Eleven percent of Hispanic graduates in the class of 2011 who took the ACT exam met or surpassed all four of the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks suggesting they are ready to succeed academically in specific first-year college courses (English composition, college algebra, introductory social science and biology) without the need for remediation. This is unchanged from last year and up from 10 percent the previous three years.
The improvement in college readiness among Hispanic students is most evident in the key area of mathematics. This year, 30 percent (compared to 27 percent in 2010 and 26 in 2007) of the students in this group met or exceeded the ACT College Readiness Benchmark in math, while 47 percent (compared to 46 in 2010 and 49 in 2007) met or exceeded the English benchmark. Thirty five percent (compared to 34 in 2010 and 2007) of Hispanic graduates met or exceeded the ACT benchmark in reading. Finally, 15 percent (compared to 14 percent in 2010 and 13 percent in 2007) met or exceeded the benchmark in science.
However, ACT results continue to show an alarmingly high number of students who are graduating without all of the academic skills they need to succeed after high school. Forty-five percent of Hispanic test takers in the 2011 graduating class failed to meet any of the four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks.
The growth in Hispanic test takers over the past five years has been dramatic. More than 200,000 Hispanic graduates (200,661) took the ACT test in 2011, 27 percent more than in 2010 and more than twice the number as in 2007. The rising number of Hispanic students taking the ACT continues to move closer to the actual representation of this group among all students.
The ACT is an achievement test that measures knowledge and academic skills learned in school and validated as critical for success in college.
Some other key findings:
- 11 percent of 2011 Hispanic graduates who took the ACT exam met or surpassed all four of the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks
- 30 percent of Hispanic graduates met or exceeded the ACT College Readiness Benchmark in math – one of the most improved subject areas
- However, 45 percent of Hispanic test-takers in the 2011 grad class failed to meet any of the four benchmarks
- The number of Hispanic test-takers over the past five years has grown dramatically – more than 200,000 took the ACT test in 2011
Source: ACT News, Hispanic ACT Test Takers Show Improvement in College and Career Readiness, August 17, 2011.