ACT test scores for US students drop to new 30-year low

MicroWave@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 276 points – ACT test scores for US students drop to new 30-year low
apnews.com

High school students’ scores on the ACT college admissions test have dropped to their lowest in more than three decades, showing a lack of student preparedness for college-level coursework, according to the nonprofit organization that administers the test.

Scores have been falling for six consecutive years, but the trend accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Students in the class of 2023 whose scores were reported Wednesday were in their first year of high school when the virus reached the U.S.

“The hard truth is that we are not doing enough to ensure that graduates are truly ready for postsecondary success in college and career,” said Janet Godwin, chief executive officer for the nonprofit ACT.

The average ACT composite score for U.S. students was 19.5 out of 36. Last year, the average score was 19.8.

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I'm guessing it's a combination of:

  1. Pandemic;
  2. An increase in bullying and violence, along with deteriorating mental health;
  3. The internet slowly destroying our attention spans;
  4. Republican attacks on education and the resulting teacher exodus, along with increasing teacher burnout because of these factors.
  1. Expanding wealth inequality and lack of social services.
  1. Questioning if there's even a point to any of it if humanity is doomed within their lifetime.

  1. K-12 knowledge is easier than ever to learn or reference yourself thanks to the internet and AI.

  2. College isn't for most people, regardless of what we've been told to get us to spend egregious amounts of money on it.

I think traditional schooling will become less and less relevant as technology improves and disciplines become more specialized. Fewer people will be able to stick with academia long enough to reach that specialization, and more people will be able to supplement academia with technology.

Survivor bias usually comes out in full force though when anyone mentions how academia is overrated.