such as the Regent’s exam in New York.  The fact is, such interventions are mostly futile.


The article is a blistering indictment of NCLB.  The act is well-intentioned, to be sure, but the tutoring provision has served only to line the pockets of tutoring companies–and not to significantly raise the achievement of poorer students.


The article also serves as a reminder that the biggest players in the Test Prep industry–who help kids to score well on the ACT and SAT exams–are large companies with a formulaic approach to teaching and learning.  Kaplan and Princeton Review have a good track record in the Test Prep business, but their approach is standardized and impersonal.


In recommending test prep services for my clients, I usually try to hook my students up with talented individuals who can tailor their tutoring to the needs of that student.  While the testing strategies are the same across the board, each student’s strengths and weaknesses are different.


Individual tutors often cost more, but one should think of the cost as an investment in one’s future.  Students usually take these exams only once or twice, and if it’s worthwhile to get some help, its probably worthwhile to get the best help you can get.


Classes like those offered by Kaplan and Princeton Review are not horrendous. But like the tutoring offered in our schools that is described in Jeremy Miller’s article, cannot be fine-tuned to the needs of individual students.  If you think it’s ridiculous that we, as a nation, are wasting our money on NCLB tutoring, it’s may be worth considering whether your investment in these test prep juggernauts is worth the price.


Mark Montgomery

College Admissions Counselor




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